In this special bonus episode, we give thanks to our listeners as we say goodbye to a phenomenal year. Unfortunately, The Barrenesses Podcast will not be continuing in 2025, but we're so grateful to you all for coming along with us on this healing journey and hope that it has helped you feel less alone.

In this week's episode, we talk about festive grief with Grief Coach, Judi Johnson of Embrace Your Future. We talk about how to set boundaries with nosy family members, how to create your own festive traditions and about whether our positive perceptions of having kids at Christmas are actually realistic or not. You can join one of Judi's Facebook groups at CNBC Grief by Embrace Your Future or CNBC Coaching by Embrace Your Future. You can reach out to her and find our more about her services at embraceyourfuture.net. Email us at [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at The Barrenesses Podcast and @thebarrenessespodcast

#Childless #Infertility #Christmas #FestiveSeason #Grief #JudiJohnson #EmbraceYourFuture

In this episode, Cheryll explores the myth of maternal instinct, what it is and why it exists. She discusses the negative parts of motherhood and mothering behaviours that our society refuses to acknowledge and how this can harm all women, regardless of their parenting status. Email us at [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at The Barrenesses Podcast and @thebarrenessespodcast

#Childless #Motherhood #Childfree #Infertility #MaternalInstinct

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOPhdafnzY4&ab_channel=SkepticsinthePubOnline

https://theestablishment.co/the-maternal-instinct-is-a-myth-and-weve-got-the-science-to-prove-it-936312b316f0/index.html

https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/news/4356-maternal-instinct-and-biology--evolution-ensures-we-want-sex--not-babies

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/childfree_b_1752906

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/mar/10/medieval-women-put-faith-in-birth-girdles-to-protect-them-during-childbirth

https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/the-wealthy-are-starting-to-have-more-babies-than-the-poor-again-2934417

https://earlylearningnation.com/2020/10/parents-are-made-not-born-research-shows-the-act-of-caregiving-creates-parenting-brain/

https://time.com/116843/gay-dads-brains-develop-just-like-those-of-straight-parents-study-finds/

https://time.com/6978104/is-mommy-brain-real/

https://childandfamilyblog.com/fatherhood-neuroscience-biology/

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/oct/10/the-big-idea-why-the-maternal-instinct-is-a-myth

https://time.com/6330821/maternal-instinct-myth-animal-kingdom-essay/

https://www.animalhealthfoundation.org/blog/2013/06/dogs-attachment-to-owners-mimics-infant-caregiver-bonding/

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-17/dogs-owners-share-similar-bond-to-mothers-babies-research-finds/6402168

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322716#Cats-contribution-to-research

https://omahabirthandbabies.com/new-baby-new-emotions/

https://www.apa.org/monitor/oct02/postpartum

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3582747/

https://www.givingbirthtohope.org/ppd-in-adoptive-mothers

https://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40359-014-0056-x

https://www.nct.org.uk/information/baby-toddler/caring-for-your-baby-or-toddler/science-behind-dads

https://childandfamilyblog.com/fatherhood-neuroscience-biology/

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2014/10/mothers-brains-show-similar-responses-to-her-baby-and-her-dog/

https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/the-pet-brain-effect-how-cats-and-dogs-can-save-you-from-cognitive-decline

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9630635/

It's International Men's Day, so this week, Catherine is putting the spotlight on men and male fertility. She shares the findings of her survey on male fertility with us, discusses the various causes of male infertility, the harmful myths and misconceptions around male fertility, and men's attitudes towards male fertility and what they want to see change. Email us at [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at The Barrenesses Podcast and @thebarrenessespodcast

#Childless #MaleFertility #MaleInfertility #InternationalMensDay #Infertility

In this week's episode, we interview journalist, author and editor of No One Talks About This Stuff, Kat Brown. We chat about the creation of the book, the varied experiences found in the book, and about Kat's personal experience with infertility and childlessness. You can follow Kat on Instagram at @KatBrownWrites and on Twitter at @KatBrown. You can purchase her book, No One Talks About This Stuff, on Amazon and her ADHD book, It's Not A Bloody Trend, on Amazon or Audible. Email us at [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at The Barrenesses Podcast and @thebarrenessespodcast

#Childless #Grief #KatBrown #NoOneTalksAboutThisStuff #PregnancyLoss #Infertility #ChildlessBookClub

In this week's episode, we interview childless counsellor, Sarah Roberts of The Empty Cradle. Sarah told us a bit about her story, what led her to counselling childless women and how the disenfranchised grief of childlessness can effect all the different facets of our lives. You can follow Sarah on Facebook and Instagram at The Empty Cradle and @theemptycradle, or head to her website, theemptycradle.com. Email us at [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at The Barrenesses Podcast and @thebarrenessespodcast

#Childless #Grief #Counsellor #SarahRoberts #TheEmptyCradle 

It's International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, so in this week's episode, Catherine discusses the complex dynamics and dichotomy of the Australian Health Care System when experiencing pregnancy loss. Email us at [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at The Barrenesses Podcast and @thebarrenessespodcast

#Childless #Infertility #PregnancyLoss #Medicare 

In this week's episode, The Barrenesses interview childfree content creator, Tiffany J Marie. We chat about The Bleeding Hearts Project, childless grief, choosing childfree joy, not fitting neatly into boxes, and handling negative comments. You can follow Tiffany on Instagram at @tiffany.jmarie. Email us at [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at The Barrenesses Podcast and @thebarrenessespodcast

#Childless #Childfree #TiffanyJMarie #TheSaucyTartSociety #TheBleedingHeartsProject

In this week's episode, Emma discusses how pets are viewed as beloved family members and how this impacts our wellbeing. Email us at [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at The Barrenesses Podcast and @thebarrenessespodcast

#Pets #Family #Childless

In this week's episode, in honour of Father's Day, we interview Men and Miscarriage: A Dad's Guide to Grief, Relationships, and Healing After Loss co-author, Aaron Gouveia of The Daddy Files. We note that Aaron and his partner MJ now have children; however, Aaron has been a strong advocate for supporting men who experience pregnancy loss, and in particular, male infertility. We discuss how partners can support their male counterparts through infertility and what infertility and pregnancy loss is like from the male perspective. You can follow Aaron on Facebook and Instagram at The Daddy Files and @DaddyFiles. Email us at [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at The Barrenesses Podcast and @thebarrenessespodcast

#Childless #MaleInfertility #MaleFertility #MenandMiscarriage #TheDaddyFiles #AaronGouveia #FathersDay