Adriana Lozada: Welcome to Birthful, Mighty Parent or Parent-to-Be. I’m Adriana Lozada, and we’ve got something a little bit different for you today, as we continue with our Nutrition and Nourishment series.

Now, when we do stories here at Birthful, we usually focus on the transformation that happens during birth, and the enormous shifts in your identity during postpartum, but of course, you know that all those changes start right from when you find out you’re pregnant, and even while you are trying to conceive, especially if you have a challenging fertility process. It’s all hard!

So to honor those early challenges, today we’re switching it up to bring you a pregnancy story. My guest is mental health advocate and creator of the WTF is Happening to my Body video series, Cameron Rogers, who you may know as @freckledfoodie on Instagram.

I wanted to talk to Cameron specifically, because she’s someone openly living with general anxiety disorder, and so she made it a priority to nourish her mental health as much as her physical health during pregnancy. And as she shares, neither one was easy. And frankly, we are seeing that mental health during pregnancy is increasingly important, as research is showing that about 15-21% of pregnant people experience moderate to severe symptoms of depression or anxiety DURING pregnancy, and not just postpartum, which is where the conversation is usually centered.

Here we go!

You’re listening to Birthful, here to inform your intuition.

So, welcome to the show, Cameron. I am delighted to have you here, also because what we’re going to be doing something different today, which is telling a pregnancy story, and I can’t believe we haven’t had a pregnancy story in, you know, however many years we’ve been doing this. So, welcome, as a guinea pig, I guess.

Cameron Rogers: Thank you so much for having me. And I think it will be interesting for your listeners also because, y’know, I think so much goes into that fourth trimester and parenthood… but a lot of emotions, as you know, are happening in those nine months of pregnancy as well.

Lozada: Oh, so much! So before we get into the deep dive into the feelings and the emotions, though, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you identify?

Rogers: Yes. So, my name is Cameron Rogers. I am a content creator in the health and wellness space, so I do this through my main platform, which is Instagram @freckledfoodie and then my website, YouTube, TikTok, podcasts. Y’know, I try to hit all of the social media platforms. I am 29. I live in New York City. I’m married to my high school sweetheart and I’m about to be a first time mom as we’re recording right now. I’m almost 35 weeks, so we are approaching the end line very quickly and very slowly at the same time.

Lozada: Well, it’s so funny you said that, because that whole sort of limbo of time where things are quick and fast at the same time, you’re just getting primed for it. Like, that’s how birth is gonna feel. And oh my God, those first years with your kid, right?

Rogers: I feel such a mix of emotions around this end of my pregnancy, because I feel so (honestly) overwhelmed of the concept of giving birth and being a parent for the rest of my life, and so in that sense, I’m like, “I’m not ready for this!” And then I’m also wildly uncomfortable right now and I’m not able to sleep. And y’know, it’s just… the end is difficult physically and I am very ready to have the baby in my arms and not in my belly anymore. And so at the same time, I feel panic over it feeling like tomorrow, and then struggles over it feeling like I still have eternity to go, yet it’s the same amount of time. It’s so odd.

Lozada: Yes. And all those feelings… I mean, it really shows how we are so complex as human beings that we can be “and” all these things.

Rogers: Of course!

Lozada: But let’s take it back to when you first, 35 weeks ago, were a little… Well, you didn’t know then, 35 weeks ago, that you were pregnant yet. But when you first found out that you were pregnant, take us back there and how was that initial finding out?

