How to 🛑 Cringey Pregnancy Comments & Rihanna on Hair Loss

Hey -,

Having a baby has a way of cracking your shell wide open. You become a stripped-down, no BS version of yourself—and get the opportunity to really reflect on whether or not you like the person who emerges. 

For one mom, that meant taking a hard look at her relationship with alcohol, and finding the courage to share that story with us. For other new moms, it meant realizing they would and could do things they never imagined…and live to tell the tale. It’s that vulnerability—the new-mom urge to bare our souls to each other—that’s the secret sauce to building a better postpartum community. 

Read on for more mom-bonding stories, including one woman’s redemptive labor story, how to deal with rude comments near the end of your pregnancy, the unexpected and emotional artwork that’s helping people going through IVF, and a relatable message from Rihanna about postpartum hair loss.

MY BIRTH STORY

Image: @thenaturaldoula | @baileyjulio family | @holyfamilybirthcenter

EXPECTFUL 

One mom overcame the fear from her first delivery to find peace with her second. 

“I was prepared for my daughter’s birth to go in any direction, but I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I wouldn't let fear creep in the same way it had during my prior labor,” writes Expectful author Bailey Julio, who felt unable to advocate for herself the first time around when her labor went off-plan. This time, though, she felt differently.

BIG YIKES

EXPECTFUL

How to deal with *those* comments in the final days of pregnancy.

There’s nothing that brings out inappropriate commentary, diarrhea of the mouth, and plain old unhinged behavior quite like the people around a woman nearing the end of her pregnancy. Here’s how to respond to all of the rude and annoying things people just can’t help but blurt out when you’re so close to the finish line. 

ART AND HEART

Image: Jamie Blicher

PEOPLE

This unconventional way of painting is empowering women going through IVF.

When Jamie Kushner Blicher was going through fertility treatments, she felt helpless. That is, until she picked up a unique tool and started painting. What came out was beautiful and cathartic for Kushner Blicher, who started posting her artwork online. It wasn’t long before she gained a following.

PERINATAL NUTRITION

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JUST LIKE US

Photo: Leon Bennett

MOTHERLY

Rihanna is all of us when talking about what surprised her most about postpartum hair loss.

In an interview with Refinery29 at the launch of her new hair care line, Fenty Hair, RiRi got real about the most unexpected hair changes she experienced postpartum, saying that the way her hair shed “was not on the pamphlet” for what to expect after having a baby.

ZOOM ZOOM 

ROMPER

The fastest woman in America got even faster after having a baby. 

Pre-baby, Olympic runner Elle Purrier St. Pierre was experiencing a lull in her motivation. She wasn’t burnt out, per say, but teetering on bored. And then she got pregnant. “It was something that I knew I really wanted, and was missing from my life,” she told Romper. At 11 months postpartum, she started setting records.

Something to Share

When you need a vacation from taking your baby on vacation.

Something to Save

👶 There Is a Perfect Age to Have a Baby, According to One Mom Read More

💊 A Comprehensive Guide to Your Labor Pain Relief Options Read More

😃 A Thank You for Smiling at Babies Instead of Ranting Read More

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