Shows
I Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, and…My Holidays Aren’t so Holly JollySend us a textOk we’ll ask it: can’t we figure out a way to collectively make this time of year less stressful?! The holidays come with a lot of very heavy baggage, mostly revolving around navigating other people’s feelings. And if there’s one thing moms are great at, it’s putting the needs of others first! Let’s explore that, shall we?This week, Erin and Ruby are chatting about how to manage these grand holiday expectations without sacrificing every single part of yourself. Loving the show? We'd lov...2024-12-2041 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, and...Where'd My Sexuality Go?Send us a textPicture this: you grew up in a home that didn’t shame sexuality. You became an adult feeling confident in your sexuality and valued that in your partner.Now, you’re a parent. Your house feels like a nest of chaos + love, largely devoted to all your kids’ things because they’ve taken over (what feels like) every square inch of your space. Even your bedroom. So where do you and your partner fit into the mix?On this week’s episode of I Love My Baby, and…Ruby and Erin hav...2024-10-3042 minI Love My Baby, And...Let's Ask a Dad! (ft. Ruby’s husband, Jon)Send us a textThe conversations we have around here - in the therapy room, with our friends, or in our DMs - often end with “ok but how do I say this to my partner?” So I Love My Baby, and…is going to look a little different this week!We asked Ruby’s husband, Jon, to join her and answer some of these musings from a dad’s perspective. This week, Jon is answering YOUR DMs about the difficulties of parenting alongside your partner. Loving the show? We'd love your feedbac...2024-10-1641 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, and…Why Is Everyone So Freely Talking about My Body Now?Send us a textBody image obsession certainly doesn’t start in adulthood. But the liberties people take when they’re around someone who is pregnant (and, let’s be honest, after) to comment on, touch, or ask weird questions about their bodies is taken to a whooooolllllleeeee other level. In this week’s episode, Ruby and Erin dive into the commentary surrounding pregnancy and body image - who it comes from, how it’s become a societally acceptable thing to do, and steps you can take to ensure they’re not messages you internalize. Loving th...2024-10-0945 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, and…My Family and I Have Become Competitive AF. What Gives?!Send us a textGrowing your family is exciting! A wild ride! A developmental milestone! A….competition…? For a lot of families, this is absolutely the case. Whether it’s with extended family or your immediate family, the decision and timeline of growing your own family can come with a whole lotta baggage. This week, Erin and Ruby chat about the range of emotion felt when it comes to navigating the opinions + mind games of your inner circle. Loving the show? We'd love your feedback! If you would like to submit a respon...2024-10-0234 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, and...What Do I Do with These Effing Intrusive Thoughts?Send us a textIntrusive thoughts after having a baby are so common…and can be so awful. They play a role in the postpartum experience for you and can be distressing for the people who love you. Is there anything to do about them? Yes!In this week’s episode of I Love My Baby, and…Erin and Ruby chat about the ways in which intrusive thoughts can completely change the postpartum experience, and how normalizing and forgiving yourself for having them is an important first step in minimizing the impact they have. 2024-09-2541 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, and…I Know Other Moms Can Do This BetterSend us a textDo you ever feel like you’re comfortable in your role as a mom, but then those little intrusive thoughts come in and tell you that other moms are doing it better? And because you’re tired, you start to believe those thoughts? Same.We’re going to be really intentional with those quotes here, you guys. Because early parenthood is full of a lot of feelings and thoughts of “failure.” But this is a perception that we made up. And we gotta talk about that. Maybe it feels like you’re: “Failing...2024-09-1847 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, and…I’m Workshopping the Concept of Self-Care (+what’s coming this season!)Send us a textWelcome back, friends!! We took the summer off to drive around to 178 different camps, travel, and plan some awesome episodes. We’re SO happy to be back. In this episode, Erin and Ruby continue to explore the concept of self-care as it relates to life after baby, and life in your relationship with your partner. We know it’s important to take care of ourselves - at ANY point in our lives, let alone after we’ve had a baby. But finding the routine, finding the meaning, and