The Postpartum Production Birth Story: A Conversation with Our Producer Erin Greenhouse
Today, we share with you a very special episode of Postpartum Production that involve a bit of role-reversal: our producer, Erin Greenhouse, steps out from behind the scenes and in front of the microphone to interview our very own Kaitlin Solimine. What started as an idea Erin had for her website, evolved into something special we knew we wanted to share with you all: the birth story of the podcast. In alignment with this past season’s focus on birth stories, Erin and Kaitlin explore the origins of Postpartum Production, delving into Kaitlin’s creative work and the larger questions that drive her podcast, writing, and activism. Their discussion expands the definition of "birth" beyond the literal, considering all the ways people bring things into the world—whether books, ideas, communities, or new versions of themselves. We also get a peek into Kaitlin’s creative process, and discuss how it has evolved over the years as her family has grown and her relationship with time has changed. This conversation reflects on the deep commitment both Erin and Kaitlin share in fostering a society that values the work of caregivers and creatives, recognizing it as essential and worthy. As they reflect on the journey of Postpartum Production, they also look ahead to what’s next—continuing to challenge narratives, build community, and celebrate the many forms of creation that shape our lives.Mentioned in the podcast:The Society for the Study of Pregnancy & Birth (SSPRB) Virtual Symposium April 4-6Please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and give us a rating. This will help us reach more listeners like you who are navigating the joys and pitfalls of artistic and parenting identities.Visit our website: postpartumproduction.com Follow us on Instagram: @postpartumproductionpodcastSubscribe to our podcast newsletter on Substack: https://postpartumproduction.substack.com
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Birth Stories with Sara Nolan: Kaitlin’s Second Birth
In the final installment of our three-part Birth Story series, Kaitlin revisits the birth of her middle child, who, fittingly, arrives with a story that defies expectations. Released on his sixth birthday (🎉!), this episode is a reflection on the nuances- and myths- of second births, the power of trusting the birth process, and the beauty of not knowing as much as you think you do..Kaitlin continues her storytelling with Sara Nolan, a doula, writer, editor, and founder of Tell Your Birth Story, a business in which Sara helps those who have given birth reflect, re-experience, and re-tell their stories in full, organic detail, after which Sara returns a fully transcribed narrative record. We are so grateful to Sara and this important, transformative work, and hope you’ll consider sharing your birth story with her someday, too. Please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and give us a rating. This will help us reach more listeners like you who are navigating the joys and pitfalls of artistic and parenting identities.Visit our website: postpartumproduction.com Follow us on Instagram: @postpartumproductionpodcastSubscribe to our podcast newsletter on Substack: https://postpartumproduction.substack.com
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Reclaiming Birth, Motherhood, and the Left: A Conversation with Sarah Menkedick
We've wanted to talk to writer Sarah Menkedick for a long time, but we weren’t sure how we could make our conversation fit into this season's focus on childbirth- until she wrote the essay Why the Left Must Reclaim Birth on her Substack, Terms of Endearment, in late 2024. In her essay, which Kaitlin and Sarah explore in their conversation we share with you today, Sarah posits that, in order to make progress in our patriarchal society, the feminist left must embrace motherhood and the experiences of women who cherish identities and lives that have typically been co-opted by the right. Motherhood could be an opportunity for us to connect, to commune, and to find commonality even when we think we are so far apart. In a time that can often feel divided, exclusive, and judgmental, Sarah brings an energy and curiosity to how, potentially, we can find a path forward together.More about Sarah: Sarah’s a writer whose work explores motherhood, feminism, and the human experience. She is the author of Homing Instincts: Early Motherhood on a Midwestern Farm and Ordinary Insanity: Fear and the Silent Crisis of Motherhood in America. She has lived between the U.S. and Mexico for over 15 years, giving her a unique lens on American culture, and her writing has appeared in Harper’s, The New York Times, The Guardian, and more. She’s also a Fulbright Fellow and a three-time Best American Essays nominee. She currently splits her time between Pittsburgh and Oaxaca, Mexico.In this conversation, Sarah and Kaitlin discuss:The political and philosophical implications of her essay, Why the Left Must Reclaim BirthThe paradox of feminist identity and traditional femininityHow motherhood can serve as a bridge in today's divided political climateThe role of activism and policy in shaping a more inclusive futureHer experiences living between Pittsburgh and Oaxaca, and how they inform her workAlso referenced in the podcast:Naomi Klein Doppleganger: A Trip into the Mirror WorldPlease subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and give us a rating. This will help us reach more listeners like you who are navigating the joys and pitfalls of artistic and parenting identities.Visit our website: postpartumproduction.com Follow us on Instagram: @postpartumproductionpodcastSubscribe to our podcast newsletter on Substack:...
