When the Baby Arrives and Dad Falls Apart

When the Baby Arrives and Dad Falls Apart

When Kevin Maguire became a dad for the second time, he experienced something few new fathers are screened for or even warned about: paternal postpartum depression. His son wouldn't stop crying, and Kevin couldn't make it stop. He took the dog out, sat on a bench, and started bawling himself — because he didn't understand what he was experiencing. Kevin is the author of The New Fatherhood [https://www.thenewfatherhood.org/], a Substack he started after his own experience with PPD, as well as a book [https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kevin-maguire/the-new-fatherhood/9781538773062/?lens=balance] by the same name. He and Becky talk about why new fathers are largely unscreened for postpartum depression, what the symptoms actually look like in men, and what Kevin built after being completely broken open by fatherhood. If you're a new dad, a dad-to-be, or you love one — this episode is worth sending to someone. Dr. Becky & Kevin get into: * why becoming a parent can feel like a demotion, and why that framing is more useful than it sounds; * the video game that gave Kevin something his baby couldn't: a sense of control; * what it means to sit in the mess when you've spent your whole life fixing things; * the line Kevin keeps coming back to: "If you don't deal with your demons, your demons will raise your kids." Kevin has a free, anonymous online PPD screening [https://checkup.thenewfatherhood.org/] tool designed with UK psychologists. He also funds direct access to therapy for dads through his newsletter. Read the list Dr. Becky put together of things that the non-birth parent can do [https://www.goodinside.com/blog/what-dads-can-do-after-birth/?utm_source=podcast_baby&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=traffic_evergreen_podcast&utm_content=shownotes_20260618_Maguire] when the baby arrives.  * Looking for more support navigating pregnancy, postpartum, and life with a new baby? Good Inside Baby [https://www.goodinside.com/lp/baby/?utm_source=podcast_baby&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=traffic_evergreen_podcast&utm_content=shownotes_06182026_Maguire] gives you practical tools, scripts, and expert guidance for the moments that can feel most overwhelming in early parenthood. Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible: * Bobbie [https://hibobbie.com/]: Learn more about Bobbie’s organic formula and support for every feeding journey at hibobbie.com [https://hibobbie.com/] * Airbnb [https://click.pscrb.fm/2f]: Host your home or book your next stay on Airbnb * Coterie [https://www.coterie.com/]: Get 20% off with the code GOODINSIDEBABY20 Learn more about Good Inside [https://www.goodinside.com/]. Follow Dr. Becky on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/drbeckyatgoodinside/]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

IVF, Miscarriage, then Barack Obama

Hannah Bronfman thought getting pregnant would be easy. She'd spent a decade in wellness, she was healthy, she was young. Then came two and a half years of trying, a miscarriage, failed cycles, and eventually IVF. Ten days after finally giving birth to their son Preston — in the middle of a pandemic — she virtually interviewed Barack Obama. She was wearing an adult diaper. Hannah and her husband Brendan Fallis join Dr. Becky to talk about the parts of new parenthood that don't make the highlights reel: what fertility struggles actually feel like from the inside, the maternal health fears that don't go away even when you have the best care, and the specific kind of panic that hits the moment you leave the hospital with a baby and realize no one is coming with you. They also talk about a parenting philosophy they both arrived at early: their kids were going to live their life, not the other way around. Why that's not selfish. And why it might be one of the best things you can do for a child. Looking for more support navigating pregnancy, postpartum, and life with a new baby? Good Inside Baby [https://www.goodinside.com/lp/baby/?utm_source=podcast_baby&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=traffic_evergreen_podcast&utm_content=shownotes_20260611_bronfman] gives you practical tools, scripts, and expert guidance for the moments that can feel most overwhelming in early parenthood. Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible: * Pipette [https://www.pipettebaby.com/]: Get 15% off Pipette’s line of SPF products with the code GOODINSIDESPF at pipettebaby.com [https://www.pipettebaby.com/] * LMNT [https://partners.drinklmnt.com/free-gift-with-purchase?utm_medium=sponsor&utm_source=goodinside&utm_campaign=agwp&utm_content=&utm_term=&rfsn_cn=EXCLUSIVE+GIFT+FOR+Dr.+Becky%27s+COMMUNITY]: Get a free 8-count sample pack with your purchase at drinkLMNT.com/goodinside [https://drinklmnt.com/GOODINSIDE] * Airbnb [https://click.pscrb.fm/2f]: Host your home or book your next stay on Airbnb Learn more about Good Inside [https://www.goodinside.com/]. Follow Dr. Becky on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/drbeckyatgoodinside/]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I Wanted to Be a Different Kind of Dad

