In this episode, Andrea share’s her journey with postpartum depression and anxiety, how she made peace with the idea of having a 2nd child, and how different her 2nd postpartum experience was and why. She also shares about a program/module she developed for our in-person support groups, called ‘The Art of Self-Care.’
We also talk about:
- When and where we first met!
- All the ways she has been involved with PPPSS over the past several years
- How having kids was never in her life plan
- What led her to change her mind
- Her first pregnancy ending in a miscarriage – and how this affected her 2nd pregnancy
- Having Hyperemesis
- All the chaos and external factors that converged right at the end of her pregnancy that led to a very unstable situation
- Struggling to breastfeed, getting terrible breastfeeding advice, and how this affected her early parenthood experience
- The breaking point that came when her baby was 6 months old
- Assuming that the experience she was having was typical – that everyone was feeling as bad as she was
- When she finally recognized that she needed help and actually reached out for support
- The conflict that arose in her relationship when her partner wanted another child – and she didn’t
- How she finally arrived at the decision to have another baby – and the challenging conversations about having enough support that had to happen first
- Having hyperemesis all over again
- How much she enjoyed her 2nd baby – in a way she never thought possible
- Why she developed the ‘Art of Self-Care’ module
- How important art has been in her own healing and how it has helped her find meaning in her experience
- A few of the different exercises from the ‘Art of Self-Care’ and what the intentions are behind them
- How art and self care can be important parts of our inner work
- The art practice that Andrea uses regularly to ground herself
- What she would say to her younger self when she was really struggling
- How taking the pressure off of herself to breastfeed her 2nd baby led to a better outcome
