Episode 37: All Things Solo Parenting with Tracy

In this episode of the Nourishing Birth and Beyond podcast, I talk with Tracy about her experiences as a single parent. Tracy shares her story of becoming a parent, the emotional and practical challenges she faced during pregnancy and postpartum, and how she navigated these with the help of friends and self-care practices. The discussion highlights the importance of having a supportive network, the realities of single parenting, and the need for self-compassion and intentional self-care routines.

In this episode of the podcast we talk about:

• Tracy recounts her unexpected journey into single parenthood, beginning with her pregnancy and the challenges of navigating it alone.
• The importance of having a strong support network, including friends who helped during critical times.
• Emotional and practical difficulties of single parenting, including societal
• How to approach to self-care, integrating it into daily routines, and the significance of maintaining emotional well-being.
• The need for self-compassion, setting boundaries, and the value of intentional self-care practices in managing the demands of single parenting.

Sound bites from this episode:

“I feel in some ways I don’t want a special badge for being a single parent. You know, I have the same words as everybody else, but don’t belittle me by saying that, you know, you’re a single parent too, when you’re absolutely not and the circumstances are really different.”

“I think the challenge for me was that being such a nurturer and a mother, I couldn’t understand how somebody would not want to be part of their own child’s life.”

“I think that’s the other thing I would say is really, like you said, that checking in with yourself, recognizing what you need and finding a way to be assertive around asking for what you need and declining those things that you don’t want.”