Our New Celebrity Mom Hero & Postpartum Mom Friend 🚩

Hey -,

Labor is…wild. It’s unpredictable and often goes nothing like you planned. You might hear guttural noises ringing out that are so foreign to your ears that you think they must be coming from someone else. Or you may have an out-of-body moment when you realize you are physically—and mentally—capable of so much more than you ever imagined.

To honor the wide spectrum of experiences that come with childbirth, we are sharing all the messy, transformative, and mundane details in a new series spotlighting different women’s labor stories. From the disappointment of missing out on skin-to-skin, to a 77-hour marathon home-turned-hospital birth, to the emotional highs that music can bring to the delivery room, we are invested in each and every delivery.

That’s why for our next The Safe Space callout we want to hear the craziest things you were told could induce labor. Did you try it? Did it actually work? Let us know! And if you want us to consider your labor story for the My Birth Story series, tell us a little about it. 

Read on for more, including the red flags to watch out for when making new postpartum mom friends and why mother-of-three Mindy Kaling is our latest mom hero.

CAUTION, CAUTION

EXPECTFUL 

5 red flags to clock in new postpartum mom friends.

From the baby story one-upper to the mom who endlessly compares milestones, some postpartum friends can end up making you feel worse, not better. “If you see these things, you can decide to proceed with caution or cut your losses and try again at the storytime across town,” writes Expectful author Allison Tsai. (Also, check out our tips for making new mom friends.)

BOUNDARY QUEEN

Image: DFree

EXPECTFUL

After a third secret pregnancy and birth, Mindy Kaling is officially our new mom hero.

Mindy Kaling isn’t a “regular” mom, she’s a boundary-setting, secret-keeping role model mom, and we love every second. From sharing her private life on her own terms to being effortlessly chill in the face of incessant and rude rumors about her family, here are the reasons we love her no-BS mom style. 

BAD PRACTICE

TIME

When one woman was told she was ‘too fat’ to freeze her eggs, she refused to blindly accept that answer.

“Egg retrieval is tightly timed to your menstrual cycle, so the nurse suggested I lose 12 pounds in a week to achieve a BMI of 45,” writes Emma Copley Eisenberg. “I asked if she felt this was a safe thing to do. She acknowledged it was not.” Copley Eisenberg details how she had to do her own research and advocate for herself to get the treatment she deserved.

MENTAL HEALTH

Image: Jessie Paquette

PS

Pregnancy plunged one woman into a deep depression and psychosis, until she gave birth.

Almost as soon as Jessie Paquette found out she was pregnant, she struggled with immense feelings of doom. She’d had anxiety her whole life, but this felt different. Things only got worse with time—her loved ones were worried and she was lying to doctors about her mental health—and then she went into labor.

GOOD CRY

Image: TikTok / evie_taber

SCARY MOMMY 

A new mom asked TikTok to share why they love their moms, and the answers will have you sobbing.

In a now-viral TikTok, new mom Evie Taber, who’s baby is resting on her chest, asks the internet to explain why they love their moms. The purpose, she says, is to understand what it means to be a good mom, so she can show up for her daughter as she grows. Hundreds of commenters rushed to explain the heart-warming ways in which their moms made them feel safe, loved, and special. 

Something to Share

The biggest high in the world is holding your baby for the first time.

Something to Save

Can You Really ‘Claim’ a Baby Name? Read More

People Are Weirdly Fired Up About Hailey Bieber & Her Bump Read More

Is It Mom Intuition or Anxiety? Here’s How to Tell Read More

Did we miss anything in this newsletter?
Hit reply and let our editors know.

Unsubscribe • View in Browser • Privacy Policy

©2024 Babylist, Inc. All rights reserved.

This information is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. We do not accept any responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, from any information or advice contained here. Expectful may earn compensation from affiliate links in this content.