Do you really need a doula (and what do they actually do?)In this episode, Chelsea breaks down the practical, emotional, and relational role of a birth doula. You’ll learn how doulas support labor, what they do not do, how much they commonly cost, when payment is usually due, and when hiring one may be especially helpful.Chelsea also explains the deeper reason doulas can matter: birth was never historically something couples were expected to navigate entirely alone. A doula can bring experienced, nonmedical support into the room while helping your partner feel more confident and less responsible for carrying everything.Inside this episode:• What a birth doula does• The difference between a doula, midwife, OB, and nurse• Common doula costs and payment timelines• When insurance, Medicaid, or HSA/FSA funds may apply• Situations where a doula may be especially useful• How doulas support both the birthing person and partner• Why a doula does not replace your partner• Questions to ask when interviewing a doula• Where to search for doulas in your area• How birth support can protect connection during a stressful experienceA doula cannot guarantee a certain kind of birth, but they can help you feel more informed, supported, and grounded as plans unfold.This episode also explores how preparing for birth is connected to preparing your relationship. Inside Prep for Us, expecting couples learn how to communicate under stress, clarify support needs, share responsibility, and enter parenthood as a stronger team.Check out the related blog post here (including an easy download of questions to ask when choosing a doula). www.postpartumtogether.com/blog/do-you-really-need-a-doula

What classes should first-time parents actually take before the baby arrives?In this episode, Chelsea breaks down the most common options, including hospital childbirth classes, Lamaze, HypnoBirthing, the Bradley Method, infant CPR, breastfeeding education, lactation support, and newborn-care classes.You’ll hear how to decide which classes are worth your time, what hospital-based classes may leave out, and why finding a lactation professional before birth can make those early feeding days much easier.Chelsea also names the class most couples never think to take: preparation for the relationship transition.Because couples can spend hours learning how to swaddle a baby and almost no time learning how to handle the 3 a.m. disagreement about whose turn it is.This episode will help expecting parents prepare not only for birth and newborn care, but also for communication, mental load, stress, roles, and becoming parents as a team.Topics include:• Best classes for first-time parents• Hospital birth classes vs. independent birth education• Lamaze, HypnoBirthing, and the Bradley Method• Infant CPR and newborn-care classes• Prenatal breastfeeding and lactation support• Preparing your relationship before baby• Dividing responsibilities after birth• Communication and mental load for new parentsPrep for Us helps expecting couples prepare for the relationship transition into parenthood so they can communicate clearly, share the load, and stay connected after the baby arrives.Prep for Us: How to Prepare Your Relationship for a Baby | Postpartum Together

Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought, Who even am I anymore? A lot of women have and they tell me about it, which is why I hosted this free workshop and now I'm letting you in on it too.It's not because you don’t love being a mom, but because somewhere between the diapers, the planning, the emotional labor, and taking care of everyone else… pieces of you started to fade into the background.In this episode, walk with me through a recorded workshop on how to not lose yourself in motherhood. This isn’t about rejecting the role of mom. It’s about understanding that motherhood is only one part of who you are and your family benefits when the rest of you is alive and well too.You'll walk through the emotional and cultural pressures many women feel after becoming mothers, including the invisible expectations to sacrifice everything, the mental and emotional exhaustion many moms carry, and why reconnecting with yourself isn’t selfish—it’s necessary.Inside this episode, you’ll explore:Why so many moms feel like their identity disappears after having kidsThe societal pressures that quietly push women into martyr-modeThe difference between loving motherhood and losing yourself in itHow to reconnect with parts of yourself that existed before babyQuestions to help you rediscover what makes you feel alive againChelsea also shares research from the Motherly State of Motherhood Report, which reveals that:Time for themselves is the most depleted area of wellbeing for moms70% of mothers report feeling lonelier than they expectedNearly half of mothers describe themselves as managing but stressedIf you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or like your own voice has gotten quieter in this season of life you’re not alone. And more importantly, you’re not stuck there.If this episode felt a little too relatable, the next step might be Confident Mom Reset.Confident Mom Reset is a small-group, six-week experience for moms who want to reconnect with themselves and rebuild confidence in their voice, boundaries, and priorities.Together you’ll work through things like:Reconnecting with what you actually wantUnderstanding your energy and what drains itSetting boundaries without guiltLearning to hear your inner voice againCreating a version of motherhood that doesn’t erase youThis is not another course you watch alone at midnight. It’s a guided experience with real conversations and real shifts happening alongside other moms who get it.The next group begins March 18th, and you can grab the early bird rate ($50 off) if you enroll before the 15th.You can learn more or reserve your spot here:postpartumtogether.com/confident-mom-resetIf you'd like the guided worksheet that accompanies this workshop, send Chelsea a quick email and she’ll send it over.Email: [email protected]

