This brilliant 🎨 by health care hero @coupdegracefarris, a doctor, mother and talented illustrator says it all! Science has shown that pregnancy, parenting, and stress (not to mention a lack of social supports, like paid parental leave) changes the brain due to the super-human demands of multitasking and caretaking. Many new parents describe these challenges as a cognitive and emotional tug of war: they’re pulled in to take care of so many responsibilities, but at times also have to push away from that vortex to tend to their own emotions, identity and relationships. This can be complicated by the heavy heaping of guilt that many parents feel when they shift their focus to themselves. There’s also the psychological load of processing your own childhood as you reenter a relationship you’ve been in before, but only from the other child-side. Join me on Friday November 12th as part of @ByHeart’s #FeedFest for a discussion on these topics and more. Admission is free and you can sign up to save your spot for my talk as well as other conversations for new and expecting parents at feedfest.byheart.com. And in the meantime, as your hearts swell and your heads hurt, I hope you can do something today to take good care of yourself! #matrescence #motherhoodunplugged #motherhoodunfiltered #mom #moms #mother #mothers #momma #mommas #matrescencia #matreschka #matrescense #mommy #motherhood #realmotherhood #lifeasamama #mommystatus #motherhoodjourney #mommymode #motherhoodrising #thatmomlife #mymotherhood #motherhoodsessions