The Barrenesses

In this special bonus episode, we give thanks to our listeners as we say goodbye to a phenomenal year. Unfortunately, The Barrenesses Podcast will not be continuing in 2025, but we’re so grateful to you all for coming along with us on this healing journey and hope that it has helped you feel less alone.

In this week’s episode, we talk about festive grief with Grief Coach, Judi Johnson of Embrace Your Future. We talk about how to set boundaries with nosy family members, how to create your own festive traditions and about whether our positive perceptions of having kids at Christmas are actually realistic or not. You can join one of Judi’s Facebook groups at CNBC Grief by Embrace Your Future or CNBC Coaching by Embrace Your Future. You can reach out to her and find our more about her services at embraceyourfuture.net. Email us at barrenessespod@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at The Barrenesses Podcast and @thebarrenessespodcast #Childless #Infertility #Christmas #FestiveSeason #Grief #JudiJohnson #EmbraceYourFuture

In this episode, Cheryll explores the myth of maternal instinct, what it is and why it exists. She discusses the negative parts of motherhood and mothering behaviours that our society refuses to acknowledge and how this can harm all women, regardless of their parenting status. Email us at barrenessespod@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at The Barrenesses Podcast and @thebarrenessespodcast #Childless #Motherhood #Childfree #Infertility #MaternalInstinct Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOPhdafnzY4&ab_channel=SkepticsinthePubOnline https://theestablishment.co/the-maternal-instinct-is-a-myth-and-weve-got-the-science-to-prove-it-936312b316f0/index.html https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/news/4356-maternal-instinct-and-biology--evolution-ensures-we-want-sex--not-babies https://www.huffpost.com/entry/childfree_b_1752906 https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/mar/10/medieval-women-put-faith-in-birth-girdles-to-protect-them-during-childbirth https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/the-wealthy-are-starting-to-have-more-babies-than-the-poor-again-2934417 https://earlylearningnation.com/2020/10/parents-are-made-not-born-research-shows-the-act-of-caregiving-creates-parenting-brain/ https://time.com/116843/gay-dads-brains-develop-just-like-those-of-straight-parents-study-finds/ https://time.com/6978104/is-mommy-brain-real/ https://childandfamilyblog.com/fatherhood-neuroscience-biology/ https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/oct/10/the-big-idea-why-the-maternal-instinct-is-a-myth https://time.com/6330821/maternal-instinct-myth-animal-kingdom-essay/ https://www.animalhealthfoundation.org/blog/2013/06/dogs-attachment-to-owners-mimics-infant-caregiver-bonding/ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-17/dogs-owners-share-similar-bond-to-mothers-babies-research-finds/6402168 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322716#Cats-contribution-to-research https://omahabirthandbabies.com/new-baby-new-emotions/ https://www.apa.org/monitor/oct02/postpartum https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3582747/ https://www.givingbirthtohope.org/ppd-in-adoptive-mothers https://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40359-014-0056-x https://www.nct.org.uk/information/baby-toddler/caring-for-your-baby-or-toddler/science-behind-dads https://childandfamilyblog.com/fatherhood-neuroscience-biology/ https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2014/10/mothers-brains-show-similar-responses-to-her-baby-and-her-dog/ https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/the-pet-brain-effect-how-cats-and-dogs-can-save-you-from-cognitive-decline https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9630635/

It’s International Men’s Day, so this week, Catherine is putting the spotlight on men and male fertility. She shares the findings of her survey on male fertility with us, discusses the various causes of male infertility, the harmful myths and misconceptions around male fertility, and men’s attitudes towards male fertility and what they want to see change. Email us at barrenessespod@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at The Barrenesses Podcast and @thebarrenessespodcast #Childless #MaleFertility #MaleInfertility #InternationalMensDay #Infertility

In this week’s episode, we interview journalist, author and editor of No One Talks About This Stuff, Kat Brown. We chat about the creation of the book, the varied experiences found in the book, and about Kat’s personal experience with infertility and childlessness. You can follow Kat on Instagram at @KatBrownWrites and on Twitter at @KatBrown. You can purchase her book, No One Talks About This Stuff, on Amazon and her ADHD book, It’s Not A Bloody Trend, on Amazon or Audible. Email us at barrenessespod@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at The Barrenesses Podcast and @thebarrenessespodcast #Childless #Grief #KatBrown #NoOneTalksAboutThisStuff #PregnancyLoss #Infertility #ChildlessBookClub