Sunday Sports Club with Allison Kuch

Episode: MLB Playoffs and Postpartum with Guest Reagan Bregman
Date: September 21, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Allison Kuch sits down with Reagan Bregman—entrepreneur, wife, and mother of two whose husband plays third base in the MLB—for an honest, insightful conversation about the realities of postpartum life and motherhood in the world of professional sports. They unpack the mental and logistical challenges of raising kids while married to an athlete, frequent moves between cities, building a support system, identity as a working mom, and handling the ever-present “mental load.” The conversation is candid, relatable, and supportive, offering encouragement and community to moms navigating similar transitions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Navigating Postpartum in a Professional Sports Family

• Allison highlights the unique perspective: “You guys love hearing from women when it comes to postpartum, and what that looks like differently when it comes to being married to a professional athlete, or being a professional athlete themselves.” (00:14)
• Reagan reflects on postpartum:
  • She’s 12 weeks postpartum with her second child and still very much feeling the changes—“I still have to remind myself, too. I'm like, I'm literally…like 12 weeks postpartum. Like, it's still so new.” (01:04)
  • Both agree postpartum lasts longer than the label suggests, often a full year: "I think I specifically remember my daughter's first birthday and thinking to myself, wow, I feel really great. Like…I’m feeling like more me." (02:04)
• First vs. Second Baby Experience:
  • First postpartum year was filled with anxiety and uncertainty—Reagan says it took “a solid year before…the anxiety really started to go down.” (03:52)
  • Reagan openly discusses her struggle with postpartum anxiety: “I had the worst postpartum anxiety. Looking back, I've learned so much the second time around that it's been a lot better…I hope I’ll feel like myself sooner.” (03:37)

2. The Transition from One to Two Kids

• Which is harder—0 to 1 or 1 to 2?
  • Reagan: “0 to 1 just rocked my world…It was such a shell shock.” (05:57)
  • She feels more confident and prepared as a second-time mom—“I know what kind of mom I am, too…I’m more confident in that.” (06:22)
  • Allison agrees: “The learning curve is huge. And then on top of that, for me, I wanted everything to be perfect. Somewhere from her being a newborn to a year old, I was like, I have to pick and choose my battles.” (07:03)

3. Parenting and Partnership When Your Spouse Is an Athlete

• Absence of Partner & Building a Support Network:
  • Reagan describes coming home from the hospital with her first, husband immediately departing for a road trip. No friends with kids—she turned to "baseball mom friends" for support. (04:20)
  • The second time, she’s clearer on her needs and better at asking for help. “It’s been better because of me saying what I need.” (08:17)
• Communicating Needs:
  • The first postpartum, “I didn’t know how to ask for help…I thought it was normal” to have persistent, irrational fears but later recognized these as part of postpartum anxiety, learning to “have other people show up for me too.” (09:58)
  • Reagan’s husband has learned to show up in different ways, even when he can’t be physically present. (10:27)

4. The Mental Load, Burnout, and Building a Village

• Allison notes: “The mental load is so much bigger because you’re having to pick up the slack of your partner constantly not being there…Surely I can work full-time and be a stay-at-home mom. So many women do that…you are insane. Like, insanely incredible.” (14:53, 15:13)
• Reagan’s shift in perspective: Initially resisted outside help, wanted to “do it myself,” but now actively hires sitters and relies on family—“I really believe in the village, like you do. It takes a village. And it really helped.” (13:35)
• Both share how community and flexible help is crucial for happiness and burnout prevention.
  • “A happier mom is…the key to a happy family.” (15:47)
  • “When you come back [from work], you’re just, like, present and happier…it makes everybody happier.” (16:20)

5. Moving: The Logistics & Emotional Realities

• Frequent Moves:
  • Reagan recalls a rapid move during her third trimester due to her husband’s MLB trade—“We moved within…a week and a half. Like, it was crazy fast.” (11:44)
  • She outsourced packing/unpacking, focused on watching her toddler—“I was a lot more like, okay, I need to hire people…I’ve got to, like, sit down and, like, yes, kind of coordinate.” (24:01)
  • Over time, she cares less about the house details, brings comforts like her espresso machine, and gives herself three months to “feel at home”—“It takes me three months to really adjust and really feel at home in a place.” (26:30)
• Finding Community: Feeling at home is about people and routine—meeting other moms, knowing where to go, and finding family-friendly spots. (27:57)