making sure you and you...2024-09-1154 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, and…Do I Have to Just be “Mom” Now?Send us a textWhether it’s something you’ve wanted your whole life or something that sorta just happened, the shift to motherhood and all that it entails can catch you by surprise. Suddenly, your life feels like it revolves around feeding, sleeping, enrichment activities, mom groups…the list goes on. So what happens to all of the things that made you YOU before becoming a mom? Can you find a way to prioritizethem without feeling guilt for doing so?We are so excited to be joined by Robin Hilmantel, senior director of editorial strate...2024-06-1247 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, and…I’m Moving my Career Goal PostsSend us a textAfter having a baby, people generally (not always) fall into one of 2 categories: the “I cannot WAIT to get back to work!” category and the “I no longer give a f*&^% about my job!” category. And it’s not uncommon to think you’re going to be in one of those categories and then change course after having your baby!This week, Ruby and Erin are talking about the ways in which motherhood influences career decisions, navigating the shift and accompanying fluctuating emotions, and how to handle coworkers who say really stupid thing...2024-05-0836 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, and…The Sex-pectations Have Totally ChangedSend us a textLife changes instantly when you have a baby - the routines you know, the relationships you have, the sex you love. Wait…what?!? How can that be?? If you’re one of the millions of women whose relationship with sex changed after having a baby, this episode is for YOU!From the social pressure to “bounce back,” to the way our culture doesn’t really encourage talking about sex and sexuality, there is not guidebook on how to navigate postpartum intimacy. But in this week’s episode of I Love My B...2024-05-0134 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, And...Teamwork is Not Making the Dream Work Pt. 2Send us a textPostpartum partnership problems (say that 10 times fast): we know them, we hate them, we don’t know what to do about them. Your connection to your partner and the other important people in your world can suffer after having a baby, and while it’s totally common and normal, that doesn’t make it any less distressing. On this week’s episode, Erin and Ruby tackle an unconventional (but very prevalent) theme for postpartum moms, as well as the age-old “I thought this would be 50/50” lie we were all told.So let’s di...2024-04-1735 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, and…Oops, I Hate my Mother-in-LawSend us a textListen. The mother-in-law (MIL) drama has become this funny, stereotypically negative relationship according to pop culture. But it’s the reality for a LOT of people; it’s a deeply complex relationship! Boundaries are so necessary and can feel SO hard to enforce.This week, Erin and Ruby break down various components of the MIL relationship, validate the crap out of your feelings around it, and talk about some tangible ways you can improve the situation for yourself.Loving the show? We'd love your feedback! If you would...2024-04-1041 minI Love My Baby, And...Mom Brain Musings: Instagram Parenting CoursesSend us a textMom Brain: sometimes it means you’re unable to string together your thoughts, and other times it means you’re stringing together 900 thoughts at 2 o’clock in the morning!In this week’s episode, Erin and Ruby are chatting about Instagram parenting courses (as discussed in this Glamour article) and how to determine what’s right for YOU. And the most important question we ask is: is this course something that’s right for you or have you been influenced?---- Our Mom Brain Musings (formerly Midnight Musings Minis...2024-03-2737 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, and...I Hate Being the Default Parent (pt. 1)Send us a textThe concept of the default parent is loaded with emotion - for good reason! Parenthood *is* loaded with emotion. There’s generally an association with this term and being the parent who “does it all.” But is there truly a one-size-fits-all definition to the term “default parent?” (Hint: there isn’t! We add our own meaning to things like this!) In the first installment of this 2-part episode, Erin and Ruby explore what it means to be the default parent, the societal expectations that influence the ways in which moms tend to experience...2024-03-2039 minI Love My Baby, And...REWIND: F*ck Your BouncebackSend us a textOne of the most common things we hear both in our DMs and in the therapy room is that the pressure to “bounce back” to who you were before having feels like it’s hitting us from virtually every single corner of our lives. So we thought now might be a great time to re-visit this oldie-but-goodie episode from the vault. In this aptly titled episode, we