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Ep 36 - Feeling Completely Alone Newly Postpartum

Season #2

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.