The Postpartum Season
Avsnitt

EP 28 | Caitlin – Mothering Without Your Mum, Finding Your Village, Returning to Paid Work & Trusting Your Instincts

The Postpartum Season
Dela

In this episode, Caitlin shares her experience of becoming a mother while living overseas without family nearby, mothering without her own mum, and how motherhood has changed her perspective as a NICU nurse.

We discuss:

  • Finding out she was pregnant with Maeve
  • Caitlin’s experience of pregnancy as a NICU nurse and feeling that sometimes she “knows too much”
  • The balance between being informed and becoming overwhelmed by everything that could go wrong
  • Preparing practically for postpartum without fully understanding the emotional transition ahead
  • Grieving the end of life as just Caitlin and Stefano before becoming parents
  • Preparing to raise a baby in New Zealand while their families lived overseas
  • Maeve’s labour progressing quickly from three to eight centimetres
  • Maeve’s heart rate dropping during pushing and being taken into theatre
  • An episiotomy and vacuum-assisted birth
  • Meeting their daughter for the first time
  • Establishing breastfeeding and Caitlin’s experience of colostrum harvesting
  • Staying at Birthcare after Maeve’s birth
  • The unexpected pain of recovering from an episiotomy
  • Realising how much physical recovery required her to slow down
  • Planning a wedding during pregnancy and getting married in Italy when Maeve was four months old
  • Travelling overseas with a young baby and having Caitlin and Stefano’s families and friends finally meet Maeve
  • Becoming a mother after losing her own mum at 23
  • The bittersweet experience of joy and grief existing at the same time
  • Missing the experience of being mothered while learning to mother your own child
  • Grieving the grandparent relationship Caitlin wishes her children could have had with her parents
  • Celebrating Maeve’s relationship with Stefano’s parents
  • The ways Caitlin’s mum continues to influence how she wants to mother her own children
  • Returning to NICU after becoming a mother
  • How motherhood has deepened Caitlin’s empathy for NICU parents
  • The emotional impact of caring for babies and families after having a child herself
  • Caitlin’s passion for supporting and educating parents in NICU
  • Returning to paid work and wanting to continue a career she deeply loves
  • The challenges of balancing paid work and motherhood
  • Preparing to welcome a second baby without family support nearby
  • The sadness Caitlin feels about Maeve no longer being their only child
  • Looking forward to experiencing the newborn stage again
  • Savouring the fleeting seasons of having a baby
  • Trusting your instincts and recognising that you often know more than you think you do

This weeks sponsor is Rest in the Postpartum Season - guided yoga nidra practices created for mothers. 

If you’re looking for a simple way to slow down, rest and take a little time for yourself, you can find practices ranging from five to fifteen minutes at www.thepostpartumseason.com.

And if you would like to buy a Postpartum Season cap, click this link below:

https://www.thepostpartumseason.com/store/p/the-postpartum-season-cap

Thank you for supporting the podcast!

As mentioned in the episode, here are some postpartum support resources. Please reach out if you need help.

Australia

 

New Zealand

  • PlunketLine
    0800 933 922 (24/7)
  • Healthline New Zealand
    0800 611 116 (24/7)
  • 1737 Need to talk?
    Call or text 1737 (24/7)

 

Thank you for listening. Take care x

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