dive into the pressures we feel, internally and externally, to achieve physical perfection, stay on top of all of our important relationships, and, while we’re at it, f...2024-03-0637 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, and...I'm Surrounded by Toxic PositivitySend us a textHave you ever paid close attention to the ways people respond to something you share that is pregnancy or motherhood-related? If not, after listening to this episode, you’re gonna. Because when you’re telling someone about the anxiety you have while your newborn is sleeping, it’s important to note that upwards of 0 people have been helped by hearing something to the effect of “just wait til they’re crawling!!!!” This is something most, if not all, new moms can relate to. We can all recall that one time someone told...2024-02-2932 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, and…SAHM Life has me Feelin’ all the FeelsSend us a textWe hear a lot about the “invisible load” of motherhood, and that’s almost always applied to stay-at-home moms. And what’s truly mind-blowing is that literally none of the work done by SAHMs is invisible!!! It’s constant! It’s ever-changing! You’re doing all the things everyone relies on! YOU. DON’T. STOP. Whether you knew all along that you wanted to be a SAHM, or it was something that happened somewhere along the way, you’re allowed to struggle with parts of this. The nuance is a lot to try and hold alo...2024-02-2133 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, and...I'm Unpacking the Decision to be Done Having KidsSend us a text“Family planning” is kind of a weird term. It encompasses so many different aspects of, well, planning for your family. But is there really a clear definition? What if you’re the world’s worst planner?! What then?!?!For some, they have a very clear idea of what family planning looks like. For others, they thought they had a clear idea, but something happens along their journey in parenthood that totally changes things for them. There’s no right or wrong way to approach it, but it can feel l like every deci...2024-02-1441 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, and...I Never Imagined I'd Experience Gender DisappointmentSend us a textDid you find out the gender of your baby? Did you keep it a secret or tell everyone? Did you start planning accordingly? Ok, now we have a harder question for you: did you experience disappointment after you found out?This is a common experience among tons of new moms (and their partners), and just like everything else related to the postpartum experience, it’s layered, and requires a deep dive into the roots of these feelings. In this week’s episode, Ruby and Erin are going to sta...2024-02-0637 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, and…the Overwhelm has Overhauled my LifeSend us a textYou know how when you have a baby, the little things suddenly feel really big and overpowering? What was once easy now feels insurmountable. What used to not faze you now makes you feel like you need to call in a lot of reinforcement. As with most of the postpartum experience, this is all totally normal. In this week’s episode, Ruby and Erin break down what it means to feel overwhelmed as a new mom, how to call it out, and what to do about it, even if that...2024-01-1729 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, and...I'm Trapped in the Game of ComparisonSend us a textIf we know that “comparison is the thief of joy,” why the f&^% can’t we stop doing it?! You're struggling to accept that you aren't the mom you thought you'd be, you're consumed with your feelings about that, but you can't stop watching strangers on the internet do motherhood perfectly.** Dare we call it…a sick obsession? In this week’s episode, Erin and Ruby explore the impact that social media has on the postpartum experience (think: momfluencers), the toll it takes on your relationship with your partner, & the way it alters y...2024-01-1033 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, and…I’m Trapped in the Game of ComparisonIf we know that “comparison is the thief of joy,” why the f&^% can’t we stop doing it?! You're struggling to accept that you aren't the mom you thought you'd be, you're consumed with your feelings about that, but you can't stop watching strangers on the internet do motherhood perfectly.