Rogers: We got married in 2018 in the fall and we had always thought, okay, we’ll have, like, two years of just our married life and then we’ll start to, you know, try to have children and start that whole process. And, I’ve always had some health struggles, just some odd things happen, and I wanted to get ahead of it and I’ve always been fearful that conceiving would be difficult for me, and I had been on birth control for 11-12 years of my life and it then took me a year to get a natural period after getting my IUD out. So, I really wanted to be mindful of this. So, I got my blood work done and one of my levels came back lower than expected, my AMH. And so, my doctor wanted me to test it again. It came back low again, and so, she said, “Y’ know, technically, it’s lower than I would like.” It was a 0.7. And, I want you to just talk to a fertility specialist so that they can run more tests just to see what’s going on. And so, I spoke virtually with one fertility specialist and honestly, like, right off the bat, she was like, “I want you to do IVF. I think you should get ahead of this.” And, I felt very overwhelmed because something I had been so fearful of was now seeming to become a reality. And, it felt very forced by this one doctor, to just automatically jump the gun because my husband and I hadn’t even been trying to conceive yet. And so, I obviously wanted to get a second opinion. I scheduled an appointment with a second doctor and in those two weeks of hearing that I was potentially going to have to do IVF and meeting with another doctor, my husband and I kind of like stopped the contraception methods we had been using because we were like, “Well, if we have to do IVF, I mean, who needs these methods anymore?” And, we were wrong. So, I ended up having really bad implantation cramps (now I know what they were). But really bad cramping for like three days. And, I usually get bad cramps before my period comes and it was a little early, so I was very confused and it just kept cramping and there was no blood. And so, I just had this weird thought. I said, “What if I am pregnant? That would be wild.” And, I took a test without even telling my husband because I really thought there was zero chance. And, next thing I knew, I was screaming from the bathroom, calling him in. He comes in. He’s like, “What is going on?” I was like, “I just took a pregnancy test and I’m pregnant.” And, he said, “What are you…? What? Huh?” Like, it went from 0 to 60 for him because he didn’t even know I was taking it. So, of course, we went to CVS and got, like, five more because we thought there was no way it was possible.

I mean, obviously I was so happy and excited and grateful, but at the same time, I was wildly confused and surprised because we hadn’t technically been trying. And I had just been told we were gonna have to do IVF. So it was a roller coaster of emotions in that moment, that is for sure.

Lozada: Once that kind of settled in— and I mean, it takes… it’s not a thing like “Boom!” it settles in and you’re—

Rogers: Right!

Lozada: — it takes a long time! But once you were more acclimated to the idea of being pregnant, what, then, did you shift your attention to? What came next?

Rogers: For us, it was a lot of excitement. I’m someone that cannot keep things to myself when they are my own information. So within two days, our entire family had known. So we told people very early, also because if something were to (God forbid) happen, I wanted my support system there with me for that entire process. And so I felt very comfortable in sharing this information with my close family and friends. So there was a lot of excitement. It’s the first grandchild on both sides of our family. I was just very grateful. And I think that immense gratitude and excitement was wonderful to bask in, but for me, personally, it didn’t last all too long because I did have some rough first trimester symptoms that just totally wiped me out. And it quickly turned to “What the heck is happening?” Like I do not rec— I don’t feel like I’m in my own body. I don’t know what is going on. I… When will this ever get better? And— not a form of resentment, but a form of like, “I hate this. I hate feeling like this.” And I felt really isolated and really alone mentally because I a) didn’t know, y’know, people say, “Oh, you have morning sickness,” but I mean, I was… I felt sick from the second I woke up until the second I went to bed, and it was the most depressing feeling to wake up and count down the hours until you could go back to sleep

Lozada: Were you throwing up as well or was it just nausea?

Rogers: I wish. I wish I was throwing up. I only actually, like, released, I think three times? But it was sitting over the toilet, eyes blacked out, crying, like, saliva situation. But no real release. Like, it was just the constant back of your throat feeling. I have had a history of concussions, one very serious one two years ago, and I still have post-concussion symptoms in the form of headaches and it… That is like my Achilles heel, and they hit me really hard during my first trimester especially. And, y’know, like every other— or most— pregnant women, just incredibly tired and fatigued. And, I’m a very go-go-go, busy, like “Let’s do this!” type of person, and it wiped me out. And mentally I felt isolated because I didn’t expect any of this. I mean, obviously I wasn’t looking for the information to… like, to be fair. It’s not like it’s not out there, but I also just felt like, “Y’know, oh, first trimester, you’re a little sick, you throw up in the morning and it’s fine.”

