A New Parent Support Group Saved My Life

A New Parent Support Group Saved My Life

“Moms need the community these support groups offer now more than ever. Social media gives us the impression that we are connected (and can be a great support when we just can’t get out of the house), but NOTHING can replace just being with other parents and babies. Watching them. Listening to them. Sharing with them. Supporting each other. Heck, having some place to BE at a specific time, and LEARNING to get you and baby out of the house is a HUGE accomplishment.”

Postpartum Depression & Anxiety – the Pit You can Fall into Without Realizing It

Postpartum Depression & Anxiety – the Pit You can Fall into Without Realizing It

This was me in 2004. I was in the pit of postpartum depression. Funny thing about depression, you don’t realize you have it when you’re going through it. You’re at the bottom of a hole and nothing makes sense. Being responsible for a new life only makes the hole deeper. It was a BAD place for me and my baby.

Oh Baby! Fitness CEO Talks Bold Career Moves, Birthing Fears, Postpartum Depression + Workouts

Oh Baby! Fitness CEO Talks Bold Career Moves, Birthing Fears, Postpartum Depression + Workouts

You’ve seen her before — the mom in the grocery store checkout line with a newborn swaddled to her midsection, a glazed look in her eyes, and a little spit-up on her shoulder. Staring back from the candy and gum section is the smiling face of a perky television star on the cover of a weekly magazine, wearing a bikini and holding an infant. The headline declares in a huge pink font, “BODY AFTER BABY.” It’s enough to make you scream. The priority for most moms isn’t to fit into a two-piece weeks after birth, but to be healthy and feel great (or as great as is possible) during and after pregnancy. And Mama, Atlanta’s own Oh Baby! Fitness can help with that, offering exercise programs for new and expectant moms. Oh Baby! Founding Mom/CEO/Co-owner Clare Schexnyder tells us more in this week’s Friday Five with WellATL.

Kathleen’s update: the end of the 4th trimester

Kathleen’s update: the end of the 4th trimester

We call the first three months of a baby’s life the fourth trimester because they often act like they want to be back in the womb, but it’s also the fourth trimester for the mom. Her body is experiencing many of the same physiological realities of pregnancy (the hormone relaxin, stretched out abdominals, back pain) AND also trying to recover from childbirth. For moms the fourth trimester is a massive physical challenge, on top of also being a sleep deprived, hormone-fueled emotional roller coaster.