Here and Now Motherhood

Today is our final episode. Nicole, our founder, shares her story of her transition into motherhood.  Here and Now Motherhood is closing its doors, thank you for your support!

Lyndsay gave birth to her first baby during graduate school. They tried thirteen times to get her epidural in, and Lyndsay goes into detail about how it felt more like this was happening to her rather than the birth being an empowering experience. When the time came for her third baby, she started having an extreme upset stomach - luckily her doula was training as a midwife and checked her urine protein levels, and sent her straight to the hospital. At the hospital, Lyndsay found out that she had HELLP syndrome. However, she took the reins and transformed the birth into a powerful, empowering, God-filled experience. People who entered the room commented on how peaceful it felt, when Lyndsay was actually fighting for her life. Lyndsay and the baby were totally fine  - a miracle. Listen to Lyndsay tell her powerful story in this episode!

Dr. Diana Morelen is a clinical psychologist and professor at ETSU. She researches maternal and infant mental health - so you can imagine the surprise that came with her own mental health struggles as she became a mother. Diana had a miscarriage and even shares her journal entry about that day with us on this episode.  Diana later became pregnant with twins and gave birth at 31 weeks due to twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. The twins stayed in the NICU for a time, and one of the babies needed heart surgery. Diana shares about her strong community and how she actually felt elevated once she became a mother. She shares, "We're not meant to do it alone."

Brianne experienced postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety during the early years of her matrescence journey. After having a long history of postpartum anxiety, she felt her mental health become more intense after having a baby. For her, part of postpartum depression was feeling an overwhelming sense of doom, being tearful, self-isolating, and being angry at her baby. To read Brianne's story in her own words, read her story our on our blog at https://www.hereandnowmotherhood.org/post/my-story-of-postpartum-depression

Struggle breastfeeding, infertility, mom identity. Brittany shares her matrescence story, or about her transition into motherhood. Brittany had been married to her partner for 7 years before getting pregnant with her son, and they had been together for 11 years. It was very important to Brittany to have her schooling and career finished and settled before having a baby. Once it was time for her to start her motherhood journey, she found out that she wasn't ovulating. After some trial and error, she went on Clomid. Brittany tells us about her pregnancy being surrounded by friends and family, and how her birth was long but empowering - and how surprising it was to her that her medical chart reflected otherwise. Brittany talks about how she wish she'd known that shed be bleeding for so long after coming home, and we talk about the whole caddy of items we need to bring to the bathroom postpartum! She and her son initially struggled with breastfeeding as well. Brittany is currently pregnant, and has been pregnant during the pandemic. She shares about her trying to juggle her identity as a mom with her identity outside of motherhood.  We mention the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility. Check it out here on Amazon - when you purchase through this link, we get a percentage of your purchase!  We also mention the Frida ad - watch the video here. To learn more about Here and Now Motherhood, visit www.hereandnowmotherhood.org

Plancental abruption, bedrest, c-section, postpartum anxiety. Rachel tells her story of her rough pregnancy, traveling to Japan and being nauseous  the whole time - and her story of having a placental abruption. In her vivid retelling, Rachel tells us what it was like to wake up in a pool of blood, be rushed to the ambulance, and then be on bedrest the rest of the pregnancy. Join us as Rachel tells her matrescecne story, and shares how having a solid identity was really important to her before she started having kids. As a photographer, she got her business running and then decided she was ready to have a kid. In this episode we also talk about the risk factors for postpartum depression. Here are the surprising risk factors for postpartum depression in moms: A personal or family history of depression, anxiety, or postpartum depression Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD or PMS) Inadequate support in caring for the baby Financial stress Marital stress Complications in pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding A major recent life event: loss, house move, job loss Mothers of multiples Mothers whose infants are in Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) Mothers who’ve gone through infertility treatments Women with a thyroid imbalance Women with any form of diabetes (type 1, type 2 or gestational) Bisexual women paired with men are also at a higher risk for having postpartum depression. You can read more about postpartum depression risk factors here: https://www.postpartumspecialist.net/post/postpartum-depression-how-to-know-if-you-re-at-risk Want to learn more about Here and Now Motherhood? Visit www.hereandnowmotherhood.org

Home birth made easier by a chiropractor, juggling returning to work, sex after birth,  the neuroscience of motherhood. Kelly shares her story about how she never wanted to be a mother. When she finally made a pact with her best friend that they would do motherhood together, Kelly and her partner got pregnant. She expected to hate it, and now finds that when she enjoys pieces of motherhood it's icing on the cake. As a personal trainer and fitness instructor, Kelly shares her throughs on feminism, our cultural perspective on the pregnant body, and gives us some insight into the neuroscience of motherhood.  Want to get ahold of Kelly? Visit her at https://www.kellybryantwellness.com/ Are you ready to learn more about Here and Now Motherhood? Visit www.hereandnowmotherhood.org,

Thyroid cancer, night terrors, depression, trauma. Crystal Danielsen-Moore gets into her motherhood story and tells us what it was like letting go of being "the best mother" and how her community has enabled her to be her own person as a mother. Describing taking tests with a baby on her lap, Crystal also talks about what it was like to go back to school with an infant at home. After being diagnosed with thyroid cancer postpartum and being cancer free for a number of years, Crystal is a massage therapist in Johnson City TN.  You can reach Crystal at https://amethysthealings.com/ Want to learn more about Here and Now Motherhood? Visit www.hereandnowmotherhood.org. We have an upcoming yoga teacher training designed for parents, doulas, and yoga teachers. Subscribe to our email list to reserve your spot early.

Eating disorders, depression, NICU, miscarriage - what don't we talk about today?! Kalen Arnold shares her story of motherhood and all its ups and downs. She also digs into gratitude, and how it took a long time for her to figure out her own identity. Be sure to tune in for her advice to mothers who are listening.  Kalen owns a women's fitness studio in Johnson City, Tennessee. You can find her website at https://ladyfitstudio.com/ Are you ready to learn more about Here and Now Motherhood? Visit us at www.hereandnowmotherhood.org

IVF, infertility, and mental health. Amanda Osowski shares her motherhood story of going through IVF, experiencing infertility, and battling depression and anxiety. Join us as she shares about learning she would need technological assistance to get pregnant, and how her history of anxiety and depression impacted her journey.  Amanda is an antenatal, postpartum and infertility doula in the Chicago area. To contact her send her an email at [email protected] or visit her instagram page @heartfeltbeginnings. Want to learn more about Here and Now Motherhood? Visit www.hereandnowmotherhood.org.