Fresh Take: Dr. Rebecca N. Thompson on the Healing Power of Shared Stories

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood | Parenting Tips From Funny Moms

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood

Kids & Family, Comedy, Parenting

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 11 April 2025

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this conversation, Dr. Rebecca N. Thompson, author of the new book HELD TOGETHER, shares her experiences as a family medicine physician specializing in women's and children's health, focusing on her journey through pregnancy complications and losses. She discusses the importance of storytelling in healing, the interconnectedness of personal and professional experiences, and the collaborative nature of her book, 'Held Together.' Through the stories of herself and others, she emphasizes the complexities of motherhood, the medical profession, and the shared struggles that unite us all. Rebecca N. Thompson, MD, is a family medicine and public health physician who specializes in women’s and children’s health. Dr. Thompson and Amy discuss: Dr. Thompson's journey through pregnancy loss shaped her medical focus. Storytelling can be a powerful tool for healing and connection. Women often hide their struggles due to fear of pity or shame. The importance of sharing personal stories to foster understanding. Here's where you can find Dr. Thompson and buy HELD TOGETHER: www.rebeccanthompson.com We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson. mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, parental stress, pregnancy, pregnancy loss, new mother, pregnancy complication, miscarriage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:27.7	slash setup.
0:28.7	Hey everybody welcome to fresh take from what fresh hell laughing in the face of motherhood.
0:37.4	This is Amy.
0:38.4	Today I'm talking to Dr. Rebecca N. Thompson.
0:41.9	She is a family medicine and public health physician who specializes in women's and children's health.
0:48.5	She is the author of the new book, Held Together, a shared memoir of motherhood, medicine, and imperfect love. She's joining us today to
0:57.0	talk about her experiences of going through pregnancy complications and losses as a doctor herself
1:02.4	and the collaborative storytelling project that these experiences inspired with her patients,
1:08.0	friends, and medical colleagues. Welcome, Becca. Thanks, Amy. Thanks for this opportunity. So you focus on women and families in your clinical practice.
1:16.2	Tell me first how you came to that decision as you were becoming a doctor.
1:19.9	Yeah, well, it's actually because of the things that we went through that we talk about in the book.
1:25.1	So back when I was first finishing up that initial
1:29.1	public health residency, I was taking on my first job out of residency and decided that was
1:36.2	about a reasonable time to think about having a family, right? So my husband and I ended up going
1:41.1	through three complicated pregnancy losses, including two that were life-threatening to me
1:46.6	right as I was making that transition from resident into new attending. And in spite of all of my
1:54.5	medical knowledge and experience, I just felt discouraged and overwhelmed. And I was pretty hesitant to talk about any of this.
	...

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