** Dare we call it…a sick obsession? In this week’s episode, Erin and Ruby explore the impact that social media has on the postpartum experience (think: momfluencers), the toll it takes on your relationship with your partner, & the way it alters your relationship with yourself. BONUS...2024-01-1033 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, and...I Expected Change, but THIS Much!?Send us a textHow many baby books have you read (or bought but left in your trunk)? How many instagram posts did you scroll through? How many conversations did you have with people in your village-before-they-were-your-village all about the changes that will happen in your life after having a baby? A dozen? A thousand?After having these conversations or reading these books or seeing these posts, did you truly believe it? Could you have imagined it?!In this week’s episode, Erin and Ruby take deep dive into all of the changes th...2024-01-0335 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, And...I'm Already Stressed About HolidaysSend us a textThe holidays are (almost?) here! And, let’s be honest, those come with a *little* bit of stress sometimes, especially when you’re navigating postpartum and establishing boundaries with family members. In this week’s episode of I Love My Baby, And…Erin and Ruby take on holiday stressors - from struggling with “bounce back” expectations to figuring out how to create new, meaningful traditions with your family without hurting anyone’s feelings. So grab your favorite Thanksgiving side dish and dive in to this juicy episode! Unless you’re Erin who hates...2023-11-1649 minI Love My Baby, And...Midnight Musings Minisode: Taylor Swift, the NFL, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off...?Send us a textWelcome back to the Midnight Musings Minisodes!The Midnight Musings Minisodes are a little bite-sized peak into what goes on when Erin and Ruby stop recording and start going off the rails. Sometimes you’re up in the middle of the night hanging out with your tiny human when you’d rather be getting your beauty rest. So why not get some laughs and hang out with us, too?!In this week's minisode, Erin unpacks her feelings about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, Ruby unpacks her feelings about the NFL...2023-11-0917 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby And...It's Milestone Madness Over HereSend us a textHave you ever found yourself consumed with all of the things your babies SHOULD or SHOULDN'T be doing by a certain age? Keeping up with everything is f***ing hard, and it can be extremely tempting to internalize everything and doubt your ability as a parent. But fear not! You aren't alone in this. In this week's episode, we're diving into how to identify some of your triggers around your child's development (it's not a reflection of you, we promise), and how to delicately remind people that not everything is their business! Al...2023-11-0242 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, And...I Hate Being A MomSend us a textIf the title of this episode made you cringe, you aren’t alone. We are conditioned to believe that we can’t possibly hate being a mom when it’s the single greatest, most fulfilling joy of our lives. How could we even, for a moment, not love every second of this experience!?So, let’s take a step back and look at every other experience and identity in our lives. They are full of duality. How can motherhood be any different?On this week’s episode of I Love My Ba...2023-10-0438 minI Love My Baby, And...Midnight Musings Minisode: Do You True Crime Podcast?Send us a textWelcome back to to the Midnight Musings Minisodes!The Midnight Musings Minisodes are a little bite-sized peak into what goes on when Erin and Ruby stop recording and start going off the rails. Sometimes you’re up in the middle of the night hanging out with your tiny human when you’d rather be getting your beauty rest. So why not get some laughs and hang out with us, too?!In this week's minisode, Erin and Ruby are prettttttty divided on the true crime podcast trend.Loving the show? We'd...2023-09-2718 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love my Baby, And...I'm Feeling Super LonelySend us a textPrior to having children, did you ever think you would feel lonely while CONSTANTLY being around/relied upon by your babies? This bizarre phenomenon can happen when you least expect it. And that's why we're here for you!On this week's episode, Erin and Ruby discuss what it means to feel lonely without ever having much time physically alone. From changed relationships with your parents to changed relationships with yourself, loneliness and early motherhood are familiar friends. But, as with all friendships in your life, boundaries are critical. 