S2 Ep6 - COVID-19 & Parenting w/ Tara Haelle by Ariel Swift & Caity Mehl

S2 Ep.5 - Guest Dr. Amy Gilland - COVID - 19 & Doula Care by Ariel Swift & Caity Mehl

Artist Rebecca Lynn Craig talks about entering parenthood after being diagnosed with PCOS, and her sex-positive work as an embroidery artist at Emboudior.

Chicago doula partners Ariel and Kara talk about how they found and continue to work on their work partnership, how the prenatal appointment has changed in the last 4 years, and communication.

Talking with a professional woman about her choice to not have children, and how that has impacted her profession, relationships, and outlook on life.

Emotional Labor: The load. The mental labor. Author Gemma Hartley sums it up in the introduction of her book Fed UP: Emotional Labor, Women, and the Way Forward as, “a special kind of invested effort encompassing the anticipation of needs, the weighing and balancing of competing priorities, and the empathy of putting oneself in someone else’s shoes, among other factors.” Or, it’s knowing about homework assignments and meal planning. It’s how holidays magically seem to happen. It’s remembering birthdays, anniversaries, and when to buy toilet paper. It’s a lot, but it is also invisible. 



The invisible work that women have predominately been keepers of and responsible for passing on to generations is finally coming to the forefront and we’re wondering, there has got to be a better way. 




Gemma admits this is still the beginning of the conversation, but it’s an exciting beginning. 

Fed Up is a book that explores how our culture got to this moment, how engrained emotional labor effects women in the home, workplace, and culturally at large, and starts to ask questions about why we need this work to be seen and valued.

Birth plans are en Vogue, but what happens when they can't be followed? What happens when you need to change course? Today's episode explores a tool to increase communication in the labor room and help laboring people feel empowered during their birth.

Hosts: Ariel Swift, Caity Ann Mehl

Music Provided by: BenSound

Ariel Swift and Caity Mehl take today's episode to talk about what doulas do because even after decades of momentum, there is still broad confusion about the purpose, role, and benefit to having a pregnancy, birth, and postpartum support.

When you think about what a kid needs to move through this world, as parents , we can get stuck on the stuff. But when we put the stuff aside, we are left with the emotional child. The person. This episode with my co-host Caity Mehl, we’re going to go through the 6 basic needs of children that influence how these core beliefs develop.

Co-host Caity Mehl shares her personal experience with FCCS, and how it was both terrifiying and affirming.