We follow Kirsten’s path from noticing things about her child to an autism + ADHD diagnosis, showing how clarity changed home life, school decisions, and self-trust. We talk sensory needs, high masking in girls, 504 vs IEP, and choosing connection over forced resilience.

• trusting instincts alongside expert guidance
• sensory needs hidden as quirks and stims
• second child as context for nervous system differences and what's "typical"
• pandemic chaos
• teacher concerns - they finally see what we've been seeing
• 504 accommodations vs legally binding IEP
• choosing a clinic for diagnostic testing
• diagnosis as language, not stigma, for self-understanding
• school focus on tolerance versus environmental change
• boundaries with systems and protecting family energy
• resources for autistic girls and high-masking profiles

This conversation is a map for parents who feel unseen by charts and checklists. It offers language for advocating with schools, ideas for crafting a home that regulates instead of battles, and resources for recognizing high-masking autistic girls. Most of all, it’s permission to replace “tolerance training” with environments that fit. If this resonates, share it with a friend, subscribe for more grounded conversations, and leave a review so others can find us. Your story could be the lifeline another parent needs today.

Resources:

Yellow Lady Bugs - Podcast, book, source of a ton of info for neurodivergent girls and gender diverse youth

Tilt Parenting/Differently Wired book - This is another awesome resource to help make sense of how to navigate parenting neurodivergent kiddos

Telepathy Tapes - A podcast exploring how some non-speaking autistics communicate.

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with other mamas!
Subscribing to our podcast and leaving us a review is one of the best ways for other people to find us.

You can always email is at mamayoubelong@gmail.com to let us know what you think, leave a story of how the show impacted you, or just say "hey"!

Kirsten's Physical Therapy website

Mama You Belong Instagram

Kirsten's Instagram

Molly's Instagram

Molly’s music on bandcamp

Molly’s website

Kirsten traces the journey from pressure-filled, sleep training newborn days to a more child-centered and connected approach to sleep. Together, we share how postpartum rage became a compass, how sensory needs shaped real rest, and why prioritizing relationship over rules brought relief.

• check in: school strain reaches a tipping point and home education is considered; Molly pursuing an amazing creative endeavor!
• Kirsten's experience as a first time mom. The sleep "shoulds" were HEAVY
• postpartum rage named as boundary signal and guide
• the weight of sleep training culture and external validation
• sensory input, proximity, and ritual as sleep supports
• co-sleeping stigma vs what actually works for rest
• unlearning rigid schedules or expectations and centering relationship over expectations
• grief for lost early weeks and permission to choose differently

Resources:

Duluth Perinatal - perinatal mental health and parenting resources curated by a perinatal mental health therapist

My Connected Motherhood - Sleep consultants WITHOUT SLEEP TRAINING. Love them.

Nurture Neuroscience

Subscribing to our podcast and leaving us a review is one of the best ways for other people to find us. So if you enjoy what you are hearing or if it resonates with you, please subscribe and leave us a review. It would mean a lot.

Kirsten's Physical Therapy website

Mama You Belong Instagram

Kirsten's Instagram

Molly's Instagram

Molly’s music on bandcamp

Molly’s website

Why do so many moms feel like failures when their baby won’t sleep “the right way”? In this honest and vulnerable conversation, we dive into the guilt, shame, and societal pressure surrounding baby sleep regression and the unrealistic standards parents face.

When one of us went through a sudden 15-month toddler sleep regression, she tried every sleep training tip recommended by experts and well-meaning friends. Nothing worked—until car rides became the only solution. But even then, the mom guilt crept in: “Am I a bad mother because I can’t get my baby to sleep without this crutch?”

👉 If you’ve ever asked yourself the same thing, this episode is for you.

What We Talk About in This Episode:

• Why baby sleep isn’t a skill to be trained but a biological function
• The emotional toll of sleep regressions on moms
• Reframing “nighttime parenting” as “nighttime nurturing”
• How questions like “Is your baby sleeping through the night?” fuel shame
• Better ways to support moms during the hardest sleep seasons

Instead of viewing night wakings as failures, we can see them as natural ways our children communicate their needs. Your child isn’t manipulating you; they’re reaching out for comfort—and responding is real parenting work.

If you’re a mom struggling with baby sleep, toddler sleep regressions, or just the overwhelming pressure to “get it right,” this episode will remind you: your worth as a parent has nothing to do with how independently your baby sleeps.

We’d love to hear your story—email us at mamayoubelong@gmail.com
or share this episode with another tired mama who needs encouragement.

Check out the book Molly recommended from our FAV local bookstore!

Nurture Revolution by Greer Kirshenbaum, PhD

And

An awesome influence on socials, Brittany Chambers @goodnightmoonchild

speaking of Brittany..... you need to check out her shop. Her shirts are amazing.

Kirsten's Physical Therapy website

Mama You Belong Instagram

Kirsten's Instagram

Molly's Instagram

Molly's Songs on Spotify