🥳 That’s a wrap on another amazing season of Pregnancy Has Entered the Chat!
This season, we had the joy and privilege of hearing from guest experts on topics like pelvic floor health, breastfeeding, and parenting in school. We’ve also heard from our own TPN staff member about the prevalence of the abortion pill and how to make an empowered choice in a changing landscape.
We can’t pick a favorite, but here are some of the highlights from each episode.
S4E1: Pregnancy and Parenting in College
In April, student-mom Halle Brickhouse shared her story of finding out she was pregnant in college. She talks about getting connected to resources, balancing parenting and studying, and what keeps her going when things get hard.
“You can do it. Our society likes to push that moms can’t be successful in work and successful in the home. You can do both and be a rockstar at both… it’s a beautiful thing to show your daughter or son that you can do whatever you set your mind to.”
S4E2: The Abortion Pill from an RN’s Perspective
In May, TPN nurse Lauren shared all things about the abortion pill. From the history of the pill to her first-hand experience serving women who have taken the pill, Lauren gives the listener a crash course on this type of abortion. She goes through side effects and potential warning signs to seek help if you have taken the pill.
“My biggest advice would be don’t make a rushed decision out of fear. There are so many people, medical and not, who want to speak with you and help you be the most informed you can be before you make a decision… It can be easy to make a decision out of fear, but that fear can lead to regret later down the road.”
S4E3: Mental Health in Motherhood
In June, Pregnancy Has Entered the Chat re-released an incredible episode featuring licensed mental health counselor Jessica Hatton. Jessica shared her perspective on the loneliness epidemic, how to emotionally process an unplanned pregnancy, and her encouragement to moms in every season.
“With pregnancies in general, planned and unplanned, there’s a lot of fear that can come with having a baby. Give yourself time for the shock to wear off, and allow the acceptance that this situation could be a gift, even one of the greatest gifts you’re ever given. Allowing it to change you for the better is a beautiful thing.”
S4E4: Pelvic Floor Care During Pregnancy and Postpartum – Part 1
In July, Mary Sadler, pelvic floor therapist with her doctorate in physical therapy, taught us all about the pelvic floor. We jumped into topics like strength training, whether kegels solve everything, and what the pelvic floor goes through during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
“We talk about (the pelvic floor) as this mystery muscle between our legs that we don’t talk about, we don’t see, you’re just supposed to do your kegels in a dark closet and like not tell anybody… but the pelvic floor is actually a group of muscles that function with your whole body.”
S4E5: Pelvic Floor Care During Pregnancy and Postpartum – Part 2
In August, we released part two of our conversation with pelvic floor therapist Mary Sadler. Hear her encouragement to moms going through incontinence or pain with intercourse and the ways these things are treatable. She encourages women dealing with pelvic floor issues to seek treatment, citing that God made our bodies capable of growing babies, birthing them, and healing.
“Healing takes work, and that’s the hard sell. You have to change your priorities, but if you do that, the results are great… God made us to heal and do this, and women are so cool and amazing.”
S4E6: Todo sobre la lactancia materna
In September, Mayte, WIC Director in Winston-Salem, joined us to discuss all things breastfeeding in Spanish! She shares what to expect the first few days of breastfeeding and when to see a lactation consultant.
“Un paso a la vez, una comida a la vez. No piensas en la mañana, no piensas en la comida de la noche, ¿verdad? Piensa en la comida de ahora. Ahora estás alimentando a la bebé. Nos concentramos en este momento.”
*You can view subtitles of this episode in English or your preferred language: once on YouTube, go to “Settings,” then select “Auto-translate” and your language of choice.
You’ve Got This
If you can’t take it from us, take it from all the guest experts that lent their wisdom to Pregnancy Has Entered the Chat this season: you are strong and capable of more than you think, and there are resources out there to support you.
Make an appointment with The Pregnancy Network today, even if you’ve already had your baby, to get connected to our network of resources.