Our guest this week, Lilliana Vazquez, has held many titles - style expert, former television host on E!, and most recently, mama to her almost one year old son, Santiago. Like most episodes, our conversation is all about parenting but this one is a little different. We’re not only talking about Lilliana’s road to becoming a parent, including IVF treatment and her birth story, but also what is means to parent in abundance. She believes that making sure her own cup is full before anything else helps her be the best parent she can be. We also talk about the difficult feelings surrounding motherhood, advocating for your health (always!) and how good it feels to finally be heard.
More about Lilliana: Lilliana is known as one of the fashion blogging OGs, and has carried many titles - from blogger to style expert, TV commentator to television host on E!. The enterprising star has curated a career that began from her small blog (CheapChicas.com), which she launched in 2008, to being seen by millions daily on numerous platforms including NBC TODAY, "Extra" to "The Talk," "Rachael Ray," "The Wendy Williams Show" and "Steve Harvey." Today, she’s at PEOPLE (The TV Show) as a Special Contributor covering all things entertainment, red carpets, runways, and celebrity pop culture news.
Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, to a Puerto Rican father and Mexican mother, Lilliana is a first-generation Latinx who radiates gratitude for the dedication and sacrifices that her family made for her. Among the first in her family to attend college, she graduated from George Washington University, where she earned a double-major in international business and entrepreneurship. Lilliana has always used her platform to advocate for her community, and fight for Latinx representation in media and entertainment, as well as raise awareness on social issues.
In April of 2021, Lilliana announced she was pregnant with her first child, after battling with six years of infertility and IVF. After living this experience, Lilliana wishes to use her voice and platform to break the taboo around infertility and how it affects the Latinx community. In July 2021, Lilliana announced the birth of her healthy baby boy, Santiago “Santi” Merrick McGrath. Lilliana hopes to continue sharing about her journey to motherhood, the lessons, the challenges and hope with other mothers and those who hope to experience motherhood one day.
Vocabulary from this week’s episode
IVF: In vitro fertilization (IVF) helps with fertilization, embryo development, and implantation, so you can get pregnant.
IUI treatment: Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a simple procedure that puts sperm directly inside your uterus, which helps healthy sperm get closer to your egg.
AMH test: AMH, or anti-mullerian hormone is a substance produced by granulosa cells in ovarian follicles. Research shows that the size of the pool of growing follicles is heavily influenced by the size of the pool of remaining primordial follicles (microscopic follicles in “deep sleep”). Therefore, AMH blood levels are thought to reflect the size of the remaining egg supply – or “ovarian reserve”.
Gentle cesarean: A gentle C-section is a cesarean section which is elective and can occur under controlled situations.
Lilliana’s experience: “You can apply the same principles as a natural birth - skin to skin, cord clamping, vernix, and weight & height measurement can be delayed as long as the baby is okay. You can ask for a clear curtain instead of blue so you can watch the birth. You can also ask the doctor to take their time and be gentle; these are all things to discuss with your doctor if you are planning a gentle cesarean.”
Pick or Tip of the Week
Bricia’s pick this week is food! She has everything you can think of in her pantry - oils, salsas, etc. - she just wants to try one of everything. She recently tried David Chang’s products like the chili crunch, but her pick is the noodles. These are restaurant quality noodles come in clutch when you don’t have anything to eat.
Sun protection is Paulina’s tip this week. Coola Organic Radical Recovery After Sun Lotion has really helped her daughter’s recover from summer camp since they’re spending all day in the sun. They lather up before bed and it helps them so much in the morning.
Links
Follow Lilliana on Instagram @lillianavazquez
