Hello everyone out there! We wanted to bring you a very special episode like we've never done before. Listen in on a raw, honest conversation we have about how our relationship has evolved since becoming parents, our expectations of one another, and navigating the change from stay at home mom to stay at home dad. We apologize for the sound quality, we literally recorded this from the car!

Feel free to write in to our show about anything you want, each week we will be taking questions or stories on a wider range of topics so that everyone’s voices can be heard.

Email us at [email protected] if you have thoughts on these questions or find us on Instagram or Facebook to be a part of the conversation.

You can now support us on Patreon! All patrons at the $5 level or above can join us for a monthly mental health support group via Zoom and folks at the $10 level can listen ad-free.

Also remember to please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts.

We chat a bit about what it might be like to have an only child while living a military or traveling lifestyle, and read an email about a family who has moved many times. We also read several emails about adoption and step-siblings in response to last week's question about an adoptive child and their biological siblings.

In an Only You Podcast first, we have a listener asking for ADVICE! We read their quandary, comment with our thoughts, then turn to all of you for advice on the matter. Can't wait to hear what you all think!

This week’s questions:

• Cont'd: Does anyone have tips or stories about raising an only child as a military family?

Feel free to write in about anything you want, each week we will be taking questions or stories on a wider range of topics so that everyone’s voices can be heard.

Email us at [email protected] if you have thoughts on these questions or find us on Instagram or Facebook to be a part of the conversation.

You can now support us on Patreon! All patrons at the $5 level or above can join us for a monthly mental health support group via Zoom and folks at the $10 level can listen ad-free.

Also remember to please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts.

This week we are celebrating Penny's second birthday and processing all kinds of emotions as we reflect the two year anniversary of our birth trauma and NICU stay. On behalf of NICU parents everywhere, we are honored to bring to you an interview with Kelli Kelley, the founder and CEO of Hand to Hold. Hand to Hold is a non-profit organization that provides personalized support before, during and after a NICU stay to help ensure all NICU families thrive.

You can learn more about this incredible and much needed non-profit on their website, where you can also find tons of great resources including multiple podcasts and virtual support groups.

Email us at [email protected] if you would like to tell your story and be featured on the show, or find us on Instagram or Facebook to be a part of the conversation.

You can now support us on Patreon! All patrons at the $5 level or above can join us for a monthly mental health support group via Zoom and folks at the $10 level can listen ad-free.

Also remember to please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Our listeners respond to an email from the last episode and we talk about the many positives of traveling with a single child. We also discuss our recent vacation and how freeing it is to be out of the baby stage and not planning on having another in regards to planning, attending, and affording a nice family trip.

We read several stories about people who have experienced epiphanies about their own family plans before even trying for their first, a family who opted for adoption and has an only child with biological siblings, and a military family hoping for tips on raising an only child while moving around a lot.

This week’s questions:

• At what point did you first consider having an only child? Do you feel that the expectation to have two or more children is ingrained in our society?

Feel free to write in about anything you want, each week we will be taking questions or stories on a wider range of topics so that everyone’s voices can be heard.

Email us at [email protected] if you have thoughts on these questions or find us on Instagram or Facebook to be a part of the conversation.

You can now support us on Patreon! All patrons at the $5 level or above can join us for a monthly mental health support group via Zoom and folks at the $10 level can listen ad-free.

Also remember to please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts.

For some of us, the decision to be one and done came partially from a difficult experience in the NICU. It can be incredibly traumatizing to see your child struggle as you are recuperating from childbirth and just learning how to be a parent. Dear NICU Mama is a nonprofit organization that has created a community of past and present NICU moms and works to support and connect them in their healing journey. We were so lucky to be able to chat with Ashley and Martha and learn more about how they started the organization, hear their birth stories, and learn more about where they stand with their family sizes.

You can listen to the Dear NICU Mama Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about their mission on their website and follow them on Instagram.

Email us at [email protected] if you would like to tell your story and be featured on the show, or find us on Instagram or Facebook to be a part of the conversation.

You can now support us on Patreon! All patrons at the $5 level or above can join us for a monthly mental health support group via Zoom and folks at the $10 level can listen ad-free.

Also remember to please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts.

We are so pleased to share an interview that Jess had with Pamela Druckerman, author of Bringing Up Bebe. This was the first (and only) parenting book Jess read during her pregnancy, and although the author has more than one child, the attitude of French parenting has shaped the way we parent. We chat about maintaining your identity after having a child, American expectations of mothers, and the pressures we tend to put on ourselves. It was absolutely fascinating to speak with this best-selling author, and we hope you all join us in reading the book over the summer so we can chat with her again at our book club!

