You may be surprised to know that Maternal Spotlight began from a series of real life experiences — one of which was my birth story.

For those of you who don’t know me - My name is Shilpa Londhe. I’m a public health research scientist, mother, and founder of Maternal Spotlight. In this podcast, I wanted to share my story with you. It’s a story that has taken me a long time to come to terms with and an even longer time to become comfortable hearing - even from myself. Almost seven years ago, I became a mom. There are many pathways to motherhood, but my story began with giving birth to a baby, a month early, in a hospital setting. And the experience of this birth provided me with a unique perspective on how women in labor, even a woman who has significant health care knowledge and expertise, can be vulnerable and at risk at a time that is traditionally recognized to be one of joyful expectation.

Warning: This podcast contains potential triggers as it discusses birth trauma in a hospital setting.

Welcome to Episode 3 of the Maternal Spotlight podcast. This podcast focuses on the topic of mental load, or the mental burden that we face when caregiving or managing a household. As many of us are fully aware, COVID-19 has most certainly impacted the mental load of parents as homeschooling has become the norm and juggling work, life, and children is straining our daily bandwidths. We sat down with Louise Parker, a holistic wellness practitioner, to specifically discuss the mental burden on mothers during the pandemic. Before we get started, we wanted to highlight that we recognize that this initial discussion is from a heteronormative perspective -- however, Maternal Spotlight is committed to expanding this conversation with all parents - from single parents to same-sex households. We welcome your feedback as we continue to develop content and records new episodes.

Today’s conversation is really about broadening our perspective on what it means to be maternal. Being maternal is more than just birthing a baby and caring for a child. Maternal is so much more. In this podcast, we are so grateful to have our Maternal Spotlight expert, Kristen Santaromita, help us in creating a space for current and future caregivers to access logistical and emotional support.

As we begin our caregiving series, Kristen joins us to share her experiences from in and out of the field - from her perspective on the health care system and social supports in the United States to her personal insights from being a caregiver herself.

This podcast is meant for anyone who is currently a caregiver for a family member or is mindful that they may become a caregiver to a parent or loved one in the future.

Kristen also shares her advice on how to approach tough conversations, how to be an advocate for someone who relies on you, how to organize your tasks and stay ahead of managing care long-term within the US health care system. She also highlights how she enjoys the moments that make caregiving a rewarding experience. We think you’ll enjoy listening to our conversation with her, as much as we enjoyed recording it.

Jess and Shilpa share their origin story and more in this special debut episode.