In this episode, I sat down with Bridgid, mum to her 15-month-old son, and a business operations manager at one of the big four.

Bridgid shares her journey to conceive, and the road that eventually led them to IVF. She experienced three miscarriages, including one at 12 weeks that was deeply traumatic. She's also honest about how much she didn't enjoy pregnancy, having been diagnosed with polyhydramnios, a condition where there's excess fluid around the baby, which lead her to having a cesarean birth. 

We talk about the intense first days and weeks which included visits to NICU for her baby who was unwell after birth. Bridgid shares her thoughts on breastfeeding and the intensity around it. 

We also have a decent chat around the role of a paid job once you become a mum and how becoming a mother has completely reshaped the way she thinks about work, especially as a self-proclaimed workaholic. 

Bridgid has a lot to say about how modern society has it wrong for young families, and I think you'll find yourself nodding along.

This episode will not disappoint. I hope you love it.

Carli xx

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Find the complete show notes here - https://www.bymothering.com/podcast

Give Blood - Book here 

Dr Leesha Nesarajah — Obstetrician at Frances Perry House, The Royal Women’s Hospital, Parkville VIC

Be a guest on the podcast - https://www.bymothering.com/guest-submission

Music for Mothering was created by Christina Higham, post classical composer, pianist and collaborator based in Melbourne/Naarm.
Find out more about Christina here: https://www.christinahighammusic.com/about. 
And listen to her music on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1417raofJQL3dwDIBXsEJ9.

Follow Mothering on Instagram: @bymothering

Thank you for listening!

I sit down with Lindsay, who works as a mother to her 15-month-old daughter and in project/change management. 

We talk about the deep anguish of returning to work and starting childcare while her baby was still so small, and the painful mismatch between standard maternity leave timelines and the age when babies crave closeness and attachment the most. Lindsay opens up about being a high achiever and how that identity collided with the realities of new motherhood.

She also shares the story of a miscarriage at a young age and how it changed the course of her life, along with the mental health struggles she faced during pregnancy, including anxiety around genetic screening results and the disorienting experience of stopping her ADHD medication abruptly. Even in the middle of that, she had the foresight to seek out psychological support to help her through it.

We also touch on her partner's experience with paternal postpartum depression, and how that shaped her own journey into motherhood.

This is a raw, honest conversation about the gap between how motherhood is "supposed" to look and what it actually feels like, and the strength it takes to ask for help along the way.

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Find the complete show notes here - www.bymothering.com/podcast

Be a guest on the podcast - www.bymothering.com/guestsubmission

Music for Mothering was created by Christina Higham, post classical composer, pianist and collaborator based in Melbourne/Naarm. Find out more about Christina here: https://www.christinahighammusic.com/about. 
And listen to her music on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1417raofJQL3dwDIBXsEJ9.

Follow Mothering on Instagram: @bymothering

Thank you for listening!
- Carli xx