I've been thinking about how very lucky we are to live in a time of amazing preventative steps we can take to manage risk during pregnancy and protect babies and mothers.

For example . . .

🚙 You aren't planning to crash your car with baby in tow, but I bet a carseat is one of the first items you started researching when you found out you were expecting.

😷 Even though you don't intend to hang out with folks suffering from whooping cough or the flu, you will follow your healthcare provider's advice to get immunized.

🛑 If you're anti-vax, you’re reading the wrong blog. 🛑

☀️You exercise, try to eat your veggies, and you're probably taking a prenatal vitamin.

But why don't we do more mental health prep? 🧐

(probably because the human brain is extremely uncomfortable with uncertainty, so we avoid sitting with it for very long, but that's another story for another email)

What does proactive mental health even look like?

There are plenty of resources to help you figure out the baby gear you actually need. My friend Patricia has a great Newborn Cheat Sheet for that. Simple and doable.

But what I do is help you prepare to cope with the challenges no one tells you about, such as . . .

✅ decision fatigue

✅ feelings of doom

✅ intrusive thoughts

✅ postpartum rage

✅ sensitivity to all the new stimuli

and the list goes on and on.

In other words, we'll lower your risk of perinatal mood + anxiety disorders (PMADs) using reality-based mindful coping tools and 0 bullshit.

❌manifesting

❌tarot

❌astrology

❌energy healing

Look, I'm not trying to yuck anyone's yum, but I'm probably not your person if you're into that stuff.

But if you're here for unsexy-and-boring-but-effective skills that actually work, that's my jam. 🤓

I'm very honest with moms-to-be. Not because I love fear-mongering, but because it's insulting to gloss over fears with dismissive "this is a natural and beautiful process" type of fluff. 🙄

Pregnancy and motherhood can be terrifying, and there's actually plenty to fear because there are very real risks.

BUT you don't have to allow these fears to consume you. You can learn to manage the anxiety and tolerate the distress that arises when you find yourself worrying about the unknown.

Parenthood is full of adventures in weighing risk vs. benefits, and that, my friend, is something worth preparing for.

Comment below with the #1 fear about becoming a mother that keeps you awake at night.

One more thing — educating yourself through trusted resources is a great way to cope with worry, so in case you missed it, my Mindful Mom-To-Be audio series is full of trusted info on getting mentally prepped for postpartum.