45. Motherhood, Then and Now: What We've Lost and Why It Matters with Elena Bridgers
Description
For most of human history, motherhood looked nothing like it does today. So why does it feel so much harder now? In this episode, we sit down with Elena Bridgers, science writer and author of the popular Substack “Motherhood Until Yesterday”, to explore the evolutionary mismatch between how we evolved to mother and how we mother today.
From infant sleep to postpartum mental health and the loss of community in parenting, we break down why modern motherhood feels so overwhelming—and what we can do about it.
In This Episode:
⏳ 00:00 – Why motherhood wasn’t meant to be this hard
⏳ 05:12 – The truth about co-sleeping, sleep training, and what actually works
⏳ 12:45 – How hunter-gatherer mothers raised children—and what we can learn from them
⏳ 20:30 – Postpartum depression: is it really just hormones? Or is something bigger at play?
⏳ 28:10 – The three key factors that made motherhood easier in the past
⏳ 35:25 – Why you don’t have to play with your kids all the time
⏳ 42:00 – How we can reclaim joy and ease in motherhood today
Find Elena:
📖 Motherhood Until Yesterday – Elena’s Substack
📸 Follow Elena on Instagram
Links & Resources:
🔗 The Safe Sleep 7 – Guidelines for safe bed-sharing
😴 Sleep Safety Basics by Sage Mother Co.
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