Pandemic Parenting with Chronic Illness with Sarah and Jeffrey

I’ve been wanting to talk about parenting with chronic illness for some time, since it’s a big part of my everyday life. I’m sitting down with myself and my husband to talk about his experiences with fibromyalgia, and what it’s like raising the most energetic four-year-old boy. This week, episode 31 of Poised & Powerful Podcast is sharing how we handled pandemic parenting with chronic illness! 

When getting ready for a baby, it’s so easy for YOU to get lost in the shuffle. This is why I want to share with you my parent-centered pregnancy class. Let’s support your ongoing well-being as a parent: relieve aches and pains, minimize responses to stress, unwind and sleep better. Join me for an *online* 6 week series: https://poisedpowerfulparenthood.com/pregnancy-class

Do you need a weekend from the weekend? Drop into the online Sunday Scaries Support group class: https://poisedpowerfulparenthood.com/take-a-break

Jeffrey Tran’s previous life included dropping out of a physics PhD program to be a ballroom dance instructor. His high-pressure career in the trading industry was interrupted by his health conditions. Now he likes to connect online with his people in the chronic illness community and to advocate for those with chronic health conditions, and parents of children under five.

In this episode of Poised & Powerful Podcast, my husband and I discuss the following:

• The winding roads to getting diagnosed with chronic illness. How a chronic illness can ebb and flow, but that isn’t the same as “getting better.” 
• How having a chronic illness as a parent changes the parenting game, and how we co-parent our child with our own limited energy levels. 
• The baggage around wanting to appear normal and do what “every other family is doing” with their children, versus the reality of having a family where chronic illness affects our decisions. 
• The power in asking each other for what we need, and how we draw in outside support.

Being a parent of a young child and having a chronic illness, or having a partner with a chronic illness, is life-altering. Your lifestyle isn’t going to look like everyone else’s, and that’s ok. We’ve learned to speak up and ask for help when we need it, and are learning our new normal.

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me!  And don’t forget to follow, rate and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!

Learn more about Poised & Powerful and Sarah at https://poisedpowerfulparenthood.com/interviews

CONNECT WITH Jeffrey Tran:

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Work with Sarah! 

Mentioned: The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness by Meghan O’Rourke (affiliate link)