Lozada: So, what helped you navigate all that? First of all, I guess, what did you do to better connect with your body because you weren’t recognizing feeling like you were yourself in your body? How did…? Or, did you find a way to come to terms with that and better connect?

Rogers: I think I found ways to cope. For me, it looked like… I meditate, and y’know, really relying on my meditation practice. I also am a big fan of journaling— and journaling a lot of this process, of just my emotions, to get them out. And I also feel part of the loneliness that can come with the first trimester is because so many people aren’t sharing that they’re pregnant. And so you can’t have those— or not that you can’t, but you don’t end up having— the support system because you’re not sharing with them that you’re pregnant yet. So for me, coping looked like relying on my family and friends and calling them and talking through these things. And, honestly, my mantra that I just kept repeating to myself was “Surrender,” because I can be really hard on myself.

And that first trimester… y’know, I’m someone who works out, pre-pregnancy, 5-6 days a week, and I think I exercised twice my entire first trimester and instead of beating myself up over it or, you know, feeling guilty that I wasn’t eating vegetables because I had no interest, I couldn’t even be near them. I really just surrendered to the experience and I reminded myself that, like, it is temporary and it’s all worth it. And even though I feel like I’m doing nothing all day, because I’m laying on the couch and doing the bare minimum of work, I’m actually doing the most critically important job in this universe, of creating life.

Lozada: One thing that you said that I think we’ve gotta shout it from the rooftop and more people need to hear, is the part of the isolation that comes from not being able to share what you’re going through and there’s this whole idea of, y’know, maybe it’s superstitious or not, of not sharing until the first trimester is over. At the same time that I think that’s a great disservice to all the pregnant people, because the reason we’re saying “No, don’t say that,” is because if something bad happens, then you’re gonna have to share that mourning and it’s more about our cultural collective fear of death and not wanting to sit with hard feelings because we don’t know what to say. Like, it’s just “Don’t say anything,” just in case. So we don’t have to go through this together. It’s like, no, you need to say this, because if I’m going through this, I’m gonna need you so that I can go through it together and c’mon!

Rogers: Mhm.

Lozada: I’m not gonna spare your feelings and just suffer in silence.

Rogers: Right. And I also think that it does subconsciously elicit shame, in something potentially bad happening… not bad, but, well, yeah, sad happening: y’know, miscarriages. I had a woman on my podcast recently who’s unfortunately dealt with multiple miscarriages and there’s so much internal shame wrapped up in that when there shouldn’t be. But I think as a society, because we’re not sharing, because God forbid something happens, it also insinuates that that moment or that incident is shameful and it shouldn’t be. So, like I said, I shared with all my family and close friends very early because I wanted them there, y’know, by six weeks, everyone important in my life knew I was pregnant.

I get that’s an anomaly. And, I don’t think I would go back. But I mean, I also struggle with anxiety. I have my entire life. And my anxiety went through the roof during my first trimester. And that was something that felt incredibly isolating, because on top of the anxiety, there were bits of depression of sorts, of like, “I don’t like this. Why does everyone make it seem like pregnancy is this amazing thing that I’m supposed to love?” Like, “Am I a bad person for not enjoying this experience?”

Lozada: As I’m hearing what you’re saying, there is so much mirroring of what you’re experiencing early pregnancy to what happens early postpartum. Because pregnancy, giving birth, is all such a huge embodied experience. All these changes that you were saying are happening to your body that you’re like, “Oh, that happened almost overnight!” Now, I’ve got this new pain. Now, I’ve got this new…

Rogers: Right.

Lozada: Now, I’m leaking colostrum. Now… Like, what new thing are you throwing my way, body?

Rogers: Every day.

Lozada: Right?

Rogers: Every day, I’m texting my doula. I’m like, “Is this normal? What is happening?”.

Lozada: What are some other of the weird things that you’ve been texting your doula, asking what…?

Rogers: Oh gosh.

Lozada: What surprised you the most?

