Girls Night #241: Debunking the Biggest Misconceptions about Pregnancy and Motherhood
IN THIS PODCAST EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:
How to filter through parenting information and figure out what’s right for you and for your family
How do you know if a source is a reputable one or not
Common misconceptions about pregnancy and motherhood
How to figure out your “family math,” so to speak, when it comes to who works, who stays home, who takes care of your kids, and how to pay for it all
(You can also listen right here!👇)
(Or watch the interview right here!👇)
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Hey friends! Welcome to Girls’ Night!
In the first few months after my girls were born, I spent a LOT of time googling. At all hours of the day (and mostly in the middle of the night!) you could find me frantically typing in questions like...
This swaddle or that one? Which formula is best? Am I a bad mom for giving my kids formula instead of exclusively breastfeeding? (The answer to that question is NO, by the way.) How does one exclusively breastfeed twins? (I must be doing something wrong, because it's not going so well.) How soon can I sleep train my babies? Am I a bad mom for wanting to sleep train my babies? How do you sleep train babies?
I was looking to google for some reassurance, some help, some guidance, but instead, I walked away more overwhelmed than ever. It turns out there wasn't one quick answer to the questions I was asking — there were about a bazillion, and every person answering the question was absolutely positive that their way was the right way and all the other ones were wrong. 🫠
There was one fateful moment when I looked up, "When does having twins get easier?" and the top answer on the Reddit post I found was, "NEVER."
*not the answer I was looking for. 🤣 Also, not true.
Finally, one afternoon I had a chance to talk with my therapist. (An essential member of my postpartum support system!)
I told her about the googling and about how much worse it all made me feel, and that's when she said something that changed everything. She said, "Stephanie, pick your gurus." She told me to pick two or three people that I liked, aligned with, and trusted, and to follow their advice — tuning out the rest.
"There's just too much information out there, Steph, you can't possibly listen to it all. Figure out who you want to listen to and then go to them when you have a question."
It was the very best advice, and the very first person I found after taking her advice was Emily Oster.
Emily is a New York Times best-selling author, professor of economics at Brown University, and founder and CEO of ParentData, a data-driven guide to pregnancy, parenting, and more!
I’ve been following Emily’s work for years, and when I tell you that she changed (and maybe even saved) my life as a mom, that’s not an exaggeration.
Emily’s science-backed resources and research have given me so much peace of mind, especially in the early stages of motherhood, and my hope is that she can do the same for you...
because I'm just thrilled to get to say that Emily Oster is our guest this week on the Girls Night Podcast.
In this episode, we're debunking some of the biggest myths about pregnancy and life as a new mom. We're also going to talk about how we can filter through the massive amount of information that's out there — figuring out what's right for you and for your family.
If you have any friends who are currently pregnant or in the early stages of parenthood, forward this on to them. 💌 → Seriously, I cannot recommend Emily and her work enough!! 👏🙏🥰
It was such an honor and a gift to get to talk with Emily, and I can't wait for you to meet her.
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LINKS FROM THE SHOW
** PREORDER MY NEW BOOK HERE!! **
Steph’s book, The Lipstick Gospel (here’s a paperback copy and here’s a free digital download!)
Steph’s prayer journals, Every Single Moment and The Between Places
Subscribe to ParentData’s newsletter
Emily’s books:
Quotes mentioned:
"Caring about yourself is really important for caring about your baby...these are not separable" - Emily
"There are so many different pieces of what makes a happy and healthy and balanced family, and when we get very focused on one behavior, we miss the whole picture." - Emily
CONNECT WITH EMILY
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