In this episode of the Mama Outspoken Podcast, Jill and Bobby sit with one of the most taboo feelings in early motherhood: not feeling love for your baby right away.

Jill reads a passage from her book that takes you back to those first moments after birth. She talks about the invisible pressure to get breastfeeding “right” immediately, the urgency around colostrum and milk coming in, and the heartbreak of not being the first one to hold or feed her son. She couldn’t feel parts of her body, she couldn’t get him to latch, she watched Bobby hold him first, and she waited for the rush of love she’d been promised.

It didn’t come.

Instead, she waited, cried, and prayed for it to show up.

Together, Jill and Bobby unpack the grief and confusion of that experience, the gap between the magical moment she expected and the reality she lived, and how long it actually took for love and connection to grow.

If you’ve ever wondered what it means about you that you didn’t feel an instant bond, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The invisible pressure around “perfect” first moments: latching, colostrum, and milk coming in
• How it felt to watch Bobby hold the baby first and not be able to do what she expected to do
• The numbness and absence of immediate love, and the shame that followed
• Why not feeling love right away is more common than people admit
• How connection with her baby actually developed over time
• Reassurance that love can be slow, quiet, and still completely real

Not feeling instant love doesn’t mean you’re broken or that you don’t love your baby.

It means your body, brain, and heart have been through a lot and need time.

Explore the Mama Outspoken Resources, and check out postpartumny.org for support and community.

We hope you'll join us next time!
—Jill & Bobby

You are invited to find community with us, check out the Mama Outspoken Village here. To learn more or grab your copy of the book, head here. Remember, you’re not alone in this. One of our favorite resources is the Postpartum Resource Center of New York - you deserve support that sees you.

In this episode of the Mama Outspoken Podcast, Jill and Bobby talk about the crushing loneliness of postpartum when the support you expected can’t actually show up.

Jill shares a clip from her book about those early days at home with a newborn during the height of COVID. She describes the immense pressure she felt to care for their baby almost entirely on her own, the constant calls to her parents begging for help, and the heartbreak of hearing “no” because they were too afraid to leave their house.

Even with phone calls and virtual check-ins, she still felt let down, abandoned, and completely alone.

Together, Jill and Bobby unpack how it felt to carry newborn care without the village they were counting on, what it did to Jill’s mental health, and why asking for help can feel so complicated when everyone around you is also scared, stretched, or unavailable.

If you’ve ever felt like you were supposed to have help and didn’t, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• What it was really like to navigate postpartum in the middle of a pandemic
• The pressure Jill felt to care for the baby “all alone” when physical help wasn’t an option
• How daily calls to her parents for advice and support still couldn’t fill the gap of not having them there
• The difference between virtual support and having someone physically present in the hard moments
• How isolation fueled depression, anxiety, and feeling like she was failing
• Compassion for anyone whose village couldn’t or didn’t show up the way they needed

Needing help doesn’t make you weak.

Feeling abandoned when help isn’t possible doesn’t make you ungrateful.

It makes you human.

Explore the Mama Outspoken Resources, and check out postpartumny.org for support and community.

We hope you'll join us next time!
—Jill & Bobby

You are invited to find community with us, check out the Mama Outspoken Village here. To learn more or grab your copy of the book, head here. Remember, you’re not alone in this. One of our favorite resources is the Postpartum Resource Center of New York - you deserve support that sees you.

In this special episode of Mama Outspoken, I take you with me to the Hope Is Here 5K, an event that supports the Postpartum Resource Center of New York and families across the state.

I spent the morning talking with parents, clinicians, students, and supporters about why they showed up and what hope looks like when things are hard. You’ll hear short, powerful answers to two questions:

• What brought you to the Hope Is Here 5K today?
• If you could leave listeners with one small message of hope today, what would it be?

Then Bobby joins me to reflect on what we heard, how it connects to our own postpartum story, and we wrap up with our usual Highs and Lows segment. If you’re in the thick of postpartum, grief, or just the daily weight of caregiving, this episode is meant to sit beside you and remind you that:

• You are not alone.
• You are enough.
• You don’t have to hold all the hope by yourself.
• You can keep moving forward, one small step at a time.

In this episode:
• Live clips from the Hope Is Here 5K
• Messages of hope from parents, professionals, and supporters
• A conversation with Bobby about what hope looks like in our own story
• Our Highs and Lows for the week

If you’re listening to this and feeling alone in your own postpartum or caregiving season, consider this your reminder that there are people and resources ready to walk alongside you.

Explore the Mama Outspoken Resources, and check out postpartumny.org for support and community.

If this conversation hit home and you want to stand with moms in a real, practical way, join me for the Hope Is Here 5k next year. You can walk or run with Team Mama Outspoken, or donate from wherever you are. It’s one simple way to tell moms, “You’re not alone in this.” All the details are at www.mamaoutspoken.com/teammamaoutspoken.

We hope you'll join us next time!
—Jill & Bobby

You are invited to find community with us, check out the Mama Outspoken Village here. To learn more or grab your copy of the book, head here. Remember, you’re not alone in this. One of our favorite resources is the Postpartum Resource Center of New York - you deserve support that sees you.