Our Marriage After Baby: The Reality vs The Expectation

Our Marriage After Baby: The Reality vs The Expectation

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2107018/fan_mail/new] Welcoming a newborn into your family changes everything… including your marriage. In this very first episode of With the Waters, we open up about the reality of navigating postpartum recovery, sleep deprivation, emotional overwhelm, intimacy struggles, communication breakdowns, and learning how to support each other through one of the most challenging seasons of marriage. Everyone talks about how hard newborn life is… but almost nobody talks about what it does to your relationship. We share: ✨ The emotional shifts of becoming parents ✨ How postpartum affected our communication ✨ The resentment that started building ✨ What helped us reconnect emotionally ✨ Intimacy struggles after having a baby ✨ The importance of open communication in marriage ✨ How faith and intentionality helped us navigate this season together If you’re newly postpartum, preparing for parenthood, struggling in your marriage after having a baby, or simply trying to build a God-centered relationship… this episode is for you. Remember: You’re not broken. Your relationship may simply be rebuilding into something deeper. 💛 Subscribe to follow our journey through marriage, family, faith, parenthood, and building a life together in real time. #MarriagePodcast #PostpartumMarriage #NewParents #ChristianMarriage #RelationshipAdvice #Motherhood #Fatherhood #MarriageAfterBaby #PodcastForCouples #FamilyPodcast ⏱️ CHAPTERS  00:00 Intro & Welcome to With the Waters 01:00 The reality of newborn life and marriage 02:00 Discovering new levels of capacity as parents 04:00 Identity shifts after becoming parents 05:30 The exhaustion nobody prepares you for 07:00 Emotional changes in motherhood & fatherhood 11:00 Processing birth trauma & postpartum emotions 14:00 Postpartum shame and feeling helpless 16:00 Our first major postpartum argument 19:00 Postpartum rage, resentment & emotional overload 21:00 Why open communication matters in marriage 23:00 How resentment quietly starts building 24:00 Taking responsibility during conflict 26:00 Men leading communication in relationships 29:00 How newborn stress amplifies relationship issues 31:00 How to avoid escalating arguments 34:00 Healing abandonment wounds in conflict 35:00 Intimacy struggles after having a baby 38:00 Feeling emotionally disconnected in marriage 41:00 Male vs female needs after postpartum 44:00 Survival mode and lack of intimacy 46:00 What helps restore intimacy after baby 50:00 Communication, trust & emotional connection 52:00 How this season is changing us as a couple 53:00 Prioritizing marriage after becoming parents 54:00 Speaking life into each other as partners 57:00 Excitement for parenthood & future growth 59:00 Appreciating each other during postpartum 1:02:00 Final thoughts on marriage, growth & newborn life 1:03:00 Outro & subscribe Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2107018/support] If you want to participate and interact with the show, head over to www.dannagift.com [http://www.dannagift.com/] where you can submit your topics or questions you want to hear on any upcoming episodes. I'm excited to hear from you!

I Thought God Owed Me...Here's What I Learned About Entitlement

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2107018/fan_mail/new] Hey you 🤍 I wanted to sit down and talk about something that honestly convicted me… because I didn’t even realize I was doing this in my relationship with God. Lately, I’ve been struggling with my faith — feeling frustrated, distant, and honestly questioning why things weren’t working out the way I thought they should. And as I sat with it, I realized something deeper was going on. In this video, I’m sharing a hard truth I had to face: I was treating my obedience to God like a transaction… expecting Him to show up the way I wanted Him to. We don’t always mean to do this, but it can quietly show up through: unmet expectations frustration when prayers aren’t answered comparing our lives to others or feeling like God “didn’t come through” This isn’t a perfect or polished message — it’s real, it’s raw, and it’s something I’m actively working through in this season of motherhood, life transitions, and growing my faith. If you’ve ever: -felt frustrated with God -questioned His goodness in your life -struggled with your faith in a hard season -or wondered why things aren’t working out I hope this feels like a conversation with a friend who’s figuring it out too. Because maybe it’s not that God isn’t showing up… maybe He’s just not showing up the way we expected. And maybe there’s something deeper He’s trying to do in us. We’re learning, growing, and choosing faith — one day at a time 🤍 ___ ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 – Intro: Following Up on My Faith Struggle 01:00 – Why I Felt Distant From God 02:00 – The Birth Story That Changed My Perspective 03:30 – When God Protects You Differently Than Expected 04:30 – Where Entitlement Comes From (Pride) 05:30 – Control, Ego & Lack of Surrender 06:30 – “Transactional Faith” (Hard Truth) 07:30 – Cultural Christianity vs Real Faith 08:30 – The Reality of Walking With God 10:00 – Signs You Might Be Feeling Entitled 12:00 – When Frustration Pulls You Away From God 13:00 – Comparing Your Life to Others 14:30 – Social Media & Feeling Overlooked 16:00 – Treating Obedience Like a Transaction 18:00 – Hard Questions to Ask Yourself 19:30 – Why I Still Choose God 20:30 – God Is Checking Your Heart 21:30 – Shifting My Perspective 22:30 – Focusing on Gratitude & Truth 23:30 – Remembering God’s Character 24:30 – Final Thoughts & Encouragement Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2107018/support] If you want to participate and interact with the show, head over to www.dannagift.com [http://www.dannagift.com/] where you can submit your topics or questions you want to hear on any upcoming episodes. I'm excited to hear from you!

