EP: 2 The Conversations Our Field isn't Having (Yet)

In episode two, co-hosts Laura Todd and Carina Lane discuss pressures affecting parents, from limited support and postpartum mental health struggles to social media comparison and parenting guilt. Drawing on their professional work in perinatal and infant mental health, and their own parenting experiences, they explore why families need more accessible, individualized support. In this episode, we unpack: The Solo Parenting Trap: Connecting the unrealistic expectation that parents should manage alone with the reality of deep burnout and limited support networks. Competing Demands: Navigating the constant juggle of career decisions, family relationships, financial strain, and social media scrutiny. Our Personal Stories: Carina shares her raw experience with postpartum anxiety and early attachment struggles, while Laura reflects on postpartum anxiety, grief, and isolation. Mending Systemic Gaps: A call for better access to perinatal mental health support, including screening, clear referral pathways, language-accessible care, and cross-disciplinary training. Understanding Your Baby: How gaps in child development guidance and online misinformation leave parents anxious, and how to shift toward values-based choices rather than social media guilt. Resources & Recommendations Mentioned in This Episode: Laura’s Recommendation: The Invisible String by Patrice Karst Carina’s Recommendation: If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff Timestamps [00:06] - The episode’s focus: unmet needs in perinatal and infant mental health [01:22] - Why families need more caregiving support [03:08] - Parenting under conflicting demands and public scrutiny [05:04] - Finding a village when family relationships are strained [08:48] - How postpartum mental health struggles can affect bonding [10:34] - Carina’s postpartum anxiety and Laura’s pandemic-era experience [13:56] - Where families encounter gaps in maternal mental health care [15:52] - Language access and a provider response that missed the need [18:02] - Why early childhood programs need screening and referral pathways [20:27] - Building perinatal mental health into professional education [22:24] - How cross-disciplinary knowledge can support families while they wait for care [24:00] - Developmental guidance, misinformation, and learning to observe a baby [27:50] - Fitting parenting methods to your child: Social media guilt, daycare, and values [29:40] - Weekly recommendations begin [29:55] - Laura’s recommendation: The Invisible String [31:01] - Carina’s recommendation: If You Give a Pig a Pancake [32:21] - Wrap up and Thank you Hit that FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE button right now so you never miss an episode! Connect with us online: Instagram: @bondedfromthestartpod Email: [email protected] Meet Laura Todd: Website: lauratoddlpcc.com Instagram: @the_infant_therapist TikTok / YouTube: @the_infant_therapist Meet Carina Lane: Website: mindfulstarts.com Instagram: @mindfulstarts Theme music composed by: Kevin Bryson