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

Infertility is one of the most painful and isolating experiences a mother can face. In this raw conversation, we share one mom’s journey of turning pain into purpose—and why sharing real motherhood stories matters for building community and healing.

Meet Kathleen—craniosacral therapist, licensed massage therapist, breathwork teacher, entrepreneur, founder of Smoke Perfume, and mother to 15-month-old daughter, Pearl—as she navigates a perfect storm of overwhelm. With her husband temporarily incapacitated after breaking both arms, her chronic pain intensifying since childbirth, and the demands of running two businesses, Kathleen offers a raw glimpse into the often invisible struggle of modern motherhood.

In this episode:

- infertility, egg donors, and oysters

- a homebirth transfer and birth date surprise

- modern day motherhood overwhelm and community

This conversation serves as a powerful reminder that behind every mother is a complex story of transformation. Whether you're navigating infertility, birth complications, partner illness, or chronic pain, you're not alone. Sometimes life feels held together by scotch tape and random areas of duct tape—fragile yet somehow functioning.

Reach out, find your people, and remember that vulnerability shared becomes strength multiplied.

Kirsten's Physical Therapy website

Mama You Belong Instagram

Kirsten's Instagram

Molly's Instagram

Molly's Songs on Spotify

Why don’t we talk more about the pelvic floor? From postpartum recovery to long-term health, moms are often left in the dark about this essential part of their bodies. In this episode, we break the silence and explore what every mother should know about pelvic floor health.

Pelvic health specialist and physical therapist Kirsten Desmarais, PT, DPT, OCS, shares her journey into pelvic health and explains the interconnectedness of our body systems to the pelvic floor. She details common reasons people seek pelvic floor therapy while debunking myths about what's normal versus common.

• Kirsten's path to specializing in pelvic health began through working with perinatal patients
• The pelvic floor connects to multiple body systems including hips, spine, and visceral organs
• Common reasons for seeking pelvic health care include urinary leaking, pain, pressure sensations, and painful periods
• Pain with intimacy is an undertreated issue that many people suffer with silently due to shame
• The pelvic floor muscles provide stability, control openings, and play a role in intimacy and pleasure
• Postpartum incontinence is commonly accepted as normal when it's actually treatable
• Barriers to seeking care include resources, time, transportation, and insurance limitations
• Pelvic floor function often happens unconsciously, making it easy to disconnect from this area until problems occur

You can find Kirsten through her clinical practice online at empowerorthoandpelvichealth.com or on Instagram at @kirstendesmaraisdpt

Kirsten's Physical Therapy website

Mama You Belong Instagram

Kirsten's Instagram

Molly's Instagram

Molly's Songs on Spotify

Have you ever found yourself spiraling with worry in the middle of the night? You’re not alone. In this vulnerable conversation, we talk about motherhood anxiety, the mental load of moms, and the fears that keep us awake long after our kids are asleep.

Hot dogs for dinner (AGAIN), and summer mom chronicles. We discuss the challenges of transitioning to summer with school-aged children and the struggles of early motherhood, particularly around sleep deprivation and nighttime parenting.

• Children often struggle with unstructured time after the highly stimulated school environment
• The transition to summer routines typically takes about two weeks as kids and parents adjust
• Many children develop high expectations for constant entertainment and struggle with "boring" days at home
• Nervous system co-regulation between parent and child evolves as children grow
• Parents can experience both comfort and anxiety from physical proximity with their children, particularly at bedtime
• Nighttime parenting often brings feelings of dread, especially for mothers of infants
• Many mothers fantasize about escape scenarios when overwhelmed by sleep deprivation
• The endurance test of early motherhood feels particularly difficult because there's no clear end point
• When we feel like we can't go on, we have to either surrender to the process or maintain hope that things will improve soon
• Most mothers experience a gradual shift toward easier days, though the timeline varies for each family

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with other mamas, subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review. Remember, when you're feeling alone, you still belong.

Kirsten's Physical Therapy website

Mama You Belong Instagram

Kirsten's Instagram

Molly's Instagram

Molly's Songs on Spotify

Perinatal mental health struggles like postpartum depression and anxiety impact far more moms than we realize. In this powerful interview we discuss the stigma, the silence, and the support moms deserve but rarely get.

Perinatal mental health specialist Celleste Schnellbach, MS, LMFT, PMH-C of Duluth Perinatal joins us to break down the realities of maternal mental health challenges, offering both professional expertise and personal experience as a survivor of postpartum OCD. She is also the Vice Chair for Pregnancy Postpartum Support International - MN Chapter!

• Celleste shares her personal journey with postpartum OCD, including terrifying intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors
• Perinatal mental health encompasses conditions during pregnancy, post-loss, or the year postpartum
• Common diagnoses include depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar disorders, birth trauma/PTSD, and psychosis
• The threshold for seeking help should be "whenever something feels off" – you don't need to be suffering to deserve support
• Bringing babies to therapy is not only possible but provides valuable clinical information...don't let that be the barrier to accessing therapy if you need support
• Managing nervous system regulation includes identifying whether you're in hyper-arousal (fight or flight) or hypo-arousal (freeze) states
• Repair after dysregulation is crucial – it's not about perfect parenting but how you reconnect after difficult moments with your kids
• Self-judgment and "shoulds" can prevent mothers from seeking the help they deserve

Looking for support for perinatal mental health concerns? Start here.

For MN specific support, click here.

Would you like to see Celleste as a patient at Duluth Perinatal? Find out more here.

Kirsten's Physical Therapy website

Mama You Belong Instagram

Kirsten's Instagram

Molly's Instagram

Molly's Songs on Spotify

Parenting conversations often leave fathers out—but dads belong too. In this episode, Phil Desmarais and Chad Hilgenberg share their stories of becoming fathers, navigating belonging, and finding their voice in the journey of parenting alongside moms.

Phil Desmarais is the Director of Performance at Excel North Physical Therapy and Performance in Duluth, MN.

Chad Hilgenberg is a general contractor and carpenter, and is the owner of Hilgenberg Construction LLC in Duluth, MN.

Kirsten's Physical Therapy website

Mama You Belong Instagram

Kirsten's Instagram

Molly's Instagram

Molly's Songs on Spotify