Hi. It’s Micah from Modern Hysteria, your podcast and newsletter revealing the taboos of women’s brains and bodies (listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts). This week, we’re talking about the phenomenon of “nesting” while pregnant, and the pressure to ‘bounce back’ after childbirth. The Taboo The main taboo of this episode is the myth of the “independent, bounce‑back mom.” Links + Resources * The First Forty Days book * 12 Tips for Visiting Brand New Parents: How to be a Considerate Guest * Amy’s website: eatwhatfeelsgood.com The Guest Expert Amy is a mom of three and has certifications in pre- and postnatal coaching as well as holistic nutrition. By day she’s a speech-language pathologist and lives with her kids and husband in Southeastern Pennsylvania, USA. Key Takeaways Bounce-back culture is a lie. The pressure to “look like you never had a baby” just weeks after birth is deeply rooted in patriarchy, perfectionism, and a culture that sees women’s bodies as projects to manage. Healing is not a race — it’s a season that deserves time, care, and support. Nourishment > restriction. Postpartum nutrition shouldn’t be about shrinking — it should be about rebuilding. Nutrient-dense, warming, easy-to-digest foods like soups, stews, and bone broth can help replenish tissue, regulate hormones, and support emotional health. The goal isn’t to get smaller — it’s to feel stronger and more supported. Q+A ML: So I’m wondering, Amy, what have you learned about our culture of motherhood and postpartum care working with postpartum moms. And from your own experience, about the terminology that is important to use or what concepts are most important? AS: I think instead of when we think of, ‘Oh, I just had this baby, I had this,’ I quote, ‘I have this weight to lose, I gained weight. Now it’s time to get this weight off.’ We think of weight loss in terms of things that we need to take away from our diet, things we need to eliminate, calories we need to restrict. And in postpartum healing, I really focus on nourishing our bodies. We actually need to feed ourselves. What we need and we need to feed ourselves in general, in order for our bodies to heal from the inside out. And I often say that like weight loss postpartum can happen as a side effect of properly nourishing ourselves. So if we get the food in, the fluid in our body and we’re not trying to restrict whatsoever, I do not believe in that. Then our bodies will start to naturally heal. Our organs will go back to the places where they’re supposed to go, and actually the weight will start to come off. And if we’ve nourished ourselves appropriately and gotten enough fat and protein in our diets, then the tissues are going to restore themselves and the elasticity will go, come back into our inner organs in our skin, and it in theory will get smaller again. So I think focusing on nourishing and not restricting. ML: Yeah, and getting smaller does seem to be the goal for most people, or is that what you’re seeing in your practice? AS: Yeah, because it, it’s playing into people’s mental health too. They’re just thinking that that’s what they should be doing. And then also jumping back into exercise is how oftentimes women think that they need to jump back into exercise in order to get back smaller in order to get their fitness back or whatever. And it’s not like exercise is a bad thing, but as I’ve learned more about postpartum healing, I know that too much too soon is very much a thing. And if we do too much too soon, we can actually jeopardize our healing. We can make healing take longer. We can make the whole process harder for ourselves all the way up until menopause because our hormones are healing, our bodies are healing. And if we don’t, let say our pelvic floor heal appropriately after giving birth by resting it for enough time we can cause ourselves pelvic floor issues that will last forever. Time Stamps * 3:38 | “Healing” your cycle? * 5:34 | Health as an individual pursuit? * 9:27 | Getting your body back? * 14: 27 | Aside: What is ‘bounce-back culture?’ * 16:17 | What’s going on in our bodies postpartum? * 22:05 | Nesting and why it’s important * 25:16 | Best meals for prepping and meal trains * 36:58 | Top nesting pantry items * 41:22 | What’s in your bag? What’s in her bag? That’s all for this week, friend. Thank you for listening! Did this resonate with you? Have thoughts? Leave a comment; I read every single one! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit micahlarsen.substack.com