2023-09-2037 minI Love My Baby, And...Midnight Musings Minisode: Ruby Meets Postpartum Reddit ThreadsSend us a textWelcome to the first Midnight Musings Minisode of I Love My Baby, And…! The Midnight Musings Minisodes are a little bite-sized peak into what goes on when Erin and Ruby stop recording and start going off the rails. Sometimes you’re up in the middle of the night hanging out with your tiny human when you’d rather be getting your beauty rest. So why not get some laughs and hang out with us, too?!In this week’s episode, Ruby is introduced to the world of the postpa...2023-09-1317 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, And...Am I Ready for Baby #2?Send us a textOne of the most common things we’re told to do as a parent is plan ahead. And one of the absolute hardest things to do as a parent is…plan ahead… This rings *particularly* true for family planning. Preparing to add another baby to your family may not be as simple as you’d assumed - for roughly a zillion reasons. Whether it was a previous complicated and/or traumatic birth experience, or you’re having difficultly aligning with your partner on when might be the best time, the decision isn’t alway...2023-09-0638 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, And...I'm So F*cking TiredSend us a textThe lack of sleep during the newborn stage is….jarring? Horrendous? Possibly criminal? And it doesn’t even matter how many baby books you read to prepare for it! Because nothing can prepare you for that level of sheer and utter exhaustion. So this week, Erin and Ruby are talking about the toll that all of these sleepless nights can have on you, your relationship, and the overall parenting experience. You have very little control over when and how your newborn (or you, for that matter) will sleep. But you do...2023-08-3034 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, And...I Feel Like I'm Playing "Parenting Style Roulette"Send us a textSo you have your baby, spend the next several months processing all of it, finding a new routine, trying to balance all the things, give your baby lots of love, stay connected to your partner, friends & family, and THEN you have to figure out what “parenting styles” are?!?Yup. Parenting your kid is different than *having a baby*. I know, we were shocked by this news, too. In this week’s episode of I Love My Baby, And…Ruby and Erin are tackling what it means to be a “good” paren...2023-08-2337 minI Love My Baby, And...Is It Too Soon For Another Episode About Mom Guilt?Send us a textCan you define what “mom guilt” is? Is it something you experience? Is it something you’ve struggled with before? Is it something you watch others struggle with and wonder to yourself how the hell to support them? Have we got a podcast episode for you!!On this week’s episode of I Love My Baby, And…Ruby and Erin are talking about mom guilt (yes, again, ok?!) and the pervasive ways it sneaks into your life, your relationships, and can totally change your parenting experience. Loving the show? We...2023-08-1640 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, And...I Had No Idea That Feeding My Baby Could Cause StressSend us a textYou thought you wanted to nurse, but you were totally unprepared for all that would entail. Or maybe you were certain you wanted to give your baby formula, but now that you're in it, you'd rather nurse, but you're having trouble producing enough. Any of this sound familiar? Who the hell knew that simply feeding your baby was going to take you on a never-ending emotional roller coaster?!? On this week's episode of I Love My Baby, And...Erin and Ruby address your thoughts on feeding your baby. From nursing, to b...2023-08-0934 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, And...What's The Deal With Postpartum Sex?Send us a textListen. We know a lot changes after having a baby. We’re prepared to see changes to our bodies. We know that our priorities will shift. We expect to be tired af. But a change in sex drive? We didn’t sign up for that?!?This week, Erin and Ruby are tackling the *very* loaded (maybe dreaded?) postpartum sex talk. There is one postpartum visit with your OB at 6 weeks, which is essentially just to clear you to “resume normal activity*” (*get it on). And while it’s important to make sure your...2023-07-2642 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, And...Am I Self-Caring Right?Send us a textDoes self-care exist? Can you define it? Is it a scam? Who knows! In the season finale of I Love My Baby, And…Erin and Ruby break down the importance of shifting expectations, while normalizing that it’s ok to feel sad that you may not have the same time or freedom to do the things that used to fill your cup (at least in those early postpartum weeks). They’ll also discuss the importance of including your village and relinquishing a bit of control when it comes to allowing others to take things...2023-06-1434 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby And...The Working Mom Guilt Is REALSend us a textThe decision to go back to work after having a baby is full of so much baggage. Whether you're feeling guilty about needing to work, dreading going back, or thrilled to have a thriving career to return to - we get it. There can be room for all of those feelings to coexist, but it's (understandably) really hard to get there. There is a cultural narrative around what it means to be a working mom, and this week, we're gonna talk about it. So buckle up, buttercups, because it turns out this is...2023-06-0736 minI Love My Baby, And...Attachment and Bonding and Babies, Oh My!Send us a textYou've given birth to your