The Second Cutting of the Cord: What Actually Happens When You Go Back to Work

剪断脐带的第二次:重返职场时,究竟发生了什么

Good Inside with Dr. Becky

2026-08-25

42 分钟
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单集简介 ...

Twelve weeks of parental leave. Then you're back at your desk, wondering why it feels so hard. Today we’re posting an episode from Rattled, our podcast for parents of newborns and babies, because it’s about something everybody experiences. It’s the final part of our three-part series with Care.com on finding care for your baby, and it's about a transition nobody preps you for: going back to work. Dr. Becky sits down with Lauren Smith Brody, journalist and author of The Fifth Trimester, who's interviewed hundreds of working moms about this exact moment (and lived it herself). Lauren calls her own first day back "the second cutting of the cord." She's got names for feelings you didn't know had names: benevolent discrimination, gatekeeping, the 0.5x version of yourself who has to show up the second you walk through your front door. They also get practical: how to turn decisions into systems before decision fatigue wrecks your evening, what a "ramp up" program actually looks like, and why mom guilt is, in Lauren's words, "a sexist, classist social construct" you can solve for like a math problem. This episode is brought to you in partnership with Care.com. Find background-checked nannies, sitters, and daycares at Care.com, and use code BECKY35 for 35% off your membership. * Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible: Pampers Easy Ups: Start your potty training journey with Peppa Pig Pampers Easy Ups Airbnb: Host your home or book your next stay on Airbnb LMNT: Get a free gift with your purchase at drinkLMNT.com/goodinside Oso & Me: Use the code OSOGOOD15 for 15% off clothes newborn through age ten Care.com: For a limited time, you can use the code BECKY35 to save 35% on a Care.com Premium Membership.* *Offer applies to initial term of Care.com membership subscriptions. Not applicable to add-on features or non-renewing access fees or services. Expires 10/31/26. Care.com does not employ or place any caregiver. Background checks are an important start, but they have limits. Visit www.care.com/safety. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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  • There's just something about summer that makes parents think, maybe this is the time to finally tackle potty training.

  • And if that's where you are right now, I want to offer a minor reframe.

  • Potty training isn't really about the potty.

  • Now, I know what you're thinking.

  • Um, Dr. Becky, what do you mean?

  • Potty is in the name.

  • But actually, it's really all about independence.

  • See, your kid wants to do more things on their own.

  • Your kid wants to build confidence and feel like a big kid.

  • That's why I like Pampers Easy Ups.

  • They fit and feel more like underwear than a diaper, so kids can practice pulling them up and down on their own.

  • And those moments of, I did it, really matter in confidence building.

  • They even come with Peppa Pig designs, which if you have a toddler, you know can make almost anything more exciting.

  • And because accidents are part of learning, Pampers Easy Ups are designed to protect day and night,

  • which means less stress for you and more room to focus on helping your child learn.

  • The goal isn't a perfectly dry day.

  • The goal is to help your kid feel more capable.

  • And I like that Pampers Easy Ups helps make room for that.

  • We've partnered with Emily Oster, economist and founder of Parent Data.

  • To bring exclusive pregnancy and baby content to the Goodinside app.