This one’s a little different.No outline. No formal teaching. Just a real coffee-chat between us about something that keeps coming up in our work with couples: Emotional safety.Find our current offerings including small groups, relationship prep for expecting couples + relationship support for current parents: postpartumtogether.com/current-offeringsWe talk about:– Why internal safety matters before communication skills– What happens when dads don’t feel emotionally safe either– The myth that you have to be everything for your family– Why modern couples are drowning without a “village”– How trust actually gets built (and rebuilt) after babyIf you’ve felt disconnected, overwhelmed, or unsure how to support each other in this season, this conversation will land.Because strong families don’t happen by accident. They’re built by people willing to go first emotionally.Find our current offerings including small groups, relationship prep for expecting couples + relationship support for current parents:⁠ postpartumtogether.com/current-offerings⁠postpartum relationshipmarriage after babyemotional safety in marriagemental load in parentingnew dad emotional supportfatherhood emotional presencenervous system in relationshipstrust after babycouples communication after babyvillage support for parentsFind our current offerings including small groups, relationship prep for expecting couples + relationship support for current parents:⁠ postpartumtogether.com/current-offerings⁠

Every year after Christmas, the same conversation resurfaces: moms waking up to empty stockings and the internet rushing in with advice to leave, rage, or declare the relationship doomed.But what if the stocking isn’t the real issue?In this episode, we slow the moment down and talk honestly about why this seemingly small disappointment hits so hard for so many moms and what it actually reveals about mental load, visibility, inherited patterns, and modern partnership.We read real posts from moms, talk through the full spectrum of reactions (from “it was an honest miss” to “this has been happening for years”), and explore why the empty stocking often becomes a quiet test of recognition, effort, and shared responsibility.This isn’t a hate-on-men episode.And it’s not a “just get over it” one either.It’s a grounded conversation about:Why this moment feels bigger than giftsHow inherited family patterns show up at holidaysWhen disappointment is information—not a verdictWhy “just tell him what you want” often doesn’t workHow couples can respond without blowing things up or sweeping it under the rugWe also share what actually helped us have one of our most connected Christmases yet and what we see help couples repair moments like this instead of letting resentment calcify.If this episode stirred something up and you want help having the conversation underneath the disappointment, we created a free guide called The Stocking Was the Symptom—a calm, honest conversation guide for couples who don’t want this moment to define their marriage.👉 postpartumtogether.com/stocking-problem-convo-guideIn this episode you'll also hear: A men’s group Mike is hosting on January 12th focused on emotional regulation, visibility, and showing up as a teammate at home👉 Link to men’s group registrationThreads referenced: @eliseoras@crfreund@sidneyraz@sheisapaigeturner@omgskrThis conversation is for parents who feel disappointed but not done—who believe growth is possible and want a better way forward.

Baby’s first Christmas can come with a lot more weight than most people talk about.The pressure to make memories. The logistics. The overstimulation. The quiet grief when it doesn’t look the way you imagined it would.In this episode, Chelsea and Mike talk honestly about what babies are actually learning during the holidays and why it has far less to do with gifts, photos, or traditions, and far more to do with tone, pace, and safety. We unpack how parental calm shapes a baby’s nervous system, why “making it special” often turns into performance, and how couples can protect their energy (and each other) during high-pressure seasons.This isn’t an episode about lowering your standards or forcing gratitude. It’s a permission slip to let this Christmas be real, slower, and more human, and to trust that presence matters more than perfection.If this season is highlighting exhaustion, resentment, or the need for clearer communication between you and your partner, this is exactly the kind of work we support couples with.You can learn more or connect with us at postpartumtogether.com.

