Pondering Parenthood

Michael Oquendo
  • 5.0 (3)
  • PARENTING
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

Welcome to Pondering Parenthood, the podcast where real, unfiltered conversations about the joys, struggles, and surprises of parenting take center stage. My wife, Meghann, and I will tackle these conversations with parents we know in our own inner circle. Unlike other podcasts, there are no experts here! We want to hear real nitty-gritty experiences and connect with others who are on this wild rollercoaster with us. Join us for laughs, tears, and just general catharsis!

Episodes

  1. FEB 1

    9. What We Didn't Know

    In this episode we go back and forth, listing off things we never knew about before having kids. In truth, there is nothing that can truly prepare you for parenthood. That being said, we're going to do our best to lay out all the nitty gritty details of those early baby days in this episode! Show Notes: Post Partum Night Sweats: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/24631-postpartum-night-sweats Postpartum Intrusive Thoughts: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9435669/#R15 Gottman's Predictors of Divorce: https://www.gottman.com/blog/the-6-things-that-predict-divorce/ Financial Cheat Codes: How to Win the Game of Finance by Sean Dempsey https://www.amazon.com/Financial-Cheat-Codes-Game-Finance/dp/B0FMZPQMBZ Have a question or want to be on the pod and join the discussion? 👉Contact us!📨ponderingparenthoodpodcast@gmail.com 👉Follow us more places! Instagram 📸: @ponderingparenthoodpod Facebook🙂📘: Pondering Parenthood ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577794780908⁠⁠ Youtube📺: Pondering Parenthood ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@PonderingParenthoodPod⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank you for listening and supporting! 👍Give us a Follow👍 ✏️ Write a comment ✏️ 💞Share this podcast with someone else 💞

    1h 10m

  2. JAN 15 · BONUS

    8.5 Bonus Episode: Q & A with Meg and Mike

    In this mid month bonus episode, Mike and Meghann answer questions that YOU wrote in! Show Notes: Free Values Worksheets by Rachel Nielson: https://3in30podcast.com/values/ Brené Brown's list of Values: https://brenebrown.com/resources/dare-to-lead-list-of-values/ Referenced Struggle Care Podcast Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2qCFHFmxTMaJvm7k1jpB3K?si=2b6f791dfd78444a Have a question or want to be on the pod and join the discussion? 👉Contact us!📨ponderingparenthoodpodcast@gmail.com 👉Follow us more places! Instagram 📸: @ponderingparenthoodpod Facebook🙂📘: Pondering Parenthood ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577794780908⁠⁠ Youtube📺: Pondering Parenthood ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@PonderingParenthoodPod⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank you for listening and supporting! 👍Give us a Follow👍 ✏️ Write a comment ✏️ 💞Share this podcast with someone else 💞

    48 min

  3. JAN 1

    8. Lasting Lifeline - Interview with Randee Busch

    In this episode, Mike interviews his aunt, Randee Busch. Randee shares about her pregnancies and births as well as her perspective of being a mother to adult children. She recollects the more difficult experiences of raising teenagers and though her daughters are both now in their 30s, Randee shares how you never stop being a parent, no matter how old your children get. 0:00:00 - Intro 0:02:16 - Journey Into Parenthood 0:06:33 - First Pregnancy And Birth Story 0:27:18 - The Fiery Second-Born 0:30:07 - The Teenage Years And Young Adult Years 0:44:27 - Becoming Their Lifeline 1:05:47 - Advice 1:10:17 - Dropping "Pebbles" 1:13:06 - Meghann's Recap 1:29:51-Closing - Like, Follow, Subscribe Have a question or want to be on the pod and join the discussion? 👉Contact us!📨ponderingparenthoodpodcast@gmail.com 👉Follow us more places! Instagram 📸: @ponderingparenthoodpod Facebook🙂📘: Pondering Parenthood ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577794780908⁠ Youtube📺: Pondering Parenthood ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@PonderingParenthoodPod⁠⁠⁠ Thank you for listening and supporting! 👍Give us a Follow👍 ✏️ Write a comment ✏️ 💞Share this podcast with someone else 💞