Rogers: So, I mean, this whole pregnancy journey has surprised me. I get that I am naïve and I went in a little blind, a) because it was a surprise. But, b) I’m not someone that finds comfort in the, like, over-analyzation research of things. I like to be prepared, but I also realize that my anxiety could potentially spiral if I started Googling every single thing. So, I’ve decided instead to just trust my doula and my doctor and ignore Dr. Google. So, for me, honestly, this whole process has been wild. But very small things I’m noticing that I’m like, “Is this normal?” First trimester, obviously a lot was my anxiety, but also physical changes, the, like, hair everywhere all of a sudden. This body odor for me was a big one. And, like, on top of the nausea, it was just… I… I hated the smell, like, the scent of myself. I was like, “I’m going to throw up.” Also just the heightened sense of smell of anything. We have a two year old puppy and even— he’s the love of my life, but during my first trimester, I couldn’t even like be near him on a couch. I thought he smelled so bad.

Second trimester was like my honeymoon phase, because I was starting to actually get a bump and it felt real. But the third trimester has been a lot of, like, random physical things. You know, obviously, like linea nigra, which I’ve seen on women but I still don’t fully understand, like, what it is, and I noticed it on myself one day and I’m like, “Uh, can… Can… Can someone explain this to me?” A lot of breast changes. I mean, like, doubled in size, stretch marks galore. And, colostrum is definitely starting to happen. So, I get… They’re very typical pregnancy things, but for me, I’m like, “Whoa.” This is a science experiment to observe.

Lozada: It really makes you feel mammalian, right?

Rogers: It’s crazy. It’s so wild.

Our baby’s so active and I keep trying to catch him on video but I swear every time I pull out my camera, he stops, which I think is a common… Everyone tells me that happens to them as well. But observing it. Like, the other day, I was lying on the couch in a sports bra and sweatpants and my husband looked at me and was like, “Oh my God. You have a cone sticking out of your stomach!” Like, he had maneuvered himself in this weird position where his butt… He was like twerking in my belly. And, I mean, it’s… It’s so wild to me and I think during all of my struggles and moments of “I don’t love this,” I keep reminding myself that this is superhuman stuff. The fact that we are creating a life inside of our bodies is not something that is lost on me and has been my, like, shining light through this entire experience because I think it is just absolutely mind-blowing.

Lozada: And I love the coordination with the body and then that being able to create a trust and connection with the body. If you look into physiology, nature tends to be economical, right? So, for example, the fact that your nipples are getting darker… Well, babies see black and white when they’re first born.

Rogers: Right. Things like that, it blows my mind. Like, the, “Oh, that’s why it’s happening.”

Lozada: Yeah. It’s a bullseye and then there’s glands around your areolae that secrete a scent like amniotic fluid. So, it’s directly guiding your baby. And, so, to me, those things are fascinating and kind of like…

Rogers: I think that’s mind-blowing, too.

Lozada: And, might try to help accept the, yeah, this… I’ve got now… Now, I’ve got these boobs, but there’s a reason for it.

Rogers: I know, and I… honestly, what I… I keep looking down at my belly and I’m just like, “Where is this skin gonna go?” Like, that is what blows my mind, how our body is gonna change this way. And I really have tried to lean into that rather than focusing on how much pain I can be in, in moments, because it really is incredible and remarkable. And I’m the first person that I’ve closely been around from, y’know, conception to delivery, to really observe all these changes.

Lozada: Now that you’re third trimester, what has this been like? What are the things that have been surprising? Because second trimester tends to be that “love” period—

Rogers: Oh, heaven!

Lozada: —of, you’ve got energy and you feel great.

Rogers: Yeah. It was amazing!

Lozada: Yeah.

Rogers: The beginning of the third trimester was a little still the honeymoon phase. I had energy. I wanted to walk everywhere. I had this cute bump that I loved. I’ve now hit a point where I am starting to get very uncomfortable, honestly, just like the pressure on my pelvic floor and my hips is a lot. I, as I’m sure most pregnant women feel, I feel as if I have to go to the bathroom at all hours of every day and it’s frustrating because all I want to do is go for walks and be outside and move and not just sit down, because sitting almost hurts more. But I will go to the bathroom and leave our apartment and walk three blocks and whoever I’m with, I’m like, “I have to go to the bathroom again.” So, it’s the constant feeling of needing to urinate and the hip and like, ligament pain. And, for me, honestly, my sleep has just gone out the window the past two weeks especially. And so, I again am kind of leaning into that surrender mentality and trying to sleep when I can and that looks like a lot of naps throughout the day when I’m able to squeeze them in (I just had an hour and a half nap before this…), because otherwise, I just… I am… I am not a functioning human.