I Obeyed God and Things Got Worse - My Honest Faith Struggle

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2107018/fan_mail/new] Hey you 🤍 I wanted to sit down and talk to you honestly… because this season of my life hasn’t looked the way I expected it to. My husband and I moved to Miami out of obedience to God. We prayed, we fasted, and we truly believed He was leading us here… but since then, life has felt heavier, harder, and honestly a little confusing. In this video, I’m opening up about what it feels like when your faith doesn’t feel as strong anymore… when God feels quiet… and when life doesn’t match what you thought obedience would bring. This isn’t a “how to have stronger faith” video. This is the real, in-the-middle-of-it version. If you’ve ever: felt like God went silent questioned why your life isn’t working out struggled with your relationship with God felt overwhelmed in a hard season or wondered if you did something wrong… I hope this feels like sitting with a friend who understands. Because even in the silence, I’m learning something I didn’t expect… And maybe you are too. We’re taking this one day at a time 🤍 ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 – Moving to Miami in Faith 01:00 – When Life Gets Hard After Obedience 02:30 – Financial Stress & Unexpected Challenges 03:30 – When Faith Starts to Feel Distant 04:30 – What Do You Do When God Feels Silent? 06:00 – Expectations vs Reality with God 08:00 – Anxiety, Pressure & Feeling Overwhelmed 09:00 – Praying but Not Hearing God 11:00 – Trying to Reconnect Spiritually 13:00 – Questioning If I Did Something Wrong 15:00 – Truth: God Is Not Absent 17:00 – Obedience Doesn’t Equal Immediate Blessings 18:30 – Letting Go of Expectations 20:00 – Finding God Through Gratitude 22:00 – Social Media vs Real Life Expectations 23:00 – Choosing Faith Anyway 24:00 – Rewriting the Story in My Mind 25:00 – Encouragement for You Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2107018/support] If you want to participate and interact with the show, head over to www.dannagift.com [http://www.dannagift.com/] where you can submit your topics or questions you want to hear on any upcoming episodes. I'm excited to hear from you!

Staying Sane in an Insane World - Practical Tips to Create Distance & Boundaries

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2107018/fan_mail/new] In this episode of This Feels Holy, I open up about protecting your peace and staying grounded when the world feels heavy and overwhelming. Between tragic events, constant noise on social media, and the pressures of everyday life, it’s easy to spiral into fear, comparison, or negativity. I share the exact practices that have helped me find balance in the middle of chaos—like morning routines that set the tone for peace, intentional social media detoxes, feeding your spirit through prayer and creativity, and surrounding yourself with life-giving people. You’ll also hear my reflections on God’s role in the middle of a noisy world and how we can choose to amplify His voice above all else. If you’ve been struggling with anxiety, overstimulation, or simply feeling drained by the world, this episode will encourage you to breathe, reset, and step into God’s peace. Timestamps:  00:00 – Why I felt uninspired to share lately  01:00 – Staying sane in an insane world  03:00 – Reflections on Charlie Kirk’s passing and world events  06:00 – My season of isolation and overconsumption  07:00 – Why not checking your phone first thing matters  12:00 – Digital detox tips to protect your mind  15:00 – Feeding your spirit instead of your flesh  19:00 – Creating life-giving routines  21:00 – The importance of surrounding yourself with the right people  25:00 – Moving your body to shift your mindset  27:00 – Final encouragement + prayer Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2107018/support] If you want to participate and interact with the show, head over to www.dannagift.com [http://www.dannagift.com/] where you can submit your topics or questions you want to hear on any upcoming episodes. I'm excited to hear from you!

Real Talk about Pregnancy & The Major Identity Shift into Motherhood

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2107018/fan_mail/new] In today's episode I speak about the struggles I've been facing in identity between motherhood and being a 'boss babe'. I used to be a career-focused woman, wanting to accomplish many things in a day and always working on optimization and productivity. Now? I'm pregnant, feeling all the hormones and the desire to nest and rest! I open up about the battle of the two identities and how motherhood is one I'm still working on learning how to accept.  Thanks for tuning in and I hope we continue to learn and grow from one another! LOVE YA BABES!  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2107018/support] If you want to participate and interact with the show, head over to www.dannagift.com [http://www.dannagift.com/] where you can submit your topics or questions you want to hear on any upcoming episodes. I'm excited to hear from you!