055: Trending: Emily Oster’s new book, 15 mother-daughter trips & more
Plus: Male birth control, celebs talking maternal mental health, and free photos for our readers!
Welcome to Two Truths, a bestselling newsletter & media brand exploring the many truths of motherhood from journalists & maternal health advocates Cassie Shortsleeve of Dear Sunday Motherhood & Kelsey Haywood Lucas of Motherspeak. Two Truths is rooted in the healing & affirming principle that two (or more) things can be true. It’s a “best parenting Substack” per Motherly; also seen in The Skimm, Vox, The Bump, Popsugar & more.
This is Two Truths: Trending, a regular feature where we read the internet so you don’t have to. Two Truths: Trending delivers a digest of motherhood-related highlights & headlines — all curated & contextualized with maternal mental health in mind.
In this issue:
Emily Oster’s new book, The Unexpected: Navigating Pregnancy During and After Complications, speaks to higher-risk pregnancies
Viral PSA talks maternal mental health with big names
A special offer for our readers: Save 20% on Perelel supplements, wellness products, merch & more
A new form of male birth control is currently in development
Perineal massage can be equal parts enticing and confusing; does it work?
In 2025, New Yorkers can take PTO for prenatal appointments
Congress officially recognized ‘Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week’—a huge step forward for the visibility of maternal mental health
“One out of every 50 babies born in the U.S. was conceived via IVF. Why is the industry so poorly regulated?”
‘The Woman Who Got Your Best Friend Pregnant’—a look at the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility, a.k.a. the ‘reproductive manual embraced by both the right and the left’
A ‘hidden pregnancy experiment’ in which one writer attempts to hide her pregnancy from her phone
Elaine Welteroth and CNN anchor Abby Phillip in conversation with Glamour about midwifery care, Black maternal health, and fixing birth in this country
An essay about the question of whether or not to have a child — what it means and why it’s worth pondering
‘The Children Who Remember Their Past Lives’ and the medical facility that keeps a database of the cases
15 “just right” mother-daughter trips for 2024 from Sedona to Portugal just in time for Mother’s Day
Our Mother’s Day gift to you: Get a free set of prints with any Artifact Uprising purchase (plus 20% off the entire site)
Cassie’s aunt and cousin go viral with the sweetest Mother’s Day surprise
As always, our list of maternal mental health resources
Happy Mother’s Day to the mothers, all of those who ‘mother,’ those who long to be mothers, those who love mothers, those who find Mother’s Day restful and full of ease, those who find it challenging or full of grief, and those who find themselves somewhere in the middle. We’ll remind you of the premise of this newsletter, which is that two things (or more) can be true. We’ll also remind you of this: It’s okay if Mother’s Day is happy, and it’s okay if it’s hard, and it’s okay if it just is.
—Cassie & Kelsey
Emily Oster’s new book, The Unexpected: Navigating Pregnancy During and After Complications, speaks to higher-risk pregnancies
The book, co-written by Nathan Fox, M.D., a professor of obstetrics and gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, explores common pregnancy issues such as loss, hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), perinatal mental health conditions such as postpartum depression, health complications such as preeclampsia, and more. The book provides nuance, context, and—yes—data to answer the question, ‘But what if I have/have had a complication?’
» Buy the book here.
Viral PSA talks maternal mental health with big names
For a star-studded new campaign called ‘Is Mommy Okay?,’ the women’s health app Natural Cycles partnered with Postpartum Support International (PSI) on a PSA that sheds light on the realities of new motherhood and targets topics like mom guilt, asking for help, feeling like you’re failing, and more. The campaign has over 5.5 million views and celeb Reels from actresses Halle Bailey, Stephanie Beatriz, and Ashley Tisdale, advocate and journalist Elaine Welteroth, and model Tess Holliday. The campaign also highlights PSI’s many wonderful resources for moms and Natural Cycles' new postpartum support program.
[partner content]
Save 20% on Perelel supplements, wellness products, merch & more
ICYMI: Two Truths readers can use the exclusive twotruths code for 20% off a first-time purchase. Stock up on vitamin packs tailored to your exact life stage (like conception support, the three trimesters of pregnancy, motherhood support, egg freezing, and menstrual cycle support) blendable powders (for sleep, libido, etc.), other health and wellness boosters (like probiotics and iron supps), and so much more. Also, don’t miss the merch — like our favorite “fund women’s health” tees. Your Perelel purchase helps in the fight to fund women’s health and get mothers access to the care they need and deserve. (Learn more about the $10 million Perelel Pledge here.)
» Shop here and use the code twotruths to save 20%
A new form of male birth control is currently in development
Plan A for Men is a non-hormonal, fully reversible male contraceptive. Learn about it in this three-minute NPR listen.
Perineal massage can be equal parts enticing and confusing; does it work?
If you’ve ever been to pelvic floor physical therapy—or, honestly, spent any time on MomTok—you’ve likely learned about perineal massage, a technique sometimes recommended in the later stages of pregnancy, and even during birth, to lower the likelihood of tearing during vaginal birth. Perineal massage involves a light ‘stretching’ of the perineum, and while social media is full of claims that it can help achieve a ‘no tear’ birth, the research on the topic is fairly mixed—and less conclusive. We liked this post from pelvic floor physical therapist Rebecca Maidansky, PT, DPT (aka @ladybirdPT), which breaks down some recent research on the topic and delivers tangible takeaways (see the last two slides for those).
Two recent political wins for moms
In 2025, New Yorkers can take PTO for prenatal appointments. “Employees are now able to receive an additional 20 hours of paid sick leave for prenatal care in addition to the existing sick leave,” said Governor Kathy Hochul in a press release regarding the state’s 2025 budget. The news makes New York the first state to create a “paid prenatal leave” for parents.
Congress officially recognized ‘Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week’—a huge step forward for the visibility of maternal mental health. “We are thrilled that Congress is recognizing Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week this year and know it will be the first of many years to come,” said Joy Burkhard, Executive Director of the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health.
7 long reads for your Sunday morning
(We hope you’re scrolling these with hot coffee and time to yourself.)
“One out of every 50 babies born in the U.S. was conceived via IVF. Why is the industry so poorly regulated?” via The Atlantic by Emi Nietfeld.
‘The Woman Who Got Your Best Friend Pregnant’—a look at the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility, a.k.a. the ‘reproductive manual embraced by both the right and the left’ via The Cut by Sara Harrison.
A ‘hidden pregnancy experiment’ in which Jia Tolentino for The New Yorker attempts to hide her pregnancy from her phone.
Elaine Welteroth and CNN anchor Abby Phillip in conversation with Glamour about midwifery care, Black maternal health, and fixing birth in this country.
An essay about the question of whether or not to have a child — what it means and why it’s worth pondering by Mara Van Der Lugt for Time.
‘The Children Who Remember Their Past Lives’ and the medical facility that keeps a database of the cases by Caitlin Gibson for The Washington Post
15 “just right” mother-daughter trips for 2024 from Sedona to Portugal just in time for Mother’s Day by Cassie Shortsleeve for Condé Nast Traveler.
Our Mother’s Day gift to you: Get a free set of prints with any Artifact Uprising purchase (plus 20% off the entire site)
As moms, preserving memories is paramount; it’s how we honor and archive all the little moments we want to remember forever. We’re longtime fans and customers of Artifact Uprising for all things photobooks, frames, prints, and other thoughtful photo gifts. This Mother’s Day weekend, we’re teaming up with the brand for a special offer for Two Truths readers: Use the code twotruths20 to save 20% site-wide from now until May 12, and you’ll also receive a free everyday print set (25 5x7 prints) after your purchase. (Tip: We love displaying prints in the AU display box or any bowl).
Details: The 20% off code will be valid through midnight MST on Sunday, 5/12/24. After you make a purchase with the code TWOTRUTHS20, you will receive an email with a code for a FREE set of 25 5x7 prints. You will receive the code within 1-2 days of initial purchase. Code for free everyday print set expires on 5/26/24.
And we’ll leave you with this:
Cassie’s aunt and cousin go viral with the sweetest Mother’s Day surprise.
✨ Thanks for reading! To support this work (done between naps, after bedtimes, and before school pickups), please consider upgrading to a paid subscription (it’s just $5/month or $50/year to get the premium experience — every single issue, exclusive content and giveaways, access to the full archive of content, and more). You can also hit the heart button to tell us you enjoyed this issue, share it on social media (don’t forget to tag @twotruthsmotherhood on IG), or forward it to a friend. We appreciate you. —Cassie and Kelsey
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Resources and Support For Maternal Mental Health
Emergency assistance is available 24/7 at 911
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 988
The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline (1-833-TLC-MAMA or 1-833-852-6262) provides access to a trained counselor 24/7 and is available in Spanish and English
Postpartum Support International provides educational resources on PMADs, free support groups, webinars, advanced trainings for providers, and more
Postpartum Support International’s provider directory includes a list of thousands of trained professionals organized by state
The Motherhood Center offers counseling, support groups, and webinars
The Postpartum Stress Center offers educational resources, counseling, a referral list of trained providers, and advanced training for providers
SUPPORT YOUR MENTAL HEALTH WITH POSTPARTUM SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL (PSI). PSI is a global champion for perinatal mental health that connects individuals and families to the resources and support needed to give them the strongest and healthiest start possible. Visit postpartum.net for information on perinatal mental health disorders, access to 30+ free, online support groups, an online provider directory, the PSI HelpLine, local support coordinators, a perinatal mental health discussion tool, specialized support resources, and more. Call the PSI HelpLine toll-free at 1-800-944-4773 for basic information, support, and resources. Support via text message is also available at 800-944-4773 (English) and 971-203-2773 (Español). Remember: You are not alone. You are not to blame. With help, you will be well.