This week’s episode I talk about my 4th trimester experience. What is the fourth trimester? The fourth trimester is the 12-week period immediately after you have had your baby. Mine was filled with a change in plans of supports and redefining what support looks like. Giving birth during a pandemic. Having two babies and continuously watching people look like me be murdered. Then witnessing the black lives movement resurgence and protests worldwide. I also share my birth story and how I received a foley bulb induction, which was the most painful PAINFUL experience I’ve ever had in my ENTIRE LIFE! So, I cover a lot of topics, but have a listen and let’s discuss below 👇🏽

We are officially back with Season 2, but FIRST, here is an episode that never aired because Corona Virus shut the world down. Here I have a sit down chat with my dear friend Jay and we discuss our three favorite women in black history (it was hard to narrow down only three because realistically it would be tons). There's so many black women to admire in our history as well as present and in a time right now where we are demanding change, reflecting on our black history is a reminder of the journey we've travelled. Share with us who you admire!

Email: [email protected]

website: www.pushthrumom.com

theme song: Joakim Kurad - Dreams

We're in very unfamiliar times right now in the word and trying to navigate this corona virus while also maintaining our sanity can be a challenge. But we've got this! In this episode, I catch you guys up on how it is to be quickly approaching your due date at this time and what safety interventions have been put into place by my doctor. I also share some tips and tools to help you manage your own anxiety in dealing with all of the uncertainty of the world right now.

Check out today's sponsor, The Birth Lounge

www.thebirthlounge.com

Use code PUSHTHRU5 to save $5 off/each month

Find a therapist:

https://therapyforblackgirls.com

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us

Article on Embracing the Unknown:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/collections/202003/embracing-the-unknown

Theme: Joakim Karud- Dizzy

Music: Shaboozey - Winning Streak

website: www.pushthrumom.com

follow: @pushthrumom

In honor of Black History Month And Women's History Month, I discuss the history of motherhood for black mothers. We talk about wet mothers, Mamie Till, Toni Morrison, and Margaret Garner. African American women have had a long journey to being able to freely be mothers to their own children. I also talk about my blessing way and what an honor the experience was for me.

Check out today's sponsor, The Birth Lounge www.thebirthlounge.com

Use code PUSHTHRU5 to save $5 off/each month

Theme: Joakim Karud - Dizzy

Music - Roll Jordan Roll (feat. Chiwetel Ejiofor)

Mother To Son- By Langston https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47559/mother-to-son

The Untold Story of Emmett Till- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvijYSJtkQk

Margaret Garner - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/obituaries/margaret-garner-overlooked.html

Website: www.pushthrumom.com

Follow: @pushthrumom

Workshops: https://keishareaves.com/workshops/

This week I sit down with my friend, Catherine, an early 30's woman who decided early that she did not want to have her own children. We discuss how she was able to reach that decision, how her and her husband got on the same page, and how she deals with people who try to change her mind. Catherine also shares how she's considering adoption or fostering, but being confident in her decision about how she wants to operate her womb helps her combat outside opinions.

Check out today's sponsor, The Birth Lounge www.thebirthlounge.com

Use code PUSHTHRU5 to save $5 off/each month

Theme: Joakim Karud - Dizzy

Music - I Can't Stand The Rain - Ann Peebles

Website: www.pushthrumom.com

Follow: @pushthrumom

Workshops: https://keishareaves.com/workshops/

Today I have an extensive conversation with fellow mom, Karen. She shares what it's like being raised in a Haitian household here in America and witnessing the strength of her mother who was raising three daughters as a single parent. Karen was the oldest of three and had a lot of responsibility on her plate within the household, which carried over into her own motherhood journey. She talks candidly about difficulties with conceiving, medical complications, car accidents, having a newborn in the NICU and several other challenges during her pregnancy that she kept to only to herself. Take a listen to a mother that continues to navigate being a mom all while learning to give herself some grace and tone out the ones that don't understand.

Intro:

Souk La Se Sel Medikaman - La Medicina

Follow: @pushthrumom

Website: www.pushthrumom.com

Email: [email protected]

This week we sit down with mother and clinician, Tavarous Saint-Louis, as she shares her journey into motherhood. We also discuss her passion for supporting and advocating for the well-being of all children. She offers education and training in the area of prevention of neglect and abuse of children to parents, educators, clinicians and anyone open to learning. As we discuss parenting styles, Tavarous offers tips for the stressed and overwhelmed mother so that she can take a different and more conscious approach to disciplining.

Find Tavarous: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/tavarous-saint-louis-atlanta-ga/490548

Songs:

Rocket - Lion Babe feat. Moe Moks

Theme Song: Joam Kurad - Dizzy

Shrill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkjStfMAtLI

Email: [email protected]

Follow: @pushthrumom

Website: www.pushthrumom.com

It's been a long time coming. I've always gone back and forth about sharing or not sharing this story, but I do realize that we heal and help a lot of people through sharing. My personal experience with postpartum is what really enabled me to want to reach and help as many women as possible. I've been there and I get it. In this week's episode I talk about my postpartum experience, the highs and the lows, and how I was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Everyone's journey through motherhood is different and this is my personal journey. Please share with me your own personal story!

Email: [email protected]

website: www.pushthrumom.com

theme song: Joakim Kurad

Songs:

Aretha Franklin - Chain of Fools

Lauryn Hill - To Zion

For Help with Postpartum Depression - https://www.postpartum.net

Trauma is an experience that several of us experience, but we never know how it will impact us in our adulthood. For mothers that carry that trauma with us and continue to repress it, it can show it's ugly head without us having any control over it. I had the pleasure of interviewing my mother, Earnie, and I listened to her share her story of abandonment from her own mother, physical abuse from her grandmother and first husband as well as becoming a first time mother at a young age. From this story I find that it's important for us all to take inventory of what we feel like we're carrying with us that shows itself in the way we parent. And to remember that counseling is always an option to help us heal.

Need help finding a therapist:

https://www.psychologytoday.com

https://therapyforblackgirls.com

Theme Music by Joakim Kurad

Follow: @pushthrubox

www.pushthrumom.com

We often talk about the woman's experience, but let's take a moment to talk about a father's experience during postpartum. I sit down and I have an interview with first time father, James, as he talks about his struggles, stressors, and difficulties with fatherhood. James also offers three tips for new dads to help them during the adjustment period of fatherhood. And we briefly discuss a new celebrity father's behaviors during his postpartum experience and what James thinks about that. I also share recent research covering Paternal Postnatal Depression and what some risk factors are for men.

PPD Article: http://postpartummen.com/postpartum-depression/

US Magazine: https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/porsha-williams-fiance-links-cheating-to-her-postpartum-depression/

Theme Music by Joakim Kurad

Follow: @pushthrubox

www.pushthrumom.com