You can find the audiobook using Audibletrial.com/onlyyou and receive a free one month trial of Audible, or look for a hard copy at your local bookstore or library.  We will be doing a completely free Zoom discussion to talk about our feelings on the book later this year. Only You: A One and Done Podcast is proudly sponsored by Audible. 

Email us at [email protected] if you have thoughts on these questions or find us on Instagram or Facebook to be a part of the conversation.

You can now support us on Patreon! All patrons at the $5 level or above can join us for a monthly mental health support group via Zoom and folks at the $10 level can listen ad-free.

Also remember to please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts.

This is a very special episode because we are giving Pierce the week off! We are celebrating his Father's Day this weekend, and the hardworking dad he is deserved a break - especially since our recording studio is over 100 degrees! Luckily, our friend Amy stepped in and co-hosted with Jess, and it turned out to be a great conversation.

Jess announces this episode that she has started managing podcasts, inspired by Amy's work-in-progress show and instagram page, Grow Up! Follow her here for updates as she begins her podcasting journey, and find information about our podcast editing services here.

We read stories about difficult pregnancy/birth experiences that lead to trauma, one listener is struggling with outside input on their one and done circumstance, and another person writes in about deciding to be one and done before becoming pregnant.

This week’s questions:

• If your pregnancy/birth/postparum was traumatic, at what point did you decide that? Did anyone feel like they experienced gray-area trauma?

Feel free to write in about anything you want, each week we will be taking questions or stories on a wider range of topics so that everyone’s voices can be heard.

Email us at [email protected] if you have thoughts on these questions or find us on Instagram or Facebook to be a part of the conversation.

You can now support us on Patreon! All patrons at the $5 level or above can join us for a monthly mental health support group via Zoom and folks at the $10 level can listen ad-free.

Also remember to please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Buckle up folks, because this week we're diving into all things one and done and the family size culture of religion - specifically Mormonism! We are so fortunate to have Lindsay Helm join us, who is a former only child who independently converted to Mormonism as a teenager and left the church many years later. She and her husband are currently raising their only child and we talk a lot about how the culture surrounding religion can have a big impact on how many children you may feel inclined to have. She is incredibly fascinating and an advocate for folks who have had traumatic experiences within religious organizations.

Follow her on Instagram or Facebook as well as on her website for more information on her upcoming book.

Email us at [email protected] if you have thoughts on these questions or find us on Instagram or Facebook to be a part of the conversation.

You can now support us on Patreon! All patrons at the $5 level or above can join us for a monthly mental health support group via Zoom and folks at the $10 level can listen ad-free.

Also remember to please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts.

We are back with a studio episode after a busy couple of weeks! We read stories from folks who have thoughts on deciding what to do with remaining embryos and talk about how procedures vary from country to country. We also have a story from a listener who created a one and done page specifically for LGBTQ+ parents of only children.

Next, we talk about what it could mean to know when you are really done trying for a second and ways to hold space for that. We also hear from a listener who decided to only pursue one pregnancy because of geriatric/advanced maternal age.

This week’s questions:

• Did you have a “goodbye ceremony” of any kind when you decided to no longer pursue another child? How did you know when you were no longer on the fence?

Feel free to write in about anything you want, each week we will be taking questions or stories on a wider range of topics so that everyone’s voices can be heard.

Email us at [email protected] if you have thoughts on these questions or find us on Instagram or Facebook to be a part of the conversation.

We are very excited to announce that Jess will be co-hosting a series of mindfulness workshops. Learn more and sign up: https://www.onlyyoupodcast.com/mindfulness-courses

You can now support us on Patreon! All patrons at the $5 level or above can join us for a monthly mental health support group via Zoom and folks at the $10 level can listen ad-free.

Also remember to please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts.

We are so pleased to be able to share this interview with Bryce from @mombrain.therapist on Instagram! Bryce is a mental health therapist and a mom of two via the long road of infertility and loss. Her platform has inspired ours in so many ways. She allows parents the space to talk openly about mental health and share anonymously what is going on in their lives. We chat about supporting moms post partum, speaking openly about mental health, and how only children are not all that different from any other kid!

You can find Bryce on Instagram at @mombrain.therapist. You can also learn more about her and her work on her website.

Email us at [email protected] with your story or any questions you may have for us or the community. You can also find us on Instagram or Facebook to be a part of the conversation.

We are very excited to announce that Jess will be co-hosting a series of mindfulness workshops. Learn more: https://www.onlyyoupodcast.com/mindfulness-courses

You can now support us on Patreon! All patrons at the $5 level or above can join us for a monthly mental health support group via Zoom and folks at the $10 level can listen ad-free.

Also remember to please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts.