Our listeners respond to an email from the last episode and we talk about the many positives of traveling with a single child. We also discuss our recent vacation and how freeing it is to be out of the baby stage and not planning on having another in regards to planning, attending, and affording a nice family trip. We read several stories about people who have experienced epiphanies about their own family plans before even trying for their first, a family who opted for adoption and has an...

For some of us, the decision to be one and done came partially from a difficult experience in the NICU. It can be incredibly traumatizing to see your child struggle as you are recuperating from childbirth and just learning how to be a parent. Dear NICU Mama is a nonprofit organization that has created a community of past and present NICU moms and works to support and connect them in their healing journey. We were so lucky to be able to chat with Ashley and Martha and learn more about how they...

This episode talks about some triggering issues, so if you aren’t in a space to think about miscarriage or traumatic birth, feel free to skip - we totally understand. It’s always so important for us to give a voice to everyone who is one and done, and sometimes the reasons behind that choice are painful. We just want to reiterate that this space is for people who are OAD both by choice or by circumstance. We discuss the many responses we received about gray-area birth trauma and how it...

We are so pleased to share an interview that Jess had with Pamela Druckerman, author of Bringing Up Bebe. This was the first (and only) parenting book Jess read during her pregnancy, and although the author has more than one child, the attitude of French parenting has shaped the way we parent. We chat about maintaining your identity after having a child, American expectations of mothers, and the pressures we tend to put on ourselves. It was absolutely fascinating to speak with this...

This is a very special episode because we are giving Pierce the week off! We are celebrating his Father's Day this weekend, and the hardworking dad he is deserved a break - especially since our recording studio is over 100 degrees! Luckily, our friend Amy stepped in and co-hosted with Jess, and it turned out to be a great conversation. Jess announces this episode that she has started managing podcasts, inspired by Amy's work-in-progress show and instagram page, Grow Up! Follow her here for...

Buckle up folks, because this week we're diving into all things one and done and the family size culture of religion - specifically Mormonism! We are so fortunate to have Lindsay Helm join us, who is a former only child who independently converted to Mormonism as a teenager and left the church many years later. She and her husband are currently raising their only child and we talk a lot about how the culture surrounding religion can have a big impact on how many children you may feel inclined...

We are back with a studio episode after a busy couple of weeks! We read stories from folks who have thoughts on deciding what to do with remaining embryos and talk about how procedures vary from country to country. We also have a story from a listener who created a one and done page specifically for LGBTQ+ parents of only children. Next, we talk about what it could mean to know when you are really done trying for a second and ways to hold space for that. We also hear from a listener who...

We are so pleased to be able to share this interview with Bryce from @mombrain.therapist on Instagram! Bryce is a mental health therapist and a mom of two via the long road of infertility and loss. Her platform has inspired ours in so many ways. She allows parents the space to talk openly about mental health and share anonymously what is going on in their lives. We chat about supporting moms post partum, speaking openly about mental health, and how only children are not all that different...

We love when parents are able to use their own experiences and create a space for real, unfiltered conversations. That's what Kaila at Parent Tell Podcast is all about. She and Jess bond over being parents of toddlers, podcast hosts, and moms of one in this episode where you can practically hear a friendship blossoming in real time. Check out the interview Jess did on her podcast this week as well, Parent Tell is available wherever you get your podcasts. You can follow Parent Tell on...

While discussing ways to cope with being one and done when it’s not your decision, we realize there often isn’t enough emphasis on the positive parts of parenting. We chat about some of the really great stuff as well as things that are way different about raising a child than we thought they would be. We read several stories about people who had traumatic pregnancies, long lost siblings, and ask our IVF listeners to weigh in on when is the right time to do something about your unused...

Firstly, quick trigger warning: this episode talks about miscarriage both in a general sense and in a detailed/graphic story. We were incredibly humbled to have Jessica Zucker, author of the powerful memoir about her miscarriage entitled ‘I Had A Miscarriage,’ on the show. She is a PHD psychologist and a brilliant author. Her work in alleviating the stigma around women’s issues will absolutely resonate with our community - even though she has multiple children. We hope you find this interview...

This episode talks about some triggering issues, so if you aren’t in a space to think about infertility or infant loss, feel free to skip - we totally understand. It’s always so important for us to give a voice to everyone who is one and done, and sometimes the reasons behind that choice are painful. We just want to reiterate that this space is for people who are OAD both by choice or by circumstance. We read several stories about people whose traumatic childhoods shaped their decisions to...

We are so pleased to share an interview that Jess had with Lauren Sandler, author of “One and Only: The Freedom of Having an Only Child, and the Joy of Being One”. We were lucky enough to have her on the show and she shared insights about having/being an only child, changing the norms of what life and parenthood should look like, and gave a unique insight to what the future of parenting an only may be like. If you haven’t already, pick up One and Only at your local bookstore or library! Be...

We go a little bit deep in this episode and are feeling a tad more vulnerable than usual - you will definitely get to know us better! We read responses to last weeks’ question about adoption and fostering and talk about the ways we misunderstood what that process may look like. Jess talks a bit about the re-parenting work she is doing in her own life and in therapy and we read a question about whether having a traumatic childhood impacts your decision on being one and done. We also read an...

Surprise! This is a mid-week bonus episode!! Our Patreon supporter and close friend Ashley wrote this episode all about the environmental impacts of being one and done, and we thought Earth Day was the perfect time to release it. We chat about how to source clothing and baby gear from second shops or friends, and what to do with items as our only children grow out of them. We also discuss how it feels to get rid of our kids' stuff, and the difficult feelings that can sometimes come with...

In this episode, Jess interviews Julie Johnson of You Need A Counselor. They chat about the stigma around seeing a therapist, being one and done parents, and everything in between! Find episodes of You Need A Counselor wherever you get your podcasts. Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook and email us your story to be featured on our show! Also remember to leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. Starting in April, we will be launching a book club! You can find the audiobook...

Today marks 6 months since our very first episode ever aired AND it’s National Only Child Day! To top it all off, it’s episode 26 - Jess’s lucky number. In this episode, we bring humor, good spirits, and words of affirmation to our listeners’ advice, emails, and questions. We received a ton of responses to last weeks’ questions and will be spreading out the answers over the next few episodes. We read many of your strategies on dealing with intrusive questions people ask about your family size...

In this episode, Jess interviews Vanessa Gorelkin, an occupational therapist and mental health advocate. She is the parent of an only child and is able to speak with experience on how it feels when people make comments about being one and done. We talk about coping skills, comebacks, and how to preserve our relationships with others in this in depth episode. We were so lucky to be able to have her on the show and both learned so much from her sage advice. Find Vanessa’s website here! Email us...

Hello everyone out there! We are switching up the format of our podcast a little bit. So far, we have done our best to devote episodes to topics we thought were important for parents of only children. Now, we want to know what YOU want to talk about! Each week we will be taking questions or stories on a wider range of topics so that everyone’s voices can be heard. We have recently received emails and messages about feelings of guilt, being in a “gray area” of being one and done, and how to...

All parents have different opinions on screen time, but most of us can agree that some kids’ shows and movies are better than others. In this mini episode, Jess interviews Deborah and Katie of It’s My Screen Time Too, a podcast where two moms review the TV and movies made for their kids. We chat about the pros and cons of screen time, how to use it in moderation (pandemic notwithstanding), and why it’s OK to not feel guilty about letting your children watch TV or use tablets. They also took...

We asked our Instagram followers to submit questions for parenting coach MegAnne Ford, and they delivered! Topics ranged from tantrums, discipline, and positive parenting to socialization and the effects of the pandemic on only children who are not in school or daycare. MegAnne is such a kind and compassionate coach who took the time to empathize with how one and done parents can have a different experience than other parents and what ways we can make sure we are taking care of ourselves as...

PSA: This episode talks about some of the negative aspects of growing up as an only child and having an only child as well as birth trauma and divorce - feel free to skip if you are not in a good headspace for that subject matter. While we usually like to focus on the positive aspects of having only children, it is our responsibility to let every voice be heard and honor both sides of the equation. For many people, being one and done is not a choice and having difficult feelings about it is...

In a perfect world, both parents would agree on how many children they want and those opinions would never change. However, for many of our listeners, that is not the case. Sometimes after having a child, people change their mind on having more. Other times, having one is a compromise in itself for folks who didn’t want any children in the first place. Being one and done is not always a decision made easily and we wanted to discuss what happens in a relationship when it is not a mutual...

We wanted to do something a little more lighthearted after our two part series on anxiety, so we are doing another Only You Podcast game night! In this mini episode, we play the party game "two truths and a lie" with an only child twist! Jess and Pierce each choose three famous musicians to quiz each other on, two of them are only children and one is not. We try to guess which person is the lie and have a lot of fun chatting about why we came to that conclusion.The musicians in question are,...

In the second half of a two-part episode series, we are discussing anxiety! This is something we got a pretty huge response about so we wanted to make sure to include as many emails as we could. We dive a little more into why the pandemic has caused Jess’s anxiety to worsen and what it feels like to have a child with pre-existing conditions. We also discuss the difference between being cautious and being overly paranoid and how that line can be very blurry, especially since there are still a...