The number one way to tank the holidays for your family isn’t burnt rolls, forgotten gifts, or a crooked tree. It’s walking into every room wound tight, resentful, and pretending your energy isn’t affecting anyone.In this episode, Chelsea and Mike break down what kids actually remember about the holidays (hint: not the matching pajamas) and why your nervous system becomes the emotional backdrop of the season. Drawing from Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child, Gottman’s research, and Polyvagal Theory, they explain how kids store emotional memories more deeply than the details of any event.You’ll hear real-life stories, honest confessions, and simple tools to help you pause before you snap, breathe through triggers, and become more of a thermostat than a tornado.Plus, they’ll walk you through practical ways to share the holiday mental load, so you’re not carrying 99% of the invisible prep while resenting everyone else.If the holidays feel heavy, you’re not failing. You’re just carrying too much alone. Let’s change that.In this episode, we talk about:Why the emotional climate of the home matters more than perfect food, outfits, or décorHow kids “remember” holidays in their bodies, not just with their mindsWhat research from Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child, Gottman, and Polyvagal Theory tells us about stress, safety, and childhood memoriesThe difference between being “yourself” and becoming an emotional tornado in a shared spaceWhy moms especially feel pressure to “make it magical” and how that pressure slides into performance modeCommon holiday nervous system triggers:Family dynamics that make you feel like you’re 12 againFinancial strain and gift pressureSchedules being completely off (bedtimes, routines, sugar, travel)A simple nervous system reset you can use in the bathroom, car, or closet in 20–30 secondsHow to take a pause without abandoning the conversation or triggering your partnerUsing micro-plans and 5-minute check-ins to prevent 80% of holiday resentmentHow to share the load before you explode (including using a “mental load brain dump” list together)10-Day Holiday Mental Load Series – short daily videos to help you regulate, set boundaries, and share the load this season.Holiday Mental Load Brain Dump / Template – get everything out of your head and into a shared plan with your partner.Our Current Offers for Expecting and New Parents – coaching, workshops, and resources at: postpartumtogether.com → “Current Offerings.”

ou made it to the final episode of our 10-day Holiday Mental Load Series, and that says something meaningful about who you are as a partner and a parent.You’ve shown up with intention, reflection, honesty, and a desire to make this season lighter for everyone in your home, including yourself.In today’s wrap-up, we look back on everything you’ve covered:• Home + hosting• Family logistics• Event schedules• Emotional labor• Your own sanity + capacity• Travel prep• Gift logistics• Shared planning• Mixed emotionsAnd most importantly, you now have the language, tools, and clarity to share the load instead of silently carrying it alone.In this episode, we talk about:• The patterns couples fall into during early parenthood• Why awareness is the first step toward change• How to keep using these tools through the whole year• What “teamwork” actually looks like in real life• How to protect your relationship from default-parent burnout• Why you didn’t do anything wrong — you were just doing too much👉 Download the free Holiday Mental Load BreakthroughUse the brain dump, holiday categories, emotional prompts, and weekly planning tools to support your conversations and protect your connection this season:https://www.postpartumtogether.com/mental-load-braindump-holidayYou deserve a holiday that feels connected, not chaotic.And you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Today we’re talking about something almost every new parent experiences during the holidays, but few couples actually prepare for: Mixed emotions.Because December isn’t just joy and magic.It’s overstimulation, nostalgia, grief, pressure, expectations, family dynamics, exhaustion, and the ache of wanting the holidays to feel a certain way… while navigating a very tender season of parenthood.And partners don’t always feel the same way at the same time.In this episode, we unpack:• Why mixed emotions are normal (and expected) in early parenthood• How emotional load is just as real as logistical load• What happens when couples don’t talk about what they’re feeling• How to avoid “emotion mismatch resentment”• The “Name + Ask” Method for emotional clarity• What emotional support looks like in real, practical ways• How to honor both partners’ internal experiences — even when they’re differentThis is one of the most human, heartfelt conversations of the series, and it’s designed to help couples feel safer, softer, and more connected during a season that often feels emotionally overwhelming.👉 Download the free Holiday Mental Load BreakthroughUse the emotional labor prompts, boundary-setting questions, holiday expectations mapping, and weekly planning sheets to support these conversations:https://www.postpartumtogether.com/mental-load-braindump-holidayMixed emotions aren’t the problem.Silence is.You deserve emotional support this season and so does your partner.

Today we’re breaking down one of the most powerful tools for reducing resentment, confusion, and emotional overload during the holidays: the Holiday Huddle.A Holiday Huddle is a simple 10-minute weekly check-in that helps couples stay aligned during December — before the stress, assumptions, and misunderstandings hit.Because most holiday conflicts aren’t about what happened.They’re about not talking ahead of time.In this episode, we walk you through the exact Holiday Huddle process we teach inside the Holiday Mental Load Breakthrough, including:• Step-by-step questions for a weekly check-in• How to avoid the “default parent” dynamic• Why assumptions create 80% of holiday tension• How to set realistic expectations for your bandwidth• How to divide responsibilities using Lead + Support roles• How to identify what needs to come off your plate this week• How to plan for emotional load, not just logisticsThis is the tool that keeps couples grounded, connected, and prepared — so you’re not running on last-minute panic or silent resentment.👉 Download the free Holiday Mental Load BreakthroughIt includes the full Holiday Huddle script, weekly planning pages, and the category breakdowns you’ll want beside you.https://www.postpartumtogether.com/mental-load-braindump-holidayTen minutes.Once a week.Total game changer.