Loss, Adoption, Cesarean Birth & Foster Parenting — 058

About this Episode

During today’s episode, Natalie Brenner shares the joy, sadness, and grief she has experienced during her biological, adoptive and foster care motherhood journeys. She describes how her love of all things motherhood helped her navigate through postpartum depression, the intense emotional responsibility of foster parenting and her passion to dispel common myths and assumptions about the connection between adoption and infertility.

The foundation of her book, This Undeserved Life: Uncovering the Gifts of Grief and Fullness of Life draws from her wide spectrum of the motherhood experiences and emotions.

In this extremely vulnerable conversation, Natalie shares from her heart about her homebirth-turned-emergency-cesarean, how it’s possible to experience and make space for both grief and joy, and what her crazy life is like day to day. Her heart for both mothers and children will inspire you to embrace the moment you are in and give everything you have.

Expectful is a guided meditation app for each stage of the motherhood journey — you can sign up for an exclusive one-month free trial here!

In This Episode:

● Fully feeling the grief after a miscarriage
● Her passionate response to the ‘you must have finally conceived because you adopted’ myth
● Meeting the birth mother of her adopted son
● The excitement she felt to experience birth
● How her body didn’t respond to epidural or spinal medication for her c-section, resulting in last-second general anaesthesia
● The sadness she felt after her biological birth experience
● The painful, post Cesarean procedure, to reduce her risk of a blood clot
● Her journey of breastfeeding both her biological and adopted child simultaneously
● Their unexpected entry to the world of foster parenting
● The uncertain lives of foster children
● Having a community of foster parents in one area to keep foster siblings together
● How she makes time for self-care during this crazy season
● How to get a free one-month trial of guided meditations through Expectful

Show Notes:

Expectful — One Month Free Trial for MotherBirth Community Members

This Undeserved Life: Uncovering the Gifts of Grief and Fullness of Life, by Natalie Brenner