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Today’s episode is an important one to me because the main focus is around one mother’s journey through postpartum anxiety. Statistics around postpartum mood disorders vary because frankly we do a shit job of screening for it. Symptoms can vary widely from one mother to another and so many cases go completely undiagnosed. 

Some stats say upwards of 20% of moms have battled some type of postpartum mood disorder, but I believe, even anecdotally, that that number is too low. 

If you go back and listen to all my guests up to this point, most of them mention that they endured some level of postpartum mood disorder. I’m personally passionate about it because I myself experienced issues with my first child. I talk about it in episode 3 and how I felt completely disconnected emotionally from my child. 

So I put out a call to my fellow moms who would be willing to share their experiences with postpartum anxiety, depression, psychosis, baby blues…all of it. In hopes of shining a light on a problem that needs proper attention.

I first sit down with Laura Courrau.

She is an operations director for a company that does in-home autism therapy for kids diagnosed within the spectrum of ASD. She has a two year old daughter and she really opens up about her start to being a mom and how anxiety overcame her during the first year.

We talk about how sleep deprivation may have played a role, her attempt to seek professional help, and how it felt to go back to work in a startup space filled with young males, none of which had kids of their own. 

She currently finds herself in the throws of toddler tantrums and is wrestling with whether it’s time to add another child to their family. Which brings back to the surface some dark times she faced. 

Laura had four miscarriages before bringing her daughter into the world. The anxiety started soon after birth with Laura feeling like she had everything to lose now that her daughter was born.

Her daughter then hit a terrible four month sleep regression that drove Laura to the edge. Luckily had a good support system in her husband who wasn’t working at the time so he was able to help her out when she needed it for the first six months. 

Laura also opens up about trying to seek help by seeing three different psychologists. Unfortunately, none were a good fit and she ultimately stopped going. 

And she also shares how she’s preparing herself for if and when she decides to add another child to their family. 

A huge thank you to Laura for speaking so candidly about her experience. If you think you or someone you know may be suffering from some form of postpartum mood disorder I urge you to seek help. It’s hard to recognize it while in the thick of it so being an advocate for someone who may be in the middle of it is so important.

Here are some resources for postpartum mood disorders:

Postpartum Support International-They offer a ton of amazing resources plus a hotline if you just need to chat with someone: 1-800-944-4773. You can also text: 503-894-9453

You can also find local resources here.

This is a great article that helps you better understand what to look for in new moms as it relates to postpartum mood disorders as well as what to do to seek help.

In a first for the podcast I have not one, not two but three guests stopping in. Today I’m talking to the ladies behind the Pickup Line Media newsletter, a daily email that rounds up everything happening in the news, entertainment, parenting and lifestyle and delivers it to your inbox right when you are wasting time in the pick up line at school.

Beth Kneebone, Patty Smith and Heather McBride have a lot of parenting knowledge to share between them and we touch on so many topics in this episode. As work at home moms, the ladies share their experience with trying to make it through the day and meeting the sometimes high expectations of their partners who aren’t there seeing the nitty gritty of it all. 

They also share how their parenting tactics differ from how they THOUGHT they would approach parenting prior to having kids. Some pretty big laughs during that segment. How naive we all are at the beginning of this journey.

They also restore my faith in all of parenting humanity as they share the most clicked through stories in their newsletter.

This is a fun one, there’s definitely something to learn from these three so stay tuned!

If you want to subscribe to their daily newsletter just text pickupline, one word to 22828. 

The Pickup Line on IG

Pickup Line website

Today’s guest is Erykah St. Louis, a mom to a young son who is passionate about about bringing the tribe mentality back to motherhood. Erykah felt a lack of community herself as she ventured through her first year of motherhood and that inspired her to re examine they way we interact with one another as parents. 

We also chat about how motherhood is a long process of letting go. And how letting go of the things you felt were once so important, you can find a sense of freedom as you grow into motherhood. 

Erykah’s pregnancy was a bit of a surprise for her and although she knew she wanted to have kids someday and had talked to her future husband about it, she admits that she wasn’t exactly ready when it happened.

We talk allot about how important it is to make some connections with other moms. But that’s certainly easier said than done. How to you insert yourself into that space? I wrote a post about how I went on a blind date with a mom that was new in town. It was admittedly weird but I knew this mom needed to make some connections, even if it wasn’t with me I would be able to point her in the right directions. We ended up being fast friends and have leaned on one another over the last few years. Check out that post to learn more about how putting yourself out there can be a good thing!

Show Notes:

Erykah St. Louis  on IG

Today I’m chatting with Olivia Howell about parenting with a partner that had a completely different upbringing than her, embracing a mom support system that exists mostly online, and how she navigates technology in her home, you know, the dreaded screen time decision.

Olivia is New Yorker who is married to a non New Yorker and has two boys ages 5.5 and 2.5. She’s a social media manager who works from home and so we chat about the challenges that brings both from inside and outside the home.

Olivia shares how she’s a true New Yorker, born and bred, and while her husband is definitely not they’ve learned how to bring each of their upbringings in to their parenting world. Their families share a love for art, music and creativity and they use that as a cornerstone for how they parent their kids.

Olivia loves her mom tribe that she has found mostly online. We dive in to how that works better for her given her work at home status. She admits she’s a better online friend, loyal to the end, then in-person and how that works best for her and her needs.

Being a social media manager and someone who is on her phone for business throughout most of the day, I had to ask what her thoughts were about screen time and her kids. Olivia shares her approach and how her kids react to their digital devices. 

