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Becoming a mother comes with so many changes. After having kids, it can be difficult to maintain a sense of self and find purpose (or a moment to yourself!) outside of motherhood. Specifically, after the last few years of the pandemic, the challenges that mothers are faced with have only increased, and are leaving long-lasting impacts.

To talk more about this topic, I have guest Catherine O’Brien on the podcast. We’re discussing many different pieces of motherhood, such as maternity leave, connecting with your partner, finding moments for yourself, mental health, and so much more.

Ultimately, this is a very candid conversation between two moms voicing what many of us think about on a daily basis. The big takeaway that I want you to walk away with is that you are not alone in any of the feelings that you are experiencing as a mother, wife, friend, or any other role that you play. 

Catherine O’Brien is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and the founder of HappyWithBaby.com. She knows what it’s like to be overwhelmed, out of energy, and out of ideas as a new parent. She created Happy With Baby in order for new and expecting parents to discover the advice she wishes she could have had when managing expectations of parenthood and relationships.

In this episode we discuss:

• Common challenges that are seen in parenting today.
• Strategies for postpartum and how to connect with your partner.
• Social Media and how it makes new mothers feel inadequate. 
• Long term effects of mental health in relationships.
• Finding the little moments within your day to do things that fill you up.
• How men sometimes get praise for doing mundane things when the mother doesn’t.

Resources:

• The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life

Discount codes from my sponsors:

• Save 10% off your first month of Better Help at betterhelp.com/lynzy. 
• Save $10 on your first Storyworth purchase at storyworth.com/lynzy.

Connect with Catherine:

• Website
• Instagram: @happywithbaby
• Catherine’s book, Happy With Baby: Essential Relationship Advice When Partners Become Parents

Connect with Lynzy:

Instagram: @motherhoodmeetsmedicine

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Questions:

1. What have you seen change over the past couple of years that people are having the most difficulty with? Are they feeling more stressed?
2. What are the strategies you give your clients who are freshly out of postpartum? 
3. How do we maintain government mandated paid leave within the first year of taking care of our newborn?
4. What do you think about social media in our society with how mom’s portray themselves online?
5. What are your suggestions for finding joy and purpose for moms who simply don’t have any spare time? 
6. What do you think about the long term effects on mental health with relationships due to the lack of maternity leave?