Episode 44: The One for the Mom Craving a Reality Check with Kate Arbogast: The Gap Between Reality vs Expectation, Bounce Back Pressure, & the Healing that Comes with New Life

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Kate Arbogast spills the tea on seven months of new motherhood - from realizing she's not actually a baby person (despite being a kindergarten teacher) to balancing roles with her partner differently than she imagined. Raw talk about bounce-back pressure, unexpected grief healing, and why modern mom villages look nothing like we imagined.

Main Topics & Discussion

The Reality Check of Early Motherhood:

Kate drops some serious truth about the gap between expectations and reality. Despite being amazing with kids professionally, she discovered that babies (even your own) can be complete mysteries. The instantaneous intimacy of motherhood hit differently than expected: suddenly you're responsible for keeping this person alive, but you've literally just met. No coffee dates, no getting-to-know-you phase - just immediate, intense responsibility for someone who's essentially a stranger.

The Bounce-Back Pressure Is Real (And Mostly Self-Imposed):

Seven months postpartum, Kate has started a new job, become a dance fitness instructor, and expanded her social circle. But here's the kicker - most of that pressure to achieve these things came from within. She talks honestly about overcorrecting against the fear of losing herself in motherhood. The internal battle between wanting to maintain your pre-baby identity while also being present for this massive life change is exhausting and rarely discussed with this level of honesty.

Grief, Legacy, and Unexpected Healing:

Kate opens up about losing her father eight years ago and how she expected his absence to hit hard during Ruby's birth. Instead, she found unexpected healing - realizing that Ruby carries pieces of him genetically and feeling his presence during labor (which happened to fall on the anniversary of his death). Sometimes the anticipation of grief is worse than the actual experience, and sometimes new life brings surprising comfort to old wounds.

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Host & Show Info

Hosted by: Cally & Emily O’Leary

About the Hosts: We’re real moms and real sisters. We may look and sound alike, but our motherhood journeys are uniquely ours. We all do Motherhood differently, and thank goodness for that. Let’s learn and grow together.

Podcast Website: https://therealmomhub.com/

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