baby, and you're happy, but not **totally obsessed** the way you think you should be. What does this mean about your relationship with your baby? Will this impact the way that you parent? Or the way that you and your partner connect over this shared experience? In this episode of I Love My Baby, And...Erin and Ruby dive into attachment styles, bonding with your baby, and how those 2 concepts intertwine to really make you question EVERYTHING you know about relationships. Loving the show? We'd love y...2023-05-3139 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby And…Do I Have To Make “Mom Friends?”Send us a textOur relationships inevitably change with the people in our lives after we have a baby. But do we really have to replace some relationships with new friends just because they also have kids? If we don’t do all the baby music and family socialization classes, are we missing out on important (potential) connections? This week, Erin and Ruby take on the topic of what it means to make “mom friends.” And speaking of relationships and our perceptions of people changing, we learn that Erin has never seen Hocus Pocus. Loving the sho...2023-05-1834 minI Love My Baby, And...F*ck Your Bounce BackSend us a textAfter you have a baby, the societal pressure to bounce back can hit you like a ton of bricks. And when it comes to you and your partner, returning to any sense of normalcy in your relationship might feel impossible. But what exactly are you "bouncing back" to? Is it even possible for you to revert back to who you were - physically, emotionally, psychologically - before you became a parent? The very short answer to this is "LOL," but, thankfully, Erin and Ruby are here to give you a longer version of...2023-05-1137 minI Love My Baby, And...The One About Grief: Parenting Without Your ParentsSend us a textLearning how to navigate parenthood after losing your own parent can throw a wrench in your journey that no book prepared you for. Between adapting to your new normal and trying to take care of your family, you have little to no time to tend to your own grief. In this episode, Ruby shares her unique experience with the loss of her dad and mother-in-law, and discusses why including your partner in your grief experience is critical to your own healing. Loving the show? We'd love your feedback! If y...2023-05-0443 minI Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, And...Teamwork Is Not Making The Dream WorkSend us a textYour connection with your partner has gone completely AWOL. Your mother-in-law thinks that she has the "right" to spend as much time with your kid as she wants. You're struggling to know who you can turn to for help advocating for yourself. Any of this sound familiar? In this episode, we're talking about all-things-relational during that postpartum period - from your parents, to your in-laws, to your partner - with some tangible takeaways on how to address them. As an important aside, you'll also never be able to listen to Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi"...2023-04-2934 min
I Love My Baby, And...I Love My Baby, And...Teamwork Is Not Making The Dream WorkYour connection with your partner has gone completely AWOL. Your mother-in-law thinks that she has the "right" to spend as much time with your kid as she wants. You're struggling to know who you can turn to for help advocating for yourself. Any of this sound familiar? In this episode, we're talking about all-things-relational during that postpartum period - from your parents, to your in-laws, to your partner - with some tangible takeaways on how to address them. As an important aside, you'll also never be able to listen to Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" again. 2023-04-2739 min
I Love My Baby, And...Help! I Was Lied To!Send us a textYour parents told you one thing about having kids, but your Instagram feed told you another. Your doctor gave you a list of things to consider during pregnancy/postpartum, but none of those things happened to your best friend. Do you feel like your expectations about the postpartum experience were, uh, mismanaged? You're not alone! This week's episode is all about debunking some postpartum myths that we work so hard to unlearn after bringing a baby home. Loving the show? We'd love your feedback! If you would like to...2023-04-1938 min
I Love My Baby, And...Welcome to I Love My Baby, And...!!Send us a textHi! Yes yes. We know. You love your baby. And...the transition to parenthood isn't what you thought it would be? Some curveballs got tossed at you? You miss your "old life" sometimes? We get it. And that's why we're here! Learn all about who we (Erin and Ruby) are, the goal of this podcast, and ways to get in touch with us to share your voice in this very episode. Follow along every week to hear what your community members are saying about parenthood - we can almost guarantee it'll resonate with...2023-04-1904 min