Becoming a Mother

Abby Hock - Mom of 2 boys - 2 years old and 2 month shares her experience of being diagnosed with severe diminished ovarian reserve, undergoing multiple rounds of IVF, and the emotional and physical challenges she faced along the way. She talks about her 43-hour induction, complications with epidurals, and eventual C-section for the birth of her first son. ​ Abby provides valuable insights into th...

Arielle Morrow - Bay area Mom to her 19 month old son and Tech Agency Program Manager. Arielle shares her journey into motherhood, discussing her experiences with pregnancy, miscarriage, and postpartum life. She talks about her initial ambivalence towards having children, her unexpected first pregnancy, and the emotional and physical challenges of experiencing a miscarriage. Arielle also details h...

Carson Pennypacker - Licensed Clinical Social Worker from Florida, and mom of 3 shares her multifaceted journey into motherhood. Carson became a mom earlier than expected when she started dating her now-husband, who had a four-year-old son. They later expanded their family, having another son and a daughter. Carson discusses the challenges and joys of becoming a mom, the impact of losing her mothe...

Looking forward to connecting with all of you and bringing awareness to matrescence in 2025.

Kara Kushnir – Mom to her 3 year old son, Psychotherapist specializing in perinatal mental health, Postpartum Support International NJ Chapter Chair of the Board and Author of “Mama’s Thoughts” shares her story on today’s episode. She had Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) throughout pregnancy. Her scheduled C-section did not go as planned and led to a traumatic birth which affected her into postpartum....

Destiny Clement is 30 and is from Louisiana. She has 2 daughters who are 3.5 and 11 months old and she is also a licensed insurance producer. Destiny shares her story of infertility and diagnosis with PCOS. She shares her first birth story in depth which was an elective induction which resulted in a C-section. She opens up about her experience through pregnancy and birth as a plus size woman. Dest...

Rachele Macera - Mom to 2 and expecting her 3rd this month is a Birth & Postpartum Doula - Founder of Safe Haven Doula and childbirth educator. Rachele's birth experience impacted her so strongly that she decided to get into birth work and to support moms women through pregnancy, birth, postpartum and with breastfeeding. She also experienced some unexplained infertility and in her story she explai...

Christina Spoehr is 35 and is from Rhode Island. She has a 15 year old stepson and a 2 year old daughter. In addition to being a mom she works in public relations. On this episode Christina shares her heartfelt journey to motherhood opening up about her lifelong desire to be a mom, becoming a stepmom, and the difficult and emotional experience of pregnancy loss due to an incompetent cervix. She di...

Natalie always wanted to be a mother and decided to start trying after eloping with her husband, David, due to family health issues. She became pregnant quickly, which was a surprise. She experienced severe preeclampsia, leading to an emergency C-section at 35 weeks. Despite the complications, her daughter was born healthy and has been thriving. Natalie shares her breastfeeding journey which invol...

Rebecca Garner is 34 years and is from the suburbs of Chicago. She is a mom of two with a 5 year old daughter and 1 year old son. Rebecca had two C-sections and went through a period of unexplained infertility when trying for her second. She got back into writing during this time to help cope. She reflects on the importance of self-care and maintaining personal identity alongside motherhood. She s...

Gabrielle - Mom to her 2 year old daughter and founder of Serene Moms. Gabby shares her journey to motherhood from self image & confidence changes, postpartum anxiety, embracing your new life after becoming a mom and holistic lifestyle choices. We discuss the ongoing process of self-discovery and healing when you become a mom. Gabrielle shares her positive induction birth story and opens up about...

Haley Travalgia - Mom of 2 kids ages 3.5 & 1. She candidly shares her journey navigating motherhood and the transition from one child to two. From the challenges of pregnancy to the realities of postpartum experiences, Haley opens up about mom guilt, relationship dynamics, and the evolving landscape of raising multiple children. Dive into the raw and relatable conversations about balancing work, m...

Alyssa Terlizzi - Mom to an 18 month old - shares her journey to motherhood. Her story begins with her first pregnancy which was a chemical pregnancy. During her second pregnancy she had gallbladder issues early on and had to have her gallbladder removed at only 5 weeks postpartum. She was diagnosed with Preeclampsia and induced at 37 weeks. Her multiple day labor ended in C-Section and the birth...

Lexi Kenoyer - Mom to a 15 month old daughter and Realtor - shares her journey to motherhood which is centered around her becoming a mother after the tragic and unexpected death of her own mother at 5 months postpartum. *Content warning* Lexi’s story begins with her first pregnancy which ended in miscarriage. She discusses her 2 year journey to becoming pregnant involving male factor infertility.....

Lexi Kenoyer - Mom to a 15 month old daughter and Realtor - shares her journey to motherhood which is centered around her becoming a mother after the tragic and unexpected death of her own mother at 5 months postpartum. *Content warning* Lexi’s story begins with her first pregnancy which ended in miscarriage. She discusses her 2 year journey to becoming pregnant involving male factor infertility.....

Alex is 30 years old and is from the suburbs of Philadelphia. She has an 8 month old daughter. Alex explains how her first pregnancy which ended in miscarriage shaped how she experienced her second pregnancy. She shares her birth story and postpartum journey which includes breastfeeding, sleep training and mom guilt, as well as the daily joys of getting to be her daughter's mother. I hope you enjo...

Sarah Elizabeth a.k.a SE is 32 years old and is from Pennsylvania. She has a 3 year old son and works in corporate retail. SE went through IVF, not because of fertility issues but because she is a carrier for Fragile X Syndrome. SE was induced and delivered early due to preeclampsia, which ended up affecting her into postpartum. SE shares her birth story and discusses her postpartum experience. Sh...

Ep. 3 Jackie has a 10 month old daughter. She is a SAHM and music teacher. After multiple pregnancy losses Jackie and her husband worked with an adoption consultant agency before meeting with a Reproductive immunologist. Her RE discovered that she had an autoimmune disorder known as Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) which was causing her recurrent pregnancy losses. After treatment for APS, Jackie be...

Cailie is mom to her 11-month-old son. She suffered from severe Preeclampsia and delivered early, which resulted in a 56-day NICU stay for her son. She is going to discuss how that experience shaped her life and how she slowly claims her life back after struggling in postpartum.. We discuss handling judgment and mom shame and regaining confidence in yourself after becoming a mother.

Breanne is a mom to an almost three-year-old boy . She discusses struggling with anxiety and depression throughout pregnancy and into postpartum. She shares her birth story as well as her postpartum journey, which involved a hospital stay with her son for presumed meningitis. We discuss all things motherhood and the struggles we both faced during this transition. I hope you enjoy listening to her...