Raising the Rivenbarks

Steele keeps us on our toes! We’re back with another episode, though a week later than anticipated! Be sure to subscribe and review the podcast and like our Raising the Rivenbarks Facebook Page! Enjoy!

This week I’m updating you on all the things related to Gardner! From therapies, to school, and back again. Autism is his superpower and we’re harnessing that for good.

Danielle is telling all about trying to care for four kids. Chaos, chaos, and more chaos! Our spawn now outnumber us and it’s messy, out of control, and the furthest thing from quiet. There are plenty of lessons to be learned about trying to parent four kids. Things rarely go according to plan, the floors are always sticky, toys are almost always on the floor, cleaning never ends, and we never leave on time, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Tell me I’m not the only one with chaos in my house! Email me your story at [email protected].

Danielle reveals some of her feelings about giving their newest son “Little Jerry” formula during his first 48 hours of life. Listen in on how she processed it and dealt with the unexpected feelings surrounding her feeding choices.

Do you have parenting guilt that you just need to get off your chest? You can email us at [email protected].

Danielle is talking about burnout, specifically mommy burnout. This is a real thing. This doesn’t fall into the category of a mood disorders, but the antidote can be the same! That’s in the form of self-care.

This week Danielle is talking about perinatal and postpartum depression and mood disorders. She has always struggled on and off over the years with depression, but this time it hit her like a ton of bricks. She reveals just what it’s been like leading up to making the decision to take antidepressants and what postpartum life has been like this time.

Here’s a link to Danielle’s story about dealing with a perinatal mood disorder. Sometimes you don’t realize that depression is stealing your joy

If you want to share your story as always, you can email us at [email protected].

This week Danielle is talking about the birth of all her kids. Don’t worry we’re not getting graphic! It’s just a fun trip down memory lane of how we became parents and decisions that Danielle decided to make for each birth.

There are pros and cons of having pain management during birth. Here’s a quick rundown from Danielle about having an epidural or not: Epidural or Natural Labor?

Also, the full story about Jerry’s snarky comment: He Said What During Labor!?!?!