    1h 31m

  4. 12/01/2025

    7. Lights, Love, and Lots of Traditions

    In this episode, Meghann and Mike discuss their family holiday traditions and how they navigate the holidays with their children when they come from two different religious and cultural backgrounds. Mike is Jewish and grew up very involved in his Temple. Meghann grew up involved in her church and followed the evangelical Christian faith. While neither of them ascribe to the theology of their faith backgrounds anymore, they discuss how they still value the traditions and holidays and seek to continue some of those with their own children non-religiously. 0:00:00 - Intro 0:00:40 - Our Religious Backgrounds 0:10:31 - What Do We Teach Our Children 0:15:40 - How Do We Celebrate The December Holidays 0:33:42 - What Do the Holidays Mean To Us 0:38:37 - Current Events 0:49:54 - Couple's Counseling 1:07:56 - Closing - Like, Follow, Subscribe Have a question or want to be on the pod and join the discussion? 👉Contact us!📨ponderingparenthoodpodcast@gmail.com 👉Follow us more places! Instagram 📸: @ponderingparenthoodpod Facebook🙂📘: Pondering Parenthood ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577794780908⁠ Youtube📺: Pondering Parenthood ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@PonderingParenthoodPod⁠⁠⁠ Thank you for listening and supporting! 👍Give us a Follow👍 ✏️ Write a comment ✏️ 💞Share this podcast with someone else 💞

    1h 10m

  5. 11/01/2025

    6. Double Income, Double Loss, Double Joy - Interview with Kristin Paquette

    In this episode, Meghann and Mike interview their good friend and neighbor, Kristin Paquette. Kristin shares how she became a mom even after she and her husband made the original decision to not have kids and lead a "DINK" Lifestyle: Double Income, No Kids. She opens up about her experiences with pregnancy loss, her son's health scares, and the changes that parenting brought to her relationship with her husband. 0:00:00 - Trigger Warning 0:00:20 - Intro 0:03:13 - Welcoming Kristin 0:06:34 - DINK Household And An Unexpected Surprise 0:07:54 -Double Loss 0:20:50 - A Vasectomy Pregnancy 0:25:33 - Will's Deployment 0:33:08 - Jack's Health Scares 0:48:01 - The Importance of Self Care 0:54:26 - Relationship Changes Through Parenthood 1:03:28 - Advice 1:07:26 - Recap 1:16:41-Closing - Like, Follow, Subscribe Have a question or want to be on the pod and join the discussion? 👉Contact us!📨ponderingparenthoodpodcast@gmail.com 👉Follow us more places! Instagram 📸: @ponderingparenthoodpod Facebook🙂📘: Pondering Parenthood https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577794780908 Youtube📺: Pondering Parenthood ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@PonderingParenthoodPod⁠⁠ Thank you for listening and supporting! 👍Give us a Follow👍 ✏️ Write a comment ✏️ 💞Share this podcast with someone else 💞

    1h 19m

  6. 10/01/2025

    5. Our Postpartum Experience

    In this episode, Meghann and Mike discuss their postpartum experience with their first born in depth. Mike opens up about experiencing Post Partum Depression (Yes, it can happen to men, too! ) throughout the newborn period. This episode offers a brutally honest look into what those early days can look like with a colicky newborn. 0:00:00 - Intro/Housekeeping 0:05:53 - A little background 0:11:31 - Our postpartum story 0:22:29 - Mike's postpartum depression 0:32:32 - Some statistics 0:35:32 - Meghann's baby blues 0:37:59 - DSM-5 Criteria of a Major Depressive Episode 0:43:15 - Meghann's recollection 0:48:05 - A listening friend 0:58:19 - Current Events 1:09:29 - Couple's Therapy 1:18:31 - Closing-Like, Follow, Subscribe, Email, Share! Resources: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/yes-postpartum-depression-in-men-is-very-real https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6659987/#sec5 Have a question or want to be on the pod and join the discussion? 👉Contact us!📨ponderingparenthoodpodcast@gmail.com 👉Follow us more places! Instagram 📸: @ponderingparenthoodpod Facebook🙂📘: Pondering Parenthood https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577794780908 Youtube📺: Pondering Parenthood ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@PonderingParenthoodPod⁠ Thank you for listening and supporting! 👍Give us a Follow👍 ✏️ Write a comment ✏️ 💞Share this podcast with someone else 💞

    1h 21m

  7. 09/01/2025

    4. Navigating IUI and Allergies - Interview with Will Brown

    In this episode, Mike interviews his good friend, Will Brown, who shares about his and his wife's experience with intrauterine insemination (IUI) and the birth of his son. Will shares what the first several months were like as a new dad and also discusses some of the hardships they encountered in regards to allergies and his son's battle with eczema herpeticum. Episode Chapters: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:02:42 - Welcome Will Brown 0:07:47 - The journey through IUI 0:23:53 - Being the birthing partner during a C-section 0:29:43 - The challenges of the first few months 0:38:09 - Sleep deprivation through months 4-6 0:48:26 - Challenges with allergies 1:05:30 - Advice 1:13:10 - Recap with Meghann 1:31:32 - Closing-Like, Follow, Subscribe, Email, Share! Have a question or want to be on the pod and join the discussion? 👉Contact us!📨ponderingparenthoodpodcast@gmail.com 👉Follow us more places! Instagram 📸: @ponderingparenthoodpod Facebook🙂📘: Pondering Parenthood https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577794780908 Youtube📺: Pondering Parenthood https://www.youtube.com/@PonderingParenthoodPod Thank you for listening and supporting! 👍Give us a like👍 ✏️ Write a comment ✏️ 💞Share this podcast with someone else 💞