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A Cold Rage: Debunking Motherhood and Childbirth with Lucy Jones’s Matrescence
We’re thrilled to welcome Lucy Jones, a celebrated writer and journalist, to the Postpartum Production podcast to discuss her latest book, Matrescence: On the Metamorphosis of Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood with us. Lucy’s work draws on deeply personal experience as well as a diverse range of disciplines - neuroscience and evolutionary biology, psychoanalysis and existential therapy, sociology, economics and ecology, to illuminate how the changes in the maternal mind, brain and body are far more profound, wild and enduring than we have been led to believe.Lucy’s acclaimed career includes roles as Deputy Editor at NME.com and work with The Daily Telegraph. Her earlier books, Foxes Unearthed and Losing Eden: Why Our Minds Need the Wild, have received numerous accolades, including awards from the Society of Authors and long-listings for prestigious prizes. Her latest collaborative work, The Nature Seed: How to Raise Adventurous and Nurturing Kids, offers a radical vision of a new kinship with nature, one that helps us expand, nurture and deepen our wild life. In this conversation, Kaitlin and Lucy explore:The concept of "matrescence" and why it remains underacknowledged (even flagged as a spelling error in word processors).How existential psychology offers a lens for understanding the upheaval and transformation of motherhoodThe interplay between motherhood and time, from the fleeting nature of childhood to the visceral awareness of life’s impermanenceThe critical need to normalize the emotional and psychological shifts that accompany childbirth and parenting.Lucy’s most recent works include:Matrescence: On Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood Losing Eden: Our Fundamental Need for the Natural World and Its Ability to Heal Body and Soul Foxes Unearthed: A Story of Love and Loathing in BritainThe Nature Seed: How to Raise Adventurous and Nurturing KidsAlso mentioned in the podcast:Rozsika Parker,
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Birth Stories with Sara Nolan: Kaitlin's Third Birth
We continue our Birth Stories series with the birth of Kaitiln’s 3rd child. No, you did not miss an episode! As we have chosen to release these episodes on the birthdays of Kaitlin’s children, we will be sharing Kaitlin’s 2nd Birth Story in February. Today, we skip ahead to the 3rd, to honor the birthday of Kaitlin’s 2nd child, which also happens to fall on Christmas and Hanukkah this year. Kaitlin continues her storytelling with Sara Nolan, a doula, writer, editor, and founder of Tell Your Birth Story, a business in which Sara helps those who have given birth reflect, re-experience, and re-tell their stories in full, organic detail, after which Sara returns a fully transcribed narrative record. In Sara’s words: “I believe parents do not have adequate chances to pause, review, and make meaning in and of our lives; to value our own efforts to grow, birth or raise our children. To feel and make room for all the emotions and complexity of being alive, being here, and forming our families. I hope that birth story work & the resulting story will be an initiation, a validation and a revelation. With my support, my clients (re)enter and reflect on life’s unpredictable, incredible experiences- sometimes it’s really messy; it’s always worth it.”Again, thank you to Kaitlin- and her daughter- for sharing their beautiful story with us. Please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and give us a rating. This will help us reach more listeners like you who are navigating the joys and pitfalls of artistic and parenting identities.Visit our website: postpartumproduction.com Follow us on Instagram: @postpartumproductionpodcastSubscribe to our podcast newsletter on Substack: https://postpartumproduction.substack.com
TL;DR (i.e., give me the elevator pitch!) description:
Being a producer of creative projects and a mother don’t need to be mutually exclusive pursuits—how can we as parents in early postpartum (and well beyond!) reframe and reclaim the work we do as creatives and caregivers, to be seen as productive, valued, and meaningful? Join novelist and host Kaitlin Solimine on this journey to reframing postpartum and caregiving as worthy of intellectual, philosophical, and socially-impactful pursuit.
Long description:
It’s hard to find the balance between being a mother and pursuing creative projects – especially during the 4th trimester. When Kaitlin Solimine, a published, award-winning author and mother of three young children, was lying in bed recovering from her third childbirth, she had an epiphany: this time that most have described as “lost” time, was rather extremely creatively informative for her (she wrote new sections of her novel and even launched this podcast from that bed!).
Deep in the trenches of early postpartum herself, join Kaitlin and her creator-activist-mother guests, as they navigate the liminal space between mothering and creating. If you are a new parent in postpartum, had a creative pursuit before you became a mother, or simply seek inspiration from other artists who are creating during a transitional time, this is the podcast for you.
These episodes will provide you with practical and philosophical suggestions on how to reframe your work in a space where parenting is not ordinarily considered meaningful productivity, generate new ideas on how to incorporate creativity into motherhood (and how parenting moments may inspire creative pursuits as well!), and explore other artists’ processes around creating during the transition to parenting young children. Although this podcast is not meant to be prescriptive, hearing these stories and learning about the tools other creatives use will hopefully inspire you to consider ways to integrate your artist and caregiver identities in meaningful, impactful ways.
Why the term “production”?
Google the term “postpartum” and you’ll be led to a plethora of websites about postpartum depression and anxiety. While these are important topics and experiences worthy of additional research and support, the postpartum period, when treated with support and curiosity, can be reframed as one of creative possibility and identity transformation. Rather than relinquishing new mothers to corners where they need to choose between creative work and caregiving, or where they feel completely lost when it comes to their creative identity, this podcast provides a third path for creative mothers who are seeking meaning and validation of the caregiving work they do on a daily basis.
What is “productive” time when you’re a mother and a creative? How can public-facing creative projects, and the often hidden and devalued time of raising humans, be seen as “productive” pursuits within the current capitalist structure of American and Western society?
Kaitlin herself has discovered that the postpartum period after birth offers an opportunity to pause and find new significance to exploring artistry while caregiving as an integral part of life. Notably, Kaitlin recorded the early episodes of her first season while in postpartum with her third child.
Biweekly, Kaitlin talks with authors, poets, writers, painters, philosophers, and parenting experts about mothering, changing perceptions of motherhood/parenting, art, creativity, activism, family leave, childbirth, finding inspiration, changing identities, expansive change, caregiving roles, and more.
South Africa