Becoming a dad can bring up a surprising thought: “What if I become my father?” Dr. Becky talks with writer Aymann Ismail about the emotional reality of early fatherhood — the parts men are rarely encouraged to say out loud. Aymann opens up about wanting to be a different kind of dad than the one he grew up with, the panic and shame he felt during those first exhausting weeks with a newborn, and how quickly parenthood forced him to confront old patterns, identity shifts, and fears he didn’t expect. Together, they explore partnership strain, emotional inheritance, and the complicated grief of losing parts of your old life while trying to build a new one. Aymann Ismail [https://www.aymann.com/] is a staff writer at Slate and the author of Becoming Baba. Dr. Becky put together a list of resources for non-birthing parents who want to feel helpful in the days and weeks following baby's arrival. You can read those on the Good Inside blog [https://www.goodinside.com/blog/5-things-every-partnership-needs-to-know-first-few-months-with-baby/?utm_source=podcast_baby&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=traffic_evergreen_podcast&utm_content=shownotes_20260604_ismail]. * Looking for more support navigating pregnancy, postpartum, and life with a new baby? Good Inside Baby [https://www.goodinside.com/lp/baby/?utm_source=podcast_baby&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=traffic_evergreen_podcast&utm_content=shownotes_06042026_Ismail] gives you practical tools, scripts, and expert guidance for the moments that can feel most overwhelming in early parenthood. Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible: * Once Upon a Farm: [https://onceuponafarmorganics.com/] Use the code GOODINSIDE for 40% off your first subscription * Pipette [https://www.pipettebaby.com/]: Get 15% off Pipette’s line of SPF products with the code GOODINSIDESPF at pipettebaby.com [http://pipettebaby.com/] * LMNT [https://partners.drinklmnt.com/free-gift-with-purchase?utm_medium=sponsor&utm_source=goodinside&utm_campaign=agwp&utm_content=&utm_term=&rfsn_cn=EXCLUSIVE+GIFT+FOR+Dr.+Becky%27s+COMMUNITY]: Get a free 8-count sample pack with your purchase at DrinkLMNT.com/goodinside [https://DrinkLMNT.com/goodinside] * Airbnb [https://click.pscrb.fm/2f]: Host your home or book your next stay on Airbnb Learn more about Good Inside [https://www.goodinside.com/]. Follow Dr. Becky on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/drbeckyatgoodinside/]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I Needed Proof I Was a Good Mom

You love your baby more than anything. So why does it sometimes feel like your baby… doesn’t like you? In this episode, Dr. Becky talks with therapist, author, and mom of two Erin Schlozman [https://www.erinschlozman.com/] about the moment early motherhood cracked open everything she thought she knew about competence, control, and what it means to be “good” at something. Erin came into motherhood as someone who always hit the milestones: good grades, grad school, career, marriage. Then came a one-month milestone photo with her newborn son — and instead of the sweet picture she imagined, both she and her baby ended up crying on the nursery floor. Together, Dr. Becky and Erin unpack the disorientation of new parenthood: the feeling that your baby’s crying is somehow a reflection of you, the pressure to “get it right,” and the clarifying realization that motherhood doesn’t follow a linear path. Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible: * Once Upon a Farm: [https://onceuponafarmorganics.com/] Use the code GOODINSIDE for 40% off your first subscription * Coterie [https://www.coterie.com/]: Get 20% off with the code GOODINSIDEBABY20 * Airbnb [https://click.pscrb.fm/2f]: Host your home or book your next stay on Airbnb Looking for more support navigating pregnancy, postpartum, and life with a new baby? Good Inside Baby [https://www.goodinside.com/lp/baby/] gives you practical tools, scripts, and expert guidance for the moments that can feel most overwhelming in early parenthood.   Learn more about Good Inside [https://www.goodinside.com/]. Follow Dr. Becky on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/drbeckyatgoodinside/]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Will I Ever Feel Like Myself Again?

Morgan Radford thought she knew herself before becoming a mom: adventurous, ambitious, always chasing novelty and new experiences. Then motherhood arrived — along with postpartum pain, brain fog, fear, comparison, and the shocking feeling that her body and mind no longer belonged to her. In this deeply honest conversation NBC News anchor and author Morgan Radford [http://www.morganradford.com/] talks with Dr. Becky about the parts of new motherhood nobody prepared her for: the physical recovery, the mental disorientation, the pressure to “bounce back,” and the panic that the hardest parts might last forever. But this episode is also about what emerges on the other side: creativity, connection, healing, and the realization that the parts of ourselves we fear we’ve lost may still be alive underneath — just taking a different shape. If you’ve ever wondered, “Will I ever feel like myself again?” this conversation is for you. Learn more about Good Inside Baby [https://www.goodinside.com/lp/baby/?utm_source=podcast_baby&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=baby_babylaunch&utm_content=shownotes_052126_morgan].  Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible: * Pipette [https://www.pipettebaby.com/]: Get 15% off Pipette’s line of SPF products with the code GOODINSIDESPF at pipettebaby.com [https://www.pipettebaby.com/] * Airbnb [https://click.pscrb.fm/2f]: Host your home or book your next stay on Airbnb * LMNT [https://partners.drinklmnt.com/free-gift-with-purchase?utm_medium=sponsor&utm_source=goodinside&utm_campaign=agwp&utm_content=&utm_term=&rfsn_cn=EXCLUSIVE+GIFT+FOR+Dr.+Becky%27s+COMMUNITY]: Get a free 8-count sample pack with your purchase at DrinkLMNT.com/goodinside [https://DrinkLMNT.com/goodinside] * Once Upon a Farm: [https://onceuponafarmorganics.com/] Use the code GOODINSIDE for 40% off your first subscription Learn more about Good Inside [https://www.goodinside.com/]. Follow Dr. Becky on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/drbeckyatgoodinside/]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.