The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Episode: “We’re all pregnant, birth confessions & why you need your mom postpartum”
Date: August 27, 2025
Overview
In this heartfelt, funny, and refreshingly honest episode, Abby welcomes her sister-in-law Addy and friend Coco for a candid roundtable about pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum realities, and the unique dynamics of being pregnant together. With all three women at various stages of expectancy, they share personal confessions, memorable family stories, anxieties, and the importance of support—especially from moms—during the postpartum phase. This conversation is a deep dive into the emotional, physical, and relational highs and lows of growing families.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Rare Experience of Being Pregnant Together
- All three women—Abby, Coco, and Addy—are pregnant at the same time, an overlap they recognize may never happen again.
- Discourse on their due dates leading to cousins being close in age (“all within the same school year grade”) and how those small age gaps seem huge at first but eventually even out.
"For the first, like, two years. It's gonna be so obvious. Like, every month makes a difference... Now they're evening out a lot." — Abby [02:07]
2. Pregnancy Symptoms & Trimester Realness
- Coco’s “worst” trimester: The first, due to morning sickness and exhaustion.
"My first trimester... was way worse than, honestly, most of the symptoms that I've had." — Coco [08:18]
- Addy’s “most difficult”: The third, citing discomfort, soreness, and involuntary grunts.
- Funny anecdotes about pregnancy “grunts” and how even their kids start copying them.
- “CJ started grunting too.” — Addy [09:37]
- Addy theorizes pregnancy gets easier after the second, adopting a workout analogy about “sets.”
"Maybe it'll be like workout sets. Like, your first pregnancy, you know, it's exhausting... by the third set, I typically get a second wind...I'm hoping that's how it is with kids." — Addy [10:23]
3. Birth Stories & Confessions
- Processing birth “outcomes” and feelings of achievement or disappointment. Abby and Addy reflect on unplanned C-sections and their emotional aftermath.
- The importance of preparing for all scenarios, including C-sections.
"I felt a lot of rage because I didn’t have time in the moment to process anything… it felt very hard to make that decision in the moment." — Addy [40:05]
- Coco’s anxiety as her baby was briefly transverse and the emotional preparation for a possible C-section.
“I just start bawling because I’m like, grieving… what that could have been.” — Coco [36:26]
4. Gender Reveals, Announcements & Family Instincts
- Funny and “anticlimactic” recounting of sharing pregnancy news, including accidentally finding out via gym paperwork and shirt clues.
"I think my sister-in-law is pregnant." — Addy (after Coco spotted 'P' for pregnant at the gym) [15:42]
- Discussion about gender disappointment, expectations, and the difference between finding out early or at birth.
"Because we're waiting until birth, the minute you meet your baby, you could literally care less... You're just so excited." — Addy [58:56]
5. Support Systems & Why Moms Are Essential Postpartum
- A powerful theme: the irreplaceable need for maternal/community support in postpartum recovery.
"I needed my mom. I needed women." — Abby [80:33]
- Partners do their best, but some needs only moms and women can meet during and after birth.
"People like to dog on their husbands, but... it's not even that they aren't trying. It's like they just..." — Addy [81:17]
- Reflections on each woman’s husband adjusting or about to adjust to new fatherhood or growing the number of kids.
6. Sibling Dynamics & Big Brother/Little Sister Anticipation
- Adorable stories about older siblings anticipating their new siblings—Griffin talking about Brielle, CJ kissing Addy’s belly, and how children process the idea of a new sibling.
"CJ always lifts my shirt and, like, says hi to baby and kisses baby." — Addy [62:30]
- Shared excitement about cousins growing up together and pondering what mix of boys/girls the family will welcome next.
7. Vulnerability & Birth Experience Comparison
- Honest confessions about comparing births, feeling competitive, and untangling personal achievement from birth outcomes.
"Sometimes when people have, like, a dreamy birth experience, I feel myself being, like... and I was like, that's so ugly. I never want to be that person." — Abby [46:56]
- Acknowledgement that support, vulnerability, and honest conversation help process complicated feelings of pride, disappointment, and jealousy.
8. Postpartum Plans & Mental Health
- Different postpartum strategies: Addy wants to avoid another C-section for easier physical recovery; Abby focuses on preparing for mental health challenges.
- The phenomenon of “sundown scaries” and individualized approaches to recovery—some want to get outside, some prefer to nest.
"My challenge was mental... that's why I felt like I could [be active]. Because I'm like, pain I can just take the medication… but my mental health was so bad that I was like, let me get some endorphins..." — Abby [72:04]
- The value of therapy, and normalizing mental and emotional support postpartum.
"You don't need to be going through major trauma to benefit from therapy." — Abby [35:28]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On Preparing for the Unexpected:
“Pregnancy, birth, they just want to throw curveballs at you all the time.” — Abby [29:06]
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On Community:
“Any problem is just a recipe for disaster... it takes community, it takes getting it out for any healing to start.” — Abby [79:35]
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On the Emotional Weight of Announcements:
“You get one really fun [pregnancy announcement]...the third is a little anticlimactic.” — Abby [18:28]
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On the Power of Nostalgia:
“I am already someone that is, like, deeply nostalgic. Like, me and nostalgia—like that emotion on Inside Out 2...” — Abby [25:33]
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On Comparing & Releasing Control:
“There’s a lot of factors that actually have nothing to do with my ability as a person, as a woman...” — Abby [47:14]
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On Grieving Unexpected Outcomes:
“Grief seems like a strong word, but [I had to grieve] what could have been—a vaginal delivery...” — Coco [36:26]
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On Sibling Love:
"CJ always lifts my shirt and, like, says hi to baby and kisses baby, and he loves talking to baby. It's so sweet." — Addy [62:30]
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On Needing Your Mom Postpartum:
“I rely on Matt for literally 99.9% of everything. That 0.1% ... I needed my mom. And I’m so grateful she was present.” — Abby [80:39]
Timestamps for Major Segments
- 00:29 – Opening thoughts on birth as achievement & postpartum needs
- 01:33 – Three pregnancies; preparing for babies together
- 08:17-09:49 – First vs. third trimester struggles
- 10:23 – The “workout sets” pregnancy analogy
- 15:14 – Finding out about pregnancies accidentally at the gym
- 29:06 – Facing unplanned pregnancy and postpartum experiences
- 36:26 – Processing the possible need for a C-section (Coco’s story)
- 40:05 – Addy discusses disappointment & rage after her C-section
- 46:56 – Abby candidly confesses jealousy over others’ “dreamy” births
- 58:56 – Addy on gender disappointment and finding out at birth
- 80:33 – Why you need your mom postpartum—a recurring, emotional theme
- 82:48 – Comparing how husbands adapt with each subsequent child
Tone and Style
- Honest and Vulnerable: The women openly dissect their expectations, fears, and competitive or jealous feelings.
- Warm and Humorous: Playful teasing about pregnancy “grunts,” the realities of baby announcements, and sibling energy.
- Supportive: Rich with examples of community, sisterhood, and affirming each other's feelings.
- Practical: Willingness to talk openly about therapy, postpartum emotional health, and real-life scenarios.
Conclusion
This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating pregnancy, birth, or the postpartum period—especially those wrestling with the gap between expectations and reality. Abby, Addy, and Coco create a safe, relatable space to share their truest feelings and practical wisdom, reminding listeners: whatever your birth story, you aren’t alone, and support makes all the difference.