Lozada: Yes. And, how great that you are actually listening and trying to pay attention to your body as much as you can, right? Not everybody can take a nap whenever their body’s asking for a nap. But if you can listen to that, like, it makes a huge difference and it’s kind of preparing you for postpartum as well.

Rogers: Right. And everyone says that they’re like, “Oh, you’re not sleeping, ’cause your body’s preparing you.” I’m like, “I know, but I just wanna sleep now!”

What you mentioned is something I’m also very focused on, is the gratitude I have for my current career because I worked in a very different industry for five years, in sales and trading on Wall Street, and it was a very intense, demanding, fast-paced job, and this entire pregnancy, I have been reflecting on the immense amount of admiration I have for women who are going through this in a corporate setting and remembering sitting next to two women who were pregnant and being like, “Oh, that must be hard.” But not really having the understanding of what they’re experiencing. I actually texted them both and I said, like, “How the heck did you do this?” And, they were like, “Remember how we used to eat bags of GinGins all day long and you just thought it was a fun candy we loved? Like, it’s because one of us was always pregnant and trying not to throw up at the desk.” So, I’m just so grateful that I have the ability to surrender because I know that that’s not always the case.

Lozada: And I wish we had more compassion—

Rogers: Yes.

Lozada: —for people going through a pregnancy experience. And more acceptance within the corporate world— and any workplace really— because, goes back to what we were saying at the beginning, of, “We need to normalize this situation.” We need to speak about it. We need to say, Hey, you know what I’m feeling like I need I’m nauseous all day. And I feel like I need you to throw up or I’m throwing up five times a day. And instead of hiding it, you guys need to know about it.

Rogers: Right.

Lozada: It’s not because I’m weaker. No, I’m stronger. I am here working and throwing up five times a day and nauseous all day long. Like, you do that!

Rogers: Oh my God, of course. And it’s honestly been very eye-opening for me as the pregnant person, but it’s also been very amazing to watch the eye-opening experience for, at, like, of my husband, and he has these, like, thoughts that come outta nowhere. So I’m like, “No I don’t. What is it?” And he’s, “Women are just expected to work up until the day they deliver. What is that?” And I’m like, “Yeah, what is that?!”

Lozada: I know, we’ve talked a lot about, like, the negative things you’ve been experiencing and things that have been difficult. What’s been the best part of being pregnant?

Rogers: For me, honestly, like, observing my husband in this process of what an incredible human he is. And just will do anything to try and make me feel better or to make my day better or just his level of excitement for what’s to come. And then, also, just this new love I have for my body, because I’ve struggled with body image issues in the past and I’m not going to act like pregnancy has been easy: it’s like the ultimate test for those things. And, I’ve definitely had moments of panic and struggle throughout this journey. But I also think I found an entirely new appreciation for my body, which is always something that I try to encourage people to instead of critique your own body, we should be appreciating and actually showing gratitude to our body for working, and I have so much gratitude for my body for being able to do this. Like we said, it’s superhuman stuff. It is absolutely mind-blowing to me that there is a human growing inside of my belly. You know, uterus, whatever. But like, in my body. It’s just wild to me. And so I think the newfound love and appreciation I have for my body has been definitely one of the highs.

Lozada: Absolutely. Well, wait ’til you give birth.

Rogers: I try not to think about it, but I don’t understand how it’s possible.

Lozada: Because your body is amazing and it shifts and stretches and moves in a way that will allow for this to happen, right? Rogers: Yes.

Lozada: It’s not a thinking brain process. It’s a physiological process.

Rogers: Right.

Lozada: And so, you can’t think about it.

Rogers: I keep saying…

Lozada: Yeah.

