It’s that exciting moment when a couple announces that they are soon having a baby. As a couple, the focus immediately goes to baby showers, picking the baby’s name, choosing their birthing plan and space, and selecting those cute first outfits for baby and mom. Rarely do we think about how to prepare our marriage for postpartum or prepare our mental health for the challenges that lie ahead after birth, including breastfeeding barriers, exhaustion, navigating parental roles, shifts in our marriage, and much more.

Join us as we welcome a very special guest for a two-part series, Angela Das, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and new parent educator. For part one, Angela shares her in-depth knowledge of challenges and potential tools for feeding baby and creating a team mentality in couples in postpartum. Angela also dives into maternal gatekeeping and how to avoid this common, yet potentially maritally devasting, pattern post-birth. You do not want to miss this one!

If you find this episode, or any of our other episodes, helpful to you, please share with those that you love! Let us know what you think about what you want us to talk about next by emailing us at RelationshipsInsideOut@gmail.com!

In two weeks, we are ecstatic to welcome Angela Das, IBCLC back for part 2 in our series with her, this time focusing on intimacy and sexuality in postpartum! Later topics include: trauma, military families, gender roles, parenting, self-acceptance, domestic violence, and so much more!

For more updates and helpful resources, follow us on Facebook at @RelationshipsInsideOutllc!

Some resources related to this episode:

• Maternal Gatekeeping: What It Is, Examples, & How to Stop
• 3 Reasons Behind ' Maternal Gatekeeping,' According To A Psychologist
• Who are the Gatekeepers? Predictors of Maternal Gatekeeping
• Angela Das, IBCLC - Motherhood Untamed
• Motherhood Untamed Virtual Class (Breastfeeding + Baby Care Basics + Preparing for Parenthood)

Imagine running into a wall made of thick steel. It is likely that the wall would not budge and you might feel pain and helpless at breaking it down. Rigid boundaries are akin to that steel wall: firm, immoveable, and unforgiving. While rigid boundaries are often born out of self-protection, people with these boundaries may reinforce the very things they fear: rejection, isolation, loneliness, and emotional pain.

Join us as we explore the second part of our boundaries series, rigidity. In opposition to last week’s episode focusing on enmeshment, this week we unpack rigid boundaries, boundaries that are firm, inflexible, and often inconsiderate of other’s desires. If you or someone you know leads with these impenetrable boundaries, you don’t want to miss this episode!

If you find this episode, or any of our other episodes, helpful to you, please share with those that you love! Let us know what you think about what you want us to talk about next by emailing us at RelationshipsInsideOut@gmail.com!

In two weeks, we welcome another guest, Angele Das, IBCLC, for part one of our two-part series with her. This episode discuss all things breastfeeding and maternal gate keeping after birth! Part two will focus on intimacy and sexuality in postpartum. We are honored to share her expertise! Later topics include: trauma, military families, gender roles, parenting, self-acceptance, domestic violence, and so much more!

For more updates and helpful resources, follow us on Facebook at @RelationshipsInsideOutllc

Some resources related to this episode:

• What are Personal Boundaries? (PDF)
• Are Your Boundaries Too Weak or Too Rigid?
• Families and Groups with Rigid Boundaries

Boundaries are at the core of any healthy relationship. Boundaries dictate how close or distant we are from another person, including physically, mentally, and emotionally. When those boundaries become weak and permeable, we have now entered into the territory of enmeshment. Enmeshment is born out of a desire for love and closeness, but potentially breeds the risk of loss of self, diminished confidence, and volatile relationship patterns.

Join us as we define enmeshment, identify the risks of this boundary level, and ways to strengthen boundaries for your own health, as well as others. Boundaries can be very difficult to navigate, especially when there has been a consistent pattern of a lack of boundaries before. Let us help you identify if this is something you may be facing and ways to hold loving yet confident boundaries!

If you find this episode, or any of our other episodes, helpful to you, please share with those that you love! Let us know what you think about what you want us to talk about next by emailing us at RelationshipsInsideOut@gmail.com!

In two weeks, we dive into part two of our two-part series on boundaries, rigidity! Later topics include: trauma, military families, gender roles, parenting, self-acceptance, domestic violence, and so much more!

For more updates and helpful resources, follow us on Facebook at @RelationshipsInsideOutllc!

Some resources related to this episode:

• The Enmeshed Family System: What It Is and How to Break Free
• How to Set Healthy Boundaries With Anyone
• How to Set Boundaries with Toxic People