How to Show Up Better After Birth

"I don't know what I could have done better," he says. "There's so much happening physiologically in a woman's body after birth that they just need like this peace bubble." He admits to being up late and not getting out the door on time for work, but also saying those reasons are excuses too. The couple is expecting their first child later this year.

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Childbirth often shows mothers that they need more support and healing than they thought, especially when they face medical challenges that affect their sex lives. Natasha Heath and Jamey, her husband and our co-host, share an extremely honest conversation about their experiences and how men can show up better for their wives.

Ex-professional dancer, mother and postpartum mentor Natasha is candid about having children and how that has affected her marriage. When she first began preparing for her pregnancy, she believed she had it all figured out. Soon after childbirth, she realized that movies and stories don’t prepare mothers for the realities. When consistent pain and discomfort affected her life and her ability to be intimate with Jamey, their partnership and his unconditional support became more important than ever.

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The Man Enough Podcast is produced by Wayfarer Studios and presented by Procter and Gamble, in partnership with Cadence13, an Audacy company.

Timecodes:

0:00 Romance Movies Don’t Prepare You For Motherhood

03:50 Is Jamey Who He Says He Is At Home?

06:08 When Was The Last Time You Didn’t Feel Enough?

11:02 Blended Families/How Jamey And Natasha Met

16:30 The 4th Trimester: Caring For Mothers

27:40 Caring For Your Partner Through Trauma

33:53 I Was Looking For A Savior

38:15 Natasha’s Hardest Health Struggle

43:60 How Has Natasha’s Diagnoses Changed Her Relationships?

50:00 How Do We Consider Mothers In Our Society?

01:02:38 The Importance Of Honesty In Marriage

01:07:42 Navigating A Traditional Marriage In A Modern World

01:14:30 What Does It Mean To Be Man Enough?

Quotes:

“There should be a level of understanding and education on what it takes to raise a child as a human” - Natasha Heath

“We talk about equality…but I didn’t see myself as an equal [in marriage]” - Natasha Heath

About Natasha Heath:

Natasha Heath was a professional dancer with Bette Midler and starred as a featured professional dancer on Mi sueño es bailar (TV). She is now a dedicated mother to a blended family, a pilates instructor, wellness enthusiast and healer of mothers.

Guest Social Links:

IG:@mama_tasha9

Guest Host: Christopher Rivas

Christopher Rivas is an actor, author, podcaster, and storyteller. He is the host of two podcast series with SiriusXM's Stitcher: Brown Enough, which explores the parallel themes of this book through interview-style episodes; and Rubirosa, a 10-episode documentary-style investigation of Porfirio Rubirosa. On screen, Rivas is known for his work on the Fox series, Call Me Kat, opposite Mayim Bialik, Leslie Jordan, Kyla Pratt and Cheyenne Jackson. He has recently released his first book Brown Enough, which explores what it means to be Brown in America.

Man Enough book: https://manenough.com/books

Boys Will Be Human book: https://boyswillbehuman.com

FOLLOW THE HOSTS:

Liz Plank