Rogers: I’m like, “My body knows what to do.” That’s my mantra for the end of this pregnancy.

Lozada: So what have been, like… I wanna know three things that have been life saving during this pregnancy for you.

Rogers: I would say the comfort and support of, like, friends. For me, that’s been lifesaving, just having people to rely on: calling them, texting them, being honest with them. “I’m having a really hard day.” I need to vent or I need support, or I just need to go on a walk, “Who can just meet me outside and walk for 10 minutes?” That’s been really, really helpful.

Leaning into what I’m feeling has given me the ability to actually experience this pregnancy, because whether that’s I’m so tired, I have to say no to something, or I just have to give myself the time to rest, or I am so hungry and I want this exact thing and I need that exact thing rather than guilting myself over whatever the food might be, just leaning into that and really running with it and listening to my body.

And then also I would probably say the, like, cuddle times on my couch with my puppy or my husband, like, my highlight… those are my three things that have been lifesaving. Tangibly-wise, if it had to be a product? Bagels have been my saving grace.

Lozada: Bagels! I love it. How are you preparing for birth?

Rogers: So, I am working with a doula, as I mentioned. I wanted someone to be able to rely on. You know, I love my doctor a lot, but I also realized that, like, she has a ton of other patients and she’s not there for me to… Like, the purpose is not for me to call her every 10 seconds if I need something. So, I am working with a doula who I absolutely adore and while it’s been incredibly helpful for me, I honestly think it’s been even more beneficial for my husband because he’s learning so much as well and like she said, a lot of this is for their relationship so that when we are in the delivery room, he is able to feel as if he’s been useful and doing things rather than just being there and feeling like he can’t help and mentally preparing him to see me in this much pain and not being able to actually change anything. So, she’s been amazing. But honestly, my plan when I think about birth is I am someone who is very plan-oriented, but I also have a very hard mental time when I plan something and the experience is very different in my mind than the reality. And, I know that about myself, and so, I don’t want to set this, like, dream exotic plan in my mind because in reality, I realize I’m not actually in control. It’s the baby. And, a lot of things can go not as planned and I want to be way more lenient and go with the flow in that process instead of holding on so tightly to this idea of, like, fantasy that I have for my experience, because I think mentally, that would be really hard for me to let go of. So, the plan is to get to the hospital before I deliver and to leave the hospital with a healthy baby, no matter what that journey looks like in-between. And I just really keep leaning on that, and that my body knows what it is doing, and women have been doing this for centuries in caves without any of these technologies or medications or anything. And so I will be able to do this in today’s world.

Lozada: Absolutely. Like, you can’t plan what’s going to happen. It’s circumstances. This is part of the process of learning. What I do love to tell my clients is to pick three words of how they wanna feel…

Rogers: Oh, I like that.

Lozada: …’cause that you can control, how you show up.

Rogers: Mhm.

Lozada: And then work with your team to… and figure out how you can help yourself feel that way. If things are not going the way you want, like, how can you go back, come back to that feeling of joy or being heard or groundedness, whatever it is you wanna feel?

Rogers: And this is a conversation, I should have mentioned, that I’ve actually been having with my doula, because similarly to how… I felt this way at our wedding, that the bride sets the tone. Because yes, there are two people getting married (and obviously there could be two brides, but in my case it was a bride in a groom) and yes, everyone’s very excited, the groom’s getting married as well.

But the bride is, like, the focus and she sets the tone for the night. And if I had been an anxious wreck over certain things— it poured our entire wedding weekend. I think that a lot of people would’ve been anxious about the weather and it would’ve been a focus of conversation, but I was like, “I don’t care if it’s raining!”

I’m here to party with all of my loved ones. Let’s have some fun! And I’ve been told by friends who have recently given birth. They’re like, “You set the tone of that room,” so people pick up on your energy. Like, you decide what’s going down. And I want it to be a really fun, energetic, like, lighthearted. I wanna be joking.

I wanna be enjoying my time. I don’t want it to be, ideally, high-stress. And I realize that that’s a dream for everyone. And I’m not in total control of what’s going to happen from a delivery aspect, so there could be high-stress medically, but I want it to really be a joyful experience for everyone in that room.

