Luteal Phase, Postpartum & a HOPEisode: Erin’s Story

This week, Sonia and Jess are both deep in the luteal phase, going to bed at elderly hours, blaming their hormones for basically everything, and trying to understand why being a woman requires this much administrative work. Sonia also says goodbye to her little man Cheech after 18 years, and discovers that AI has apparently decided she can no longer be trusted to answer Jess’s texts herself. Then things get slightly more serious. The girls talk postpartum mental health, why telling a struggling new mom “it’s just hormones” is technically true and also deeply unhelpful, and the complicated reality of loving your baby more than anything while simultaneously wondering what happened to the person you were before becoming responsible for keeping another human alive. They share their own postpartum experiences—from the emotional overwhelm to lactating through stained T-shirts, wearing whatever still fits, and discovering that ankles are apparently a privilege. This week’s story is Australian broadcaster Erin Holland’s extraordinary road to motherhood: years of fertility treatment, 20 rounds of IVF, five egg retrievals, seven embryo transfers, four miscarriages, an ectopic pregnancy, and eventually, her long-awaited miracle baby. Sonia and Jess talk about the part of infertility people don’t always understand—when you’ve experienced enough disappointment, even good news can feel suspicious, and sometimes you’re so busy trying to make it to the next blood test, ultrasound, heartbeat, or milestone that you’re afraid to picture the baby at the end of it.

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What we're reaching for:

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