I Did Not Want Kids. Then God Said Otherwise

A year before I got pregnant with Riley, I said out loud that I did not want kids anytime soon. Three months into dating Casey, I was standing in a CVS bathroom with a pregnancy test on my lunch break.Here is the thing about motherhood. Nothing prepares you for it. Not one single thing. And in Episode 6, I am getting into all of it.The unexpected pregnancy I could not tell anyone about for two and a half months while Casey was away at boot camp. The night Casey and I stood in our living room holding Riley and just sobbed. The moment that motherly instinct clicked and I knew I was going to be okay. The way God used my kids to break me free from every trauma I had been carrying.I also talk about something I have never shared publicly: my ADHD diagnosis in ninth grade, being put on 50mg of Adderall a day as a teenager, and then being given Ambien to sleep at night on top of it. How cold turkey stopping when I graduated contributed to my weight gain, my mood swings, and why I started my own supplement company years later. And why, as a mom now, I will never just accept what a doctor hands my kids without asking every question first.I also cover:• How motherhood completely rewires your brain and your hustle• What to do when you feel like you are drowning in the overwhelm• The mom guilt trap and why you have got to stop comparing yourself to other moms• What it means to pour into your marriage while raising kids• The 7-7-12 rule for staying connected to your spouse• How to advocate for your kids when every doctor is pushing medication• Functional mushrooms, holistic pediatricians, and what changed everything for my family• And the word every tired, overwhelmed, doing-her-best mom needs to hear todayNew episodes every week. Subscribe and join us. 💜📲 Follow Taking Life by the Raines:Instagram: instagram.com/takinglifebytheraines/TikTok: tiktok.com/takinglifebytheraFacebook: facebook.com/takinglifebytheraines/📲 Follow Brandi:Instagram: instagram.com/brandirainesbeauty/TikTok: tiktok.com/brandirainesbeautyFacebook: facebook.com/followbrandiraines/About me + my links: msha.ke/brandirainesbeauty_Shop my Komigo storefront: komigo.me/brandi🎧 Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts: takinglifebytheraines.com0:00 Welcome back0:53 Christians are not perfect: social media lies and real redemption1:45 Tonight's topic: motherhood, how it changes you in ways nobody warns you about2:13 One year before getting pregnant: I said I do not want kids2:48 Meeting Casey in March 20153:30 Stone Mountain date night4:02 Growing up with trauma4:51 Mental health then vs. now5:41 What Brandi loves and does not love about today's culture6:02 Casey goes to boot camp6:49 Gina from the office: the first person she told7:08 Keeping it secret for two and a half months while Casey was at boot camp7:59 Cape May, New Jersey: the trip where she finally told him8:38 The whirlwind: young, scared, minimal money, just started dating9:02 When you find your person9:54 You guys are going to be fine10:10 Moving to Pensacola pregnant: God breaking her free from past trauma10:42 What nobody warns you about parenthood11:09 The second night home with Riley: standing in the living room sobbing11:50 The Holy Spirit in that moment12:13 Motherly instinct clicks12:47 The strength motherhood gave her13:07 Wait for the one: why your spouse matters more than you know when kids come13:49 The mental load of motherhood14:09 Speaking to the overwhelmed mom15:06 Your heavenly Father wants to carry the stress: let Him15:35 Coming from trauma16:13 Keeping up with the Joneses17:05 The mental load unpacked35:27 Approaching your spouse for support35:52 Give exact examples36:36 Pouring back into your marriage37:13 The 7-7-12 rule38:12 The car ride story39:10 Becoming roommates with your spouse39:40 Inner healing makes vulnerable conversations possible40:33 Make time for your marriage now40:58 ADHD diagnosis in ninth grade42:26 Prescribed Adderall43:38 50mg of Adderall a day44:26 Then they gave her Ambien to sleep44:51 Cold turkey at graduation45:17 Why she started a supplement company45:43 Holistic pediatrician, blood work, zero Flintstone vitamins46:13 What she wishes somebody had advocated for her47:01 Pushing back on Big Pharma48:38 Small tweaks in diet that transformed her kids49:05 God made you the perfect mother for your children50:07 God slowed them down and gave them babies50:45 From mama heart to mama heart51:38 Closing: finish the Poppimotherhood podcast | becoming a mom changed me | ADHD medication kids | unexpected pregnancy story | mom guilt | holistic parenting podcast | Christian mom podcast | millennial mom | marriage and kids | Brandi Raines podcast#takinglifebytheraines #brandiraines #motherhoodpodcast #momguilt #christianmom #millennialmom #holisticparenting #adhdmom #marriageandkids #faithjourney Powered by ATL Podcast Proshttps://atlpodcastpros.com