And I wanna have fun. I wanna make it a fun experience. So for me, I guess three things I wanna feel are joyful, confident, and, honestly, badass, ’cause I think it’s really freaking cool that we women do these things.

Lozada: Absolutely. And I invite every listener who’s pregnant right now to come up with their three words that they wanna feel and really hone in on that.

Rogers: It’s a good exercise.

Lozada: So, similarly, what have you done to prepare for postpartum?

Rogers: So, this is something I’m very aware of from a mental anxiety standpoint because I realize that a lot of women struggle with postpartum depression, and given my mental background, it’s a large chance for me. I do work with a psychiatrist who… We’ve been working my entire pregnancy and, y’know, now my husband’s starting to get involved in the conversations of just things to look out for, things to be aware of, things to watch and potentially, like, reflect back to me. And then, really honing in on my husband and I want this to be an incredible bonding experience for the three of us and leaning into the team aspect of everything. We’re both athletes for our entire lives. We both played sports in college and similarly, we think of the birthing as kind of game day. And, really just being a team afterwards. And, y’know, we aren’t having someone to live with us, but we have family very close by who can come support if we need it. And, taking this on with as much happiness and comedy and fun as we possibly can. And then, also, just like, I’m going to prep a lot of meals, like a lot of my favorite meals that I love to cook— like soups and chilis and stews— and just individually freeze a ton of them, ’cause we have a lot of freezer space. So that we have easy, delicious home cooked meals for the nights where there’s… I mean, for many days, where there’s zero chance we’re doing any cooking.

Lozada: Oh, and nutrition is key. It’s key for you feeling well. Like, that and sleep, right? Get a lot of one-handed snacks that don’t need to be heated up or can be eaten cold: bananas, granola bars, that kind of thing.

And I really appreciate bringing in the mental aspect of the preparation, because we know that the incidence for postpartum/perinatal mood disorders are really high. So I think, again, talking about the things we need to talk more about. Is there anything else you wanted to make sure we got to, or you want to tell the listeners before we close?

Rogers: Honestly, I think what I’ve been telling… for anyone who’s listening who’s pregnant, is that no matter what emotion you’re feeling during pregnancy, whether it’s a really happy one or a sad one or a emotional detachment or, y’know, all of these things: you’re not alone. You know, you might feel very isolated and alone in the moment because many people aren’t talking about the not-so-great aspects of pregnancy, but you’re not alone. I can guarantee you of that. If I could just show people, look into my DMs, we would all realize a lot of us are feeling the same way, and that, to me, has helped a lot when I’m at my low moments, remembering that I’m not the only one feeling this way.

Lozada: Cameron, thank you so very much for being on the show today and sharing your pregnancy experience with us.

Rogers: Thank you so much for having me. It was so much fun.

Lozada: That was Cameron Rogers who is on a mission to make healthy living realistic and approachable. Cameron is the creator and host of the Freckled Foodie & Friends podcast. Since we recorded, Cameron had her baby son Liam, so huge congrats to her. You can follow Cameron on IG @freckledfoodie.

And you can connect with Birthful on Instagram @birthfulpodcast

So what resonated most with you from this conversation? While it’s fresh on your mind, why don’t you take a screenshot of this episode and post it to Instagram with your thoughts? Make sure to tag @birthfulpodcast and @freckledfoodie so we can see it and amplify it.

You can find the in-depth show notes and transcript of this episode at birthful.com, where you can also learn more about my birth and postpartum preparation classes and download your free postpartum preparation plan.

Birthful is created and produced by me, Adriana Lozada, with production assistance from Aysia Platte.

Thank you so much for listening to and sharing Birthful. Be sure to follow us on Goodpods, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and everywhere you listen.

Come back for more ways to inform your intuition.

CITATION: Lozada, Adriana, host. “[Pregnancy Story] How This “Freckled Foodie” Prioritized Mental Health During Her Pregnancy.” Birthful, Birthful, July 20, 2022. Birthful.com.