[Season Finale] Two years ago, Penelope had a baby on her own. To save money and to create a stable environment for her child, she decided to move back in with her mother Rosa. But living together under the same roof has become increasingly challenging. Penelope appreciates her mom's support, but at the same time she's trying to find a way to assert her own independence and establish boundaries. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet and Spotify. It’s produced by Kimmie Regler and Peter Bresnan. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Music and mixing by Emma Munger. This podcast should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Motherhood Sessions

Blurred Lines

Miranda works at one of the top consulting firms in the country. She also has three young kids. After years of trying to balance the needs of her career with the needs of her family, Miranda is finally at a breaking point. She is physically and mentally exhausted, and worried about what will happen to her kids if she continues to prioritize her career. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet and Spotify. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan and Kimmie Regler. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Music and mixing by Emma Munger. This podcast should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Mom's Not There When I Need Her

Dr. Sacks introduces one of her favorite podcasts: Love Letters, hosted by the Boston Globe﻿'s Meredith Goldstein.

Introducing: Love Letters

Last year we met Julia, a woman who was adopted from South Korea when she was just a few weeks old. She was raised by white parents who never encouraged her to explore her roots. However, after having her own children—the first biological relatives she’d ever seen—Julia began an active search to find her birth mother. Dr. Sacks spoke with Julia about this experience in a previous episode (“Rethinking Your Roots After Motherhood”). Then, over the summer, Julia told us that she'd actually booked a trip to Seoul so that she could meet her birth mom in person. In this special update episode, Julia takes us inside this journey back to where she was born, to reunite with the woman who gave her up more than 30 years ago. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet and Spotify. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan and Kimmie Regler. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Music and mixing by Emma Munger. This podcast should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Alternate Universes

When Regina and her husband decided to start a family, she took care to prepare him to be the father of a child of color. But when her daughter was born with blonde hair and light skin, Regina was caught completely off guard. Now, Regina is trying to help her daughter navigate increasingly complicated questions of race and identity, but is struggling to connect with her daughter's radically different experience of Blackness. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet and Spotify. It’s produced by Kimmie Regler and Peter Bresnan. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Music and mixing by Emma Munger. This podcast should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

A Little Black Kid Like Me

Harper met her second husband through a Facebook group called “Young, Widowed, and Dating.” The two connected through their shared grief—she’d lost her first husband in a car accident, and he’d lost his first wife to brain cancer. Now Harper is helping to raise her new husband’s five year-old daughter, and is struggling with the sense that she is an imposter in this family. Harper is afraid that she will always be overshadowed by the memory of the woman who died, and worries that her daughter will never see her as a real mom. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet and Spotify. It’s produced by Kimmie Regler and Peter Bresnan. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Music and mixing by Emma Munger. This podcast should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Imposter Syndrome

Cassie and Ray haven't had sex since the birth of their son, who's now two years-old. But becoming new parents has thrown their sex life into a brand new kind of turmoil. Now, they're trying to find their way back to one another—and to seeing themselves as individual sexual beings rather than just Mom and Dad. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet and Spotify. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan and Kimmie Regler. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Music and mixing by Emma Munger. This podcast should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Two Years Without Sex

When Audrey was pregnant for the first time, she asked a doctor about genetic testing; he told her it wasn’t necessary. But after giving birth to her second son, she learned that she’d passed a rare genetic disease down to both her children. Now, she’s wracked with intense feelings of guilt, and trying to figure out how to be the best mother she can be for two kids with special needs. Show transcript: http://bit.ly/383unwO CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet and Spotify. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan and Kimmie Regler. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Music and mixing by Emma Munger. This podcast should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Just Sh*t Luck

When Tom and Sandra got married, they both came with complicated personal histories. Tom brought three kids and a contentious relationship with his ex-wife. Sandra brought long-simmering feelings about her own parents’ messy divorce. Now, they are trying to navigate their complex dynamics of this new family, and trying to make sure their children are protected from the tension and conflict. Show transcript: http://bit.ly/35NPK3N CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet and Spotify. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Music and mixing by Emma Munger. This podcast should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

I Don't Trust His Ex

Dee grew up in a low-income neighborhood in Kenya, where her family struggled to make ends meet. After racial violence flared up in her hometown, she came to the U.S. seeking asylum. Now she lives in a middle-class suburb of D.C. with her husband and her two year-old girl. But she’s unsure of how to raise a daughter in an environment so different from the one she grew up in. She’s worried that her daughter will become spoiled, and won’t learn the values Dee herself learned during her difficult upbringing—generosity, compassion, and gratitude. Show transcript: http://bit.ly/2NozrUH CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet and Spotify. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Music and mixing by Emma Munger. This podcast should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Will She Be a Good Human Being?

When Joni was 40 years old, she was financially independent, enjoying her life as a single woman, and feeling strong enough to have a baby on her own. But now that her daughter is seven months old, Joni is struggling with intense loneliness. She feels like a failure, and is surprised and embarrassed by her longing for a partner. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Mixing and music by Emma Munger. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Loneliness in Single Motherhood

Mia and Laura had always imagined they would each carry one of their children. Laura delivered their first child, but as they approach planning for their second child, Mia—who presents as masculine-of-center—is afraid of how pregnancy will disrupt her body and her sense of self. She wonders if it even matters if she has a biological relationship to her child. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Mixing and music by Emma Munger. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Does Biology Matter?

Camilla was a PhD student struggling with a feeling that she didn’t belong in academia. Then she got pregnant. Seven years and two children later, she’s never finished her dissertation. She’s feeling frustrated as a stay-at-home mom and angry at herself for abandoning her professional aspirations. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan and Molly Donahue. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Mixing and music by Emma Munger. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

When Being a Mom Isn’t Enough

Brittany has always had a troubled relationship with her father, and the two have been estranged for years. After the birth of her daughter, he reconnected and is pushing to spend time with his grandchild. Brittany’s unsure if she should continue to maintain her distance from her father, or consider a new beginning. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan and Lauren Silverman. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Mixing and music by Emma Munger. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Setting Boundaries With a Toxic Grandparent

Margot and her wife always imagined having more than one child. But Margot’s first pregnancy was physically and emotionally exhausting, and she’s not sure she can go through it again. Now she’s afraid of disappointing her wife. CREDITS Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan, Molly Donahue, and Lauren Silverman. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Mixing and music by Emma Munger. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy, or in the postpartum period, contact Postpartum Support International at (800) 944-4773. If you or a family member are worried about safety, get help right away by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or dialing 911. 

Feeling Complete With One Child

Being a mom is hard—everybody knows that. But usually we only hear about sleepless nights and diaper changes, not the profound identity shift that accompanies becoming a mother. Motherhood is a psychological big bang. And yet it’s rare to find emotionally honest conversations about it. On Gimlet Media’s Motherhood Sessions, Dr. Alexandra Sacks, a renowned reproductive psychiatrist, sits down with mothers and lets us listen in on conversations that are hard to have outside of a therapist’s office. Each episode features a woman struggling with some problem or question—from career uncertainty to sex to ambivalence about even being a mother—and she and Dr. Sacks work it through together.

hubhopper

Motherhood Sessions

hubhopper