The perinatal and maternal mental health writing I wish I'd had

This is where I write about the parts of trying for, carrying, losing, birthing and raising a baby that we don't talk about enough. Wherever you are on the path to parenthood, I hope something here helps you feel a little less alone.

Support for Expectant Parents

Pregnant Again After a Loss: Living With the Anxiety

The two lines appear, and everyone expects you to be overjoyed. And maybe part of you is. But mostly you feel braced. Frightened. Unable to let yourself believe it might work out this time. Where other people seem to get an innocent, hopeful pregnancy, you got the one where you already know, in your body, exactly what can go wrong. If pregnancy after a loss feels more like holding your breath than celebrating, you are not ungrateful, and you are not doing it wrong. You are ca

Madison Jacoby

Aug 174 min read

Tokophobia: When the Fear of Giving Birth Is More Than Nerves

Most people feel some nervousness about giving birth. That is ordinary. But for some, the fear is a different order of thing entirely. It is the dread that sits in your stomach when a friend announces a pregnancy. It is avoiding the subject of birth altogether because even thinking about it makes your heart race. For some people, it is wanting a child deeply and feeling unable to face the path to having one. If that is closer to your experience, there is a name for it. It is

Madison Jacoby

Jul 154 min read