    1h 33m

  8. 08/01/2025

    3. Pregnancy and Birth During Covid

    In this episode, we discuss our pregnancy and birth story of our firstborn which all took place during the global pandemic of Covid-19. We recall how medical protocols changed during this time and how these changes impacted our experience. Towards the end of the podcast, we cover "current events," as well as a brief "couple's therapy" segment! 0:00:00-Welcome and Intro 0:02:19-Trying for a baby 0:03:47-Chemical Pregnancy 0:14:20-Trying again at the beginning of lockdown 0:16:30-First Trimester during Covid 0:21:38-20 Week Appointment 0:27:29-Third Trimester 0:28:16-Virtual Baby Shower 0:30:03-The Birth Story 0:46:00-Current Events 0:58:32-Couple's Therapy 1:09:50-Like, Follow, Subscribe, Email, Share! Have a question or want to be on the pod and join the discussion? 👉Contact us!📨ponderingparenthoodpodcast@gmail.com 👉Follow us more places! Instagram 📸: @ponderingparenthoodpod Facebook🙂📘: Pondering Parenthood ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577794780908⁠⁠ Youtube📺: Pondering Parenthood ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvVj3-8T_qdSZogTiEopUpUqZD5J0lFkQ⁠⁠ Thank you for listening and supporting! 👍Give us a like👍 ✏️ Write a comment ✏️ 💞Share this podcast with someone else 💞

    1h 12m

  9. 07/01/2025

    2. Grief and Postpartum-Interview with Michelle Haar

    In this episode, we interview Mike's aunt, Michelle Haar, about her journey into parenthood with each of her three children. She discusses the complex intersection of grief and the transformative experiences of pregnancy and postpartum. 0:00:00-Welcome and Intro 0:01:17-Introducing Michelle 0:03:13-Michelle's entry into parenthood/story 0:24:49-Grief and postpartum 0:39:19-Decision to have a third 0:46:52-Death of Michelle's father 0:53:18-Best/Worst parts of parenthood 1:00:20-Advice 1:09:03-Meghann and Mike's recap and debrief References: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/08/04/upshot/up-birth-age-gap.html https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2024/05/18/graphics-show-changing-trend-average-age-parents/73707908007/ Have a question or want to be on the pod and join the discussion? 👉Contact us!📨ponderingparenthoodpodcast@gmail.com 👉Follow us more places! Instagram 📸: @ponderingparenthoodpod Facebook🙂📘: Pondering Parenthood ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577794780908⁠ Youtube📺: Pondering Parenthood ⁠https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvVj3-8T_qdSZogTiEopUpUqZD5J0lFkQ⁠ Thank you for listening and supporting! 👍Give us a like👍✏️ Write a comment ✏️💞Share this podcast with someone else 💞

    1h 33m

  10. 06/02/2025

    1. Welcome and Intro with Mike and Meghann

    Get to know us, Mike and Meghann, and what brought us here. In this episode we discuss our journey into parenthood and how it has compared to what we thought it would be like. Have a question or want to be on the pod and join the discussion? 👉Contact us!📨ponderingparenthoodpodcast@gmail.com 👉Follow us more places! Instagram 📸: @ponderingparenthoodpod Facebook🙂📘: Pondering Parenthood https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577794780908 Youtube📺: Pondering Parenthood https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvVj3-8T_qdSZogTiEopUpUqZD5J0lFkQ Thank you for listening and supporting! 👍Give us a like👍✏️ Write a comment ✏️💞Share this podcast with someone else 💞

    42 min
  • 10 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Welcome to Pondering Parenthood, the podcast where real, unfiltered conversations about the joys, struggles, and surprises of parenting take center stage. My wife, Meghann, and I will tackle these conversations with parents we know in our own inner circle. Unlike other podcasts, there are no experts here! We want to hear real nitty-gritty experiences and connect with others who are on this wild rollercoaster with us. Join us for laughs, tears, and just general catharsis!

Information

  • Creator
    Michael Oquendo
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Michael Oquendo
  • Show Website
    Pondering Parenthood