6. The MLB Family Life: Support, Travel, and Making Friends

• MLB Support Systems:
  • Changing teams can be daunting, but Reagan found the Red Sox welcoming, with a family liaison and resources for wives—“I was able to…manage that event and still go and show up. They were really welcoming…what kind of help do you need?” (31:02-32:00)
  • MLB families don’t usually fly with the team except on annual family trips or postseason. Most travel is solo, adding to the challenge. (34:12)
  • Community among wives/girlfriends is vital but requires “go with the flow” flexibility: “Our life changes. Everything changes all the time…If I don’t, my life—I would be, like, going crazy.” (36:47)

7. Adapting Children & Family Schedules

• Kids’ Adaptability:
  • Children are resilient with moves and changes—“He was thriving, like loved it…[Kids] are very adaptable.” (42:47)
  • Reagan isn’t a “scheduled mom” by necessity—“If I plan too much, things go so haywire that it doesn’t work…” (43:18)
  • Allison notes travel flexibility: “Wake windows—if we’re in the car, you’re sleeping…naps on the go. Us being very, like, hey, we’re fluid, so we need this baby to be fluid.” (44:28)
• Parenting Style & Lifestyle:
  • Reagan wants to enjoy life with her kids and adjust routines for family happiness—“I want to enjoy my life with my kids. That may sound selfish but…if we can go out and make it out to a restaurant, and he can nap in the car…we could both enjoy together.” (46:08)
  • MLB family schedules are “not ideal for kids or school,” but it’s about making it work for the family context. (48:12)

8. Looking Forward

• Proud Accomplishments:
  • Most proud of managing postpartum the first time—"One of the most challenging things in my life…so hard looking back, just mentally more than anything." (50:41)
• Next Chapter:
  • Excited for her children to be old enough to play and travel together as a family—“I can’t wait for that chapter…our life is crazy, all these travel adventures, but I think that will be a really fun phase.” (52:51)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On postpartum anxiety:
  “I was worried buildings were going to fall on him…and I was like, oh, that's normal…I have a baby. Of course I'm worried the building’s going to fall down.”
  — Reagan (08:17)

• On self-reliance vs. accepting help:
  “I had this intense…‘just, I didn’t want to have help, I could do it myself’…but I learned over time…it takes a village.”
  — Reagan (13:35)

• On finding your parenting style:
  “It's okay if I'm not like everyone else, because this is what works for our lifestyle and our family.”
  — Reagan (48:12)

• On frequent moves:
  “I know that I can live with less…I always travel with my coffee machine, my espresso machine. It just makes me feel at home.”
  — Reagan (25:29)

• On happy families:
  “A happier mom is…the key to a happy family. I actually think there’s research on that.”
  — Allison (15:47)

• On traveling with kids:
  “How did you get her to adjust to being on planes?...She doesn’t know any different.”
  — Allison (47:14)

• On asking for help and community:
  “It makes you feel a little less crazy for feeling that way…and like, hey, this happens to people, you’re not nuts.”
  — Reagan (10:27)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Postpartum realities and anxiety – 00:49-04:20
• Transitioning from one to two children – 05:38-08:17
• Partners on the road, asking for help – 08:17-10:29
• Moving during pregnancy and NFL/MLB logistics – 11:03-14:39
• Parenting burnout and accepting help – 14:39-17:29
• Making a home in a new city – 22:24-27:29
• Finding new community/connections – 27:29-33:07
• MLB family travel and support systems – 34:12-36:47
• Kids adapting to change – 42:33-44:28
• Flexible parenting and lifestyle choices – 44:28-49:21
• What’s next for Reagan and her family – 52:36-54:08
• Rapid fire questions (fun segment) – 54:08-55:02

Tone & Closing Thoughts

The conversation is warm, funny, and honest, balancing raw details of motherhood anxiety with lighthearted admissions about coffee machines as comfort and toddlers taking over baseball stadiums. Both women champion openness about mental health, the importance of community, and respecting every parent’s unique journey. There’s reassurance for those enduring challenging transitions—a sense of camaraderie and shared strength.

Find Reagan Bregman:
Instagram: @ReaganElizabeth

Find Allison Kuch:
Podcast on all platforms | Instagram: @allisonkuch

Best for:

• Sports fans interested in “real life” off the field
• New moms, especially those navigating postpartum, working motherhood, or frequent relocations
• Anyone seeking reassurance that imperfection and flexibility are part of thriving during change