The Double Shift

The mental health impact, especially on mothers, in the last year has been enormous. But the realities are something that's rarely talked about openly, and still carries a stigma. Hosts Katherine and Angela share their own personal stories of mental health diagnoses and experiences with antidepressants during the pandemic.

Resources:

If you are needing mental health support, please check out the following organizations:

Postpartum Progress

Postpartum Support International Hotline: 1-800-944-4773 (1-Spanish, 2- English)

Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (In English and Spanish)

Motherhood Understood, which includes Mother’s Manual for Postpartum Mental Health, Cheat sheet to Medications, Cheat sheet to Partners, and other resources.

SAMHSA’s (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) National Helpline is 1-800-662-HELP (4357). They also have a treatment locator.

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255

Also check out:

Listen to Under The Influence with Jo Piazza, an 8 episode deep dive into the “momfluencer” industrial complex, wherever you get your pods.

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If you love the Double Shift Podcast, sign up for our newsletter, thedoubleshift.com/newsletter.

Consider joining The Double Shift member community, which is a social change laboratory for moms. Learn more here at thedoubleshift.com/join.

In Part 1 of this series, hosts Katherine Goldstein and Angela Garbes shared their own mental health challenges over the past year. They definitely aren’t the only ones who have struggled -- and in this episode we hear directly from some listeners who’ve sent us voice memos about how they are also not OK. We share some of the most pressing issues we are hearing about with Dr. Amber Thornton, a clinical psychologist and a motherhood wellness consultant. We discuss moms’ needs coming last, challenges in accessing care, additional obstacles for women of color in getting mental health support, some realities around self medicating, and more.

You can find out more about Dr Amber at Balanced Working Mama, and her podcast The Balanced Working Mama Podcast.

https://www.balancedworkingmama.com/ & https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-balanced-working-mama-podcast/id1520168735

If you love the Double Shift Podcast, sign up for our newsletter, thedoubleshift.com/newsletter.

Resources:

If you are needing mental health support, please check out the following organizations:

Postpartum Progress https://postpartumprogress.com/

Postpartum Support International Hotline: 1-800-944-4773 (1-Spanish, 2- English)

Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (In English and Spanish) https://med.stanford.edu/content/dam/sm/ppc/documents/DBP/EDPS_text_added.pdf

Motherhood Understood, https://www.motherhood-understood.com/resources which includes Mother’s Manual for Postpartum Mental Health, Cheat sheet to Medications, Cheat sheet to Partners, and other resources.

SAMHSA’s (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) National Helpline is 1-800-662-HELP (4357). They also have a treatment locator. https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255

Membership:

Consider joining The Double Shift member community, which is a social change laboratory for moms. Learn more here at thedoubleshift.com/join.

The Double Shift podcast launched three years ago to share the real stories of motherhood in America, and radically explore the social forces that make being a mom so challenging.

We’ve brought you stories from inside brothels and a 24-hour childcare center; we’ve confronted capitalism, patriarchy, and the idealized myth of nuclear family; we opened up conversations about mental health and its stigma and amplified the voices of people often left out of conversations about motherhood; and we’ve gone deep on the experiences of moms and caregivers during the pandemic.

Along the way we’ve reframed the conversation about motherhood and built a community of folks who aren’t only listening, but also supporting each other and taking action to make their communities better.

While the podcast in this format will be on indefinite hiatus, our work is just getting started. We’ll be investing time and energy into our free weekly newsletter, led by Katherine, about the forces that shape family life in America, filled with reporting and storytelling. Sign up here: thedoubleshift.com/newsletter

We’re also nourishing our robust member community with hangouts, audio newsletters, and more. Please join us and support our ongoing mission! It starts at $5/mo. Go to thedoubleshift.com/join.

THANK YOU with our whole hearts for being part of The Double Shift.

In case you’d like to go down memory lane, here’s a playlist of some of our favorite episodes over the last 3 years.

Pre-order Angela’s book, Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change.

Read this week's newsletter: 5 Things I've Learned as a Pandemic Mom and Podcast Business Lady

While we’re hard at work on Season 3, check out this great new show, Labor: The social science on work, women, and motherhood. Journalists Elise Hu and Amy Westervelt dive into the research to help us understand how we got here and how we're gonna get out. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: podlink.to/labor If you are missing The Double Shift, become a member! We’re releasing members-only bonus episodes about working mom Covid-life. Go to thedoubleshift.com/join.

COVID vaccinations for five to 11 year olds are here, and for so many parents and caregivers this moment could not have come soon enough. Others are taking a wait-and-see approach, including many moms who are vaccinated themselves but may feel anxiety about the COVID vaccine when it comes to their kids... and they don't necessarily have access to a doctor or health care worker who can help them sort through the information -- and emotion -- overload that dovetails with socially imposed expectations on what it means to be a “good mom.”

Katherine has got you covered. She talks with her great friend AND trusted advisor, board certified family physician Dr. Liz Baltaro, about the science on kids and the COVID vaccine, and about the swirling vortex of “vaccine anxiety:” The worry many moms feel when making these weighty decisions about their children’s safety. Dr. Liz fields questions from you, our listeners, and brings calm to the chaos. Even if you are on board with getting your kids the shot, this episode may answer some important, lingering questions you have and will help you better understand those in your life who aren’t quite sold.

Some Helpful Resources:

Pfizer study on vaccines for ages 5-11 measures vaccines ability to neutralize antibody responses

The risk of myocarditis is higher from COVID than from the COVID vaccine --The New England Journal of Medicine

The official CDC guidance on vaccines for kids and teens

American Academy of Pediatrics FAQs of the COVID Vaccine

Answers to your Questions About the COVID Vaccine and Kids -- NYTimes

Research cited in this episode was based on information available as of October 2021. Research on the impact of the covid vaccine on children is being updated regularly -- check the CDC web page for children and teens for the most recent information on vaccine safety and effectiveness.

If you love the Double Shift Podcast, sign up for our newsletter, thedoubleshift.com/newsletter.

Consider joining The Double Shift member community, which is a social change laboratory for moms. Learn more here at thedoubleshift.com/join.