Motherhood Journey Survey

I sent a survey in August of 2022 to my network of moms, asking a series of questions related to their pregnancy and postpartum experiences. They were also kind enough to forward it along to their own mom friends. Thank you to the 50 of you for your awesome feedback!

My ultimate question is how can I support women in the future who will go through their own transformation into motherhood?

The graphs below does not reflect the wildly beautiful, special, unique experiences that each of these powerful women went through but translating into larger themes helps me understand where to spend my attention and uncover solutions for the future moms out there. I hope the added quotations provide some life to the numbers and graphs. Please comment below if something resonated with you! Pregnancy Journey

“How hard it was going to be. I never thought it would be easy but going through it was so challenging, especially when you realize your body is not your own but just a vessel for your baby.” “Lack of information and setting expectations for first time moms. The wide range of crazy changes/symptoms that can happen to our bodies.” “The weird health/body stuff! Pelvic Girdle Pain, SPD, gestational diabetes, PUPPP!”

“Feeling like I had questions that were never answered and not having a peer group with which to discuss topics” “Fear around health of the baby. We had a few potential health concerns that were very stressful during the pregnancy. ” “Feeling so very out of control. I think I had assumed/absorbed that a natural childbirth was the only right way to bring a child into the world.”

“I wish the topics of pregnancy loss, and trials of trying to conceive were more widely shared so we don’t feel so alone.”

“That the mental challenges *can* be as daunting as the physical ones and should be given equal weight and preparation.” “it isn't easy- let's normalize it being okay to not love pregnancy. also a lot of people have complications and don’t share it but it would be helpful to know how common complications actually are.”

“My maternity belt — didn’t really spend money on many new clothes, just wore that over unzipped pants and scrubs!” “My pregnancy pillow and maternity leggings.” “TUMS for acid reflux. Benadryl to knock me out at night so I could sleep."

"The Bump Week by week was nice resource to learn about weekly growth and what to expect." ‘I had a lot of moms send me their "must have list" excel spreadsheets for all of the things I'd need for when the baby came. They were priceless.” ‘Friends and loved ones; doulas; my therapist”

"Other pregnant moms to lean on for support” “I did attend a pregnancy support group but it was superficial. It was not below the surface content. Looking back- I see why because you do not want to scare a first time mom but there should be some balance. I do feel after I had baby, that I was welcomed into a tribe of support with other moms and it was magical.” "A moms group for expectant moms. I have a lot of friends here but we don't all have babies at the same time and it's nice to have people to go through this with. It's hard to make the effort when you're deep in the newborn stage, would be nice to get to know some people ahead of time.’ Postpartum Journey

"How long my body has taken to recover." "How anxious you are in the first few weeks of being a new parent, how many people dropped off delicious meals, how you lose all time for yourself.” ‘How unbelievably isolating it would feel.’

"How much anxiety I had. I never knew what anxiety was until I had a baby. About the lack of sleep and breastfeeding. And just the general scared feelings that I have to take care of this baby forever. It feels very overwhelming in the beginning." "3rd degree episiotomy recovery, baby blues, breastfeeding challenges.” “[The] lack of breastfeeding ability, Difficulty pumping, feeling alone, being sad that I felt my marriage was over because this seemed so hard and why did we do this!”

"The emotional rollercoaster the first two months."

"Basically everything that happened. Once I compared notes to other moms, they mentioned they had gone through similar experiences, but none of them thought to give me a heads up, because by that point in time, they'd forgotten what they'd had to deal with." "That it is okay to feel helpless and sad. It will pass."

"The medical grade pump I got to borrow from the hospital because of early delivery." "Fridamom peri bottle, my breast friend pillow, nipple cream, Madela gel pads, snoo." "Tucks pads, formula, wine, swaddles and a bassinet."

"My mom came out both times and did a ton of laundry and cooking for me. If I hadn't had her, I would have needed some sort of meal prep and cleaning services." "Music Together classes - they didn’t start until a bit later because of the pandemic but I was sooo happy for them once we got there." "I took a class at OHSU that was focused on returning to work while breastfeeding. It was very useful in providing tips when not having a clue."

"A stronger + larger group of postpartum mom friends to commiserate." "Therapist who came to my house. more mental, physical, and emotional care in the home." "Prepared meals geared towards postpartum healing."

Demographics: