Not Another Momcast

In this episode we decide to discuss a concept we have alluded to a couple of times, and that is the idea that two completely opposing emotions can exist within us at the same time - especially as parents. The term that describes this concept is called “ambivalence”, and we wanted to chat about the ways in which we have experienced this in our own lives. It often feels like we live in a culture where everything and everyone has to prescribe to one extreme or the other, but what if life is more about the "AND" than the "OR" ??

In this episode we define and discuss the unfamiliar (but, turns out, very familiar) term of "matrescence." We heard the term in an Insta reel, did a little Googling, and definitely connected to what we were learning and experiencing thus far as parents. Basically, matrescence defines the transition into motherhood; like, every aspect of transitioning into motherhood. It is a continuous lifelong transition because every period, every phase of motherhood, is new to you and your body and your mind. And so, if you ask us, the rest of your life is considered a transition into motherhood, or, matrescence! 

PS - this term/concept easily applies to all parental/caregiving figures, including non-carrying parents and adopted parents, alike! 

Articles we reference in this episode:

How to Navigate Matrescence: The Ups and Downs of New Motherhood

This Is Exactly How New Moms Feel—So Why Isn’t Anyone Talking About It?

In this episode we get absolutely schooled about the rarely discussed truths of both having, and being, a stepparent by our good friend, Karsen Daily. Karsen is a lot of things, like a crypto-genius-queen and an absolute freakin’ ray of hilarious, tangible sunshine. She has also recently stepped into the role of stepmom to a 4-year-old boy. When we heard about her entry into the wild world of raising a human, we asked her to come on the pod to talk with us about this extremely important and under-represented form of motherhood. In typical Karsen fashion, she blows our mind with her blatantly silly yet secretly insightful take on a topic that is often misunderstood and unfairly stigmatized.

Check out Karsen's Instagram here, and her podcast, The Karsen Daily Show here! 

This week we discuss so many of our favorite topics with our wonderful guest, Meg Martineau, of owner and creator of Vibrant Mama Wellness. This inspirational Mompreneur sits down to talk about changing the postpartum narrative for moms out there through the importance of finding a healthy and fulfilling life after pregnancy, actively doing something about the lack of support there is in the postpartum, and even the importance of taking risks and manifesting our true destinies. So. Good. Listen to this episode, not only for inspiration, but for some real actionable tips that you can implement TODAY! 

Find more about Meg and her incredible business supporting Mamas HERE! 

We were inspired to tackle this controversial topic after Danielle recently commented on someone’s Instagram reel hinting at the idea of maybe not being ready for another child, and it led to a surprising outpouring of responses and support. Though the struggle of realizing your lifelong family plan has changed was something we had discussed privately many times before, this particular post interaction made us realize it would be a valuable conversation to have here on the pod. So, in this episode we talk about potentially being one and done- meaning, a one child, single child, *only child* household - and how navigating that choice in today's society is, honestly, kind of brutal. 

Okay, so, we didn’t successfully figure out how to do a “live” episode; BUT, we were still super excited to be celebrating Christmas together, and wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to record in the same state, let alone room! It’s been a lovely but busy few days of wrangling basically twin toddlers and hosting all of the rest of the local family for all the traditional dinners and special events, so we were down to the wire recording this one, and therefore kept it short and sweet...  We take a few minutes to reflect on our holiday visit, and then spend some time unpacking our manifesting goals for next year. BONUS content, two of the cutest co-hosts ever "help" us open the show! 

In this episode we read and discuss an article about marriage after kids. It’s no secret parenthood can do a number on relationships, often making you feel united as a team in new and wonderful goals of raising your little ones, yet completely isolated as individuals and unsure of who you are to each other. Trippy, right?  So, what does one expert say we can do about that??

We based this conversation off of an article entitled "How to Save Your Marriage from Parenthood", by Amie Gordon, published July 20, 2016 in Greater Good Magazine. You can find the full article here! 

We're back with the second part of our two part episode dedicated to our conversation with old friend and new dad, Michael DuBois! In this second part, we continue to ride the emotional rollercoaster that is parenting, as Michael answers more of our questions and shares a bit about his journey through parenting after the loss of his mother. Michael continues to be the perfect blend of profoundly insightful and impossibly silly, and we already look forward to having him back again some day! 

If you want to find Michael F. (as in Francis) DuBois and enjoy more of his quality content, check out his website here, or his Instagram here. 

In this episode we are very fortunate and very excited to have another guest on the show! We sit down and have a long chat with an old friend and new dad, Michael DuBois. So long, in fact, that we had to cut it into a two-part episode! In this first part, we begin to cover what his journey has been like so far as a work from home dad/entrepreneur who also happens to be primary caregiver to his little boy (a relatively rare role for new fathers). We really love getting the dad perspective, and Michael always brings the perfect blend of humorous and heartfelt to the table. 

For more of Michael's journey as a new parent (and plenty of beautiful, insightful, and profound art), check out his website here, or his Instagram here. 

In this episode we begin to talk about something that we've mention dealing with in other episodes: grief. Specifically, grieving while parenting. Now, we both have our own personal experiences with loss and grief but we aren’t quite ready to tackle that on air, mostly because we both are not prepared to cry through an entire episode. So tonight we will read and discuss, "Grieving While Parenting: 8 Tips for Juggling Heartbreak, Loss and Raising Children" an article written by Yolande Clark-Jackson and published on Care.com.

That being said, it’s easy to connect your own experiences to those you read about, as loss and grief are very emotionally charged topics. Please know that we are sensitive to that and do what you need to take care of yourself as best you can. This episode just might not be for everyone, but hopefully others out there will be able to find some comfort in knowing that you’re not alone in this process.