Krista had always wanted to be a mother but had an unexpected pregnancy at a time in her life when she was still recovering from grad school burnout. Krista experienced intense nausea for the first 17 weeks of her pregnancy as well as anxiety and depression as a result of feeling isolated in the height of COVID lockdowns of 2020. After a move to a new city at 6 months pregnant to be closer to friends and family, she established care with a team of home birth midwives and was able to enjoy the remainder of her pregnancy. She had a successful but very long 40 hour home birth, and looks back on the experience as feeling very safe and supported by her team despite it being a very hard lesson in surrender.
Although she thought she was very prepared for postpartum, Krista’s experience was very difficult and she struggled with postpartum depression and anxiety. She didn’t immediately bond with her daughter, and struggled with the sleep deprivation and the high demands and changes of new motherhood. Breastfeeding was incredibly painful at first and though she saw many lactation consultants she didn’t receive the support she needed to make feeding her daughter more comfortable. Being the first of her close friends to have children she felt alone in motherhood, and experienced a lot of grief in processing her the loss of old identity and the feeling of obligation that comes with having a nursing baby. As she began sleeping better her mood stabilized again and she now loves motherhood and enjoys working with women and mothers to support them through the challenges that come along with the transition from maiden to mother.
Krista Ehrenfried Bio
Krista Ehrenfried is married to her grad-school sweetheart, Frank, and they live with their daughter, Willow, and Golden-doodle, in Santa Cruz, CA. She is a licensed MFT and Holistic Psychotherapist working with women and mothers experiencing anxiety, depression, stress/burnout and attachment issues with a special focus and passion in supporting women and couples during the perinatal and postpartum phase. She has a virtual and in person private practice and recently launched a podcast called Conversations on Well-being about all things holistic health.
Connect with her on Instagram @therapywithkrista or via her Website www.therapywithkrista.com.
Resources
- Ina May’s guide to Childbirth
- Orgasmic Birth
- The Business of Being Born
- Natural Pregnancy by Aviva Romm
- Are You Menstrual Podcast? By Amanda Montalvo
Ergobaby
This episode is sponsored by Ergobaby. Founded in 2003, Ergobaby has pioneered the gold standard for comfortable, ergonomic soft structured carriers. Their commitment to providing parents with the foundation to thrive has launched the company into creating a broad range of award-winning products that fit into families’ daily lives seamlessly, comfortably, and safely – where function and quality are not compromised. In 2020, they launched Everlove by Ergobaby, a first of its kind baby carrier buy back and resale program, a sustainability effort to support families and the planet. Check out Ergobaby’s Embrace in Soft Air Mesh that we discussed on the podcast!