Show Notes:

Olivia Howell on IG

Howell Media House

Workin’ Moms on Netflix

How do we curb mom guilt and actually HELP parents navigate this journey? I am chatting with Susan Padron today, a personal stylist who lives in New Jersey with her husband and young son. We talk about how we can share our experiences with motherhood with a no-strings-attached kind of delivery in hopes of cutting down the mom guilt.

Sharon also shares how she was expecting to have a sassy little girl as a for of parenting karma for being a difficult kid herself. She thought she was off the hook when her son was born, but that wasn’t quite the case as Susan explains in this episode.

She also talks about how surprised she was in her own parenting skills as she’s learned to use humor to bring out her best self. We also touch on how parenting groups can mean well but end up being toxic and having mom guilt is normal but can be made worse through all the advice we hear.

This even includes the advice from those we look to most: Family. 

Follow Susan Padron on Instagram @susanpadron_stylist

And here is a post from me that shares how I deal with mom guilt. 

Terri Fry was born in Pakistan and lived there until she was ten. She now lives in Canada and is married with two boys age 5 and 3. She is Pakistani and a Muslim and her husband is German-Scottish and a Catholic. 

We talk about the challenges she’s faced while parenting in a multi-cultural home with two different religions, the pressures she feels from her family to raise her kids more traditionally, and the battles she takes on to stick to what she feels is best for her family.

Terri also talks about how her two boys are so different which means she parents them very differently to meet their individual needs. She gives advice on how we can curb mom judgement and she also discusses her thoughts on we, as parents, can be more open about the challenges we face day in and day out.

We were able to touch on so many topics in this chat so take a listen!

Show notes:

Terri’s Podcast Mom Like That

Mom Like That on Instagram

In this episode I’m joined by Tara Wood. You’ve probably seen her or her kids online at some point because she’s had a few viral moments in her parenting journey. Whether it’s a piece of advice that really speaks to parents, or her kid’s adventures with Mr. Dan, Tara unexpectedly became a beacon for parents all over the world.

 And I’ve been a fan of her writing since I first became a mom. My first recollection of coming across Tara was reading an article she wrote for Scary Mommy. I vividly remember reading it and thinking, THANK YOU JESUS, someone if finally telling tales of motherhood as they REALLY happen. No sugar coating it. 

And so I started down the rabbit hole of the internet finding all there is about Tara. And I’ve followed her ever since. That sounds a little stalkerish, I admit. But once you see Tara in action, you can’t help but be enthralled. 

I adore the way she parents with reality and honesty. Oh, and did I mention that she has seven kids? Yeah, she is a wealth of knowledge so I was thrilled to have her join me. She was a bucket list guest for me and I was honored to have her on.

We chat about how to be ok when we screw up as moms, how she handles cursing in her home, how her parenting methods and tactics have changed over the years, and what clicked with her when she turned 40. I have always felt that she brings out the absolute best in her kids so I ask her how she does it. And Tara, being Tara, keeps it real!

With kids ranging in age from 3-17 she has seen it all, so do yourself a favor and listen up!

Show notes:

Some of Tara’s writing

The Day My Daughter Welcomed A Stranger Into Our Family

Medicated Moms Face A Double Standard

What Tara Wood Do: When Your Kid Is A Super-Picky Eater

Nothing Says ‘True Love’ Like A 5-Alarm Intestinal Disaster

This Mom’s Sh*tshow Morning Will Have You In Tears Of Laughter

Tara on Facebook
Tara on IG

This is the first in a three part series where I chat with Amanda Dennin throughout her first year of becoming a mom.

Amanda and I are friends from college so I am so happy to be able to capture these moments throughout this first year. I think it will be interesting to see her perspectives at each check in point.

This first episode is all about the pregnancy. Part two will find Amanda at the six month mark of motherhood and part three will be at the one year mark.

In this episode Amanda is nearing the end of her pregnancy so we chat about how she found out she was pregnant (and how her mom claimed she already knew the sex of the baby!), whether she enjoyed being pregnant, and how she imagines labor and delivery will go and whether her partner can hang for the nitty gritty (she thinks he can!).

We also chat about how she is trying to find a balance with the pregnancy, her photography business, becoming a certified yoga instructor and have a full time job. She’s busy!

Tune in for part two and three as we see Amanda tackle motherhood.

Show notes:

Amanda’s photography business

Amanda on IG

In this episode of This Is Parenting Podcast I am joined by Ruthy Kirwan. Ruthy sits down to chat about the struggles of parenting in a tiny NY apartment, her husband keeping odd work hours, and her experience with post partum depression.

Ruthy also shares a unique aspect about her parenting with her husband and his family being from Ireland. They’ve been through the Green Card process and gives her a unique view of parenting through that as well as having no family members nearby. They’ve had to navigate the international boundaries often and that adds an interesting level in her parenting. And she talks about whether there are any cultural differences between her and her husband in terms of how they parent their kids.

We connect on how our time as a person is suddenly no longer ours to control when kids are involved. How can we create space for ourselves as moms, as a wife, as a friend, etc.? How can we better communicate that to others in our circle?

She shares her current joys of parenting including seeing the personalities of her kids start to develop and hearing her youngest start to talk for the first time.

Ruthy has combines her passion with cooking and helping busy moms with her site Percolate Kitchen and she recently release a new Amazon best selling cookbook The Healthy Sheet Pan Cookbook. I’ve tried these recipes and they save me so much time in the kitchen AND they are yummy.

Show notes:

Ruthy’s website Percolate Kitchen

Ruthy’s NEW cookbook The Healthy Sheet Pan Cookbook

Ruthy on IG