Happy With Baby

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Happy With Baby Providing new, expecting, and veteran parents with education, encouragement, and support for their r https://www.happywithbaby.com/links

Catherine O'Brien, MA, LMFT works with new parents and new moms so that they can be Happy With Baby. She loves helping them with this transition to parenthood because so many new parents are struggling to manage their relationships now that baby is here and moms are often struggling with anxiety and depression and feel it is taboo to talk about. She gives them the tools and resources they need to help them feel better as their family changes.

10/17/2026

Your kids’ calendars are full of opportunities. But when was the last time you made space for your relationship?

Between practices, school events, appointments, and everything else family life brings, it’s easy to keep putting your partner on the back burner.

And it’s not about choosing your partner over your kids. It’s about making sure your relationship gets the care and attention it needs, too.

Before adding one more thing to your family’s schedule, pause and ask: What will this yes cost us?

In my latest YouTube video, I share how you can protect your relationship while still being there for your kids.

Curious how to find that balance? Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/2bJnAgDNqTU

10/13/2026

If everyone in your household suddenly seems more annoying, it might be time to check your calendar, not your relationships.

Sometimes irritability is a sign that you're carrying too much for too long. The schedules, school emails, appointments, planning, and all the things no one else realizes you're keeping track of can add up.

Instead of asking, “Why am I so irritable?” try asking, “Where has my life gotten too full?”

In my latest YouTube video, I talk about the mental load and how couples can start sharing it more fairly.

Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/uquXbrSgq08

What’s one thing adding to your mental load right now?

Today I toured a high school with my youngest.And earlier this week, my oldest filled out his college application.Appare...
10/02/2026

Today I toured a high school with my youngest.

And earlier this week, my oldest filled out his college application.

Apparently, motherhood has entered a whole new era.

How are those two things happening at the same time?

It feels like we’re entering a whole new stage of parenthood, and I’m realizing this is one of those things no one really warns you about.

You spend so many years helping them grow up.

Teaching them. Worrying about them. Driving them everywhere. Trying to make the right decisions. Wondering if you’re getting any of it right.

And then suddenly, they start stepping into lives that are increasingly their own.

I’m so excited for them.

I love watching who they are becoming, and I cannot wait to see where their lives take them.

But there’s sadness in it too.

Not because I don’t want them to grow up.

I do.

And somehow, I also want time to slow down just a little.

I used to think the baby years were the season that changed the fastest.

I’m realizing motherhood never really stops asking us to let go, adjust, and grow right alongside them.

Maybe that’s one of the hardest and most beautiful parts of parenthood: Being incredibly proud of where they’re going while already missing where they’ve been.

If you’re in this stage too, tell me I’m not the only one feeling both at once.

10/01/2026

Do you even know your partner anymore?

After kids, it’s easy for conversations to become all about school, schedules, meals, and appointments.

Sometimes, we don’t need to talk more. We need to get curious about each other again.
Try asking, “What’s something you’ve been thinking about lately?”

You might be surprised by what you learn.

Watch the full video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/TdKz23kM9Dg

09/29/2026

I’ve been noticing this about myself lately.

When I hear about something that feels deeply wrong, I can react really fast.

Violence against women. Racism. LGBTQ people being treated unfairly. Someone being hurt or dismissed because of who they are.

I feel it immediately.

And almost just as quickly, I start thinking about my kids.

Have I taught them to speak up?

Would they step in if someone was being hurt?

Would they recognize when something wasn’t okay?

Would they be willing to do the right thing even if it was uncomfortable?

I want the answer to all of those questions to be yes.

I never want to lose the part of me that cares deeply about those things.

But I’m also realizing that caring deeply does not mean I always know exactly what happened.

My husband is really good at reminding me of that.

When I start getting worked up about something I hear or read, he will sometimes say, “You don’t actually know the whole story yet.”

And if I’m being honest, I do not always love hearing that.

Because sometimes my emotions decide what happened before I actually know what happened.

And making room for what I don’t know can feel uncomfortable.

But it does not mean allegations should not be taken seriously.

It does not mean women have not been harmed, dismissed, or not believed.

It does not mean racism, misogyny, homophobia, violence, or injustice are any less real.

It just means I am learning how to hold two things at the same time.

I can want someone’s story to be heard.

I can want accountability.

I can teach my kids not to look the other way when someone is being harmed.

And I can still believe people deserve fairness and that sometimes I need to admit I do not know the whole story yet.

I want to teach my kids both.

Be brave enough to stand up for people.

And humble enough to admit when you do not know everything yet.

I’m still figuring out how to hold both.





Sometimes the hardest part of motherhood is carrying a hundred things no one else can see.Remembering the appointments. ...
09/25/2026

Sometimes the hardest part of motherhood is carrying a hundred things no one else can see.

Remembering the appointments. Knowing which kid needs what. Thinking about dinner while answering an email. Keeping track of school forms, groceries, laundry, schedules, everyone’s moods, and all the things no one else seems to notice.

And somewhere in the middle of all of that, you can start to feel like you’ve disappeared a little.

You love your family. You may even love being a mom.

But you can still miss yourself.

That doesn’t mean you’re ungrateful. It may just mean you’ve been taking care of everyone else for a very long time without having much space to ask:

“How am I doing?”

That question matters too.

And moms deserve places where they get to ask it.

That’s why I created More Than a Mom, my small therapy group for moms here in Sacramento.

It’s a space to talk honestly about the parts of motherhood we don’t always say out loud and to make some room for yourself again.

If you’ve been craving a space like this, you can learn more here:
https://www.happywithbaby.com/more-than-a-mom-therapy-group-sacramento

I talk with everyone before they join to make sure the group feels like a good fit.

09/24/2026

Sometimes I wonder, are we actually drifting apart, or are we just exhausted?

Tiredness can change how we experience each other. But when you finally have space, do you still move toward each other?

I talk more about this in my full YouTube video: https://youtu.be/LTF_bVU7Eok

09/17/2026

Do you remember when you and your partner used to just have fun together?

After kids, life can become so focused on schedules, responsibilities, and everything that needs to get done that the lightness between you can quietly disappear.

Sometimes, what we're missing isn't more romance. It's simply enjoying each other again.

When was the last time you and your partner did something just because it was fun?

Watch the full video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VfJ9wXzxTgE

One of the ways I know I’m running on empty?The wet sink suddenly feels personal.Rick shaves and leaves the sink wet.On ...
09/15/2026

One of the ways I know I’m running on empty?

The wet sink suddenly feels personal.

Rick shaves and leaves the sink wet.

On a normal day, I notice it and move on. Or maybe I don’t even notice it.

But when I’m tired, overwhelmed, or carrying too much, suddenly that wet sink feels like much more than a wet sink.

My brain starts adding a whole story:

Why didn’t he wipe that up?
Doesn’t he see everything I’m already doing?
Why am I the one who notices this stuff?

Meanwhile, Rick has probably done the exact same thing hundreds of times.

Sometimes nothing about him changed.

My capacity did.

I think that’s one of the confusing parts of marriage after kids.

When we’re depleted, ordinary annoyances can land differently. We have less patience, less perspective, and less room to shrug off the little things that come with living with another human.

That doesn’t mean every frustration should be dismissed with, “I’m just tired.”

Sometimes something really does need attention.

But I’ve found it can be worth asking myself:

Is something actually different between us right now?

Or am I running on empty?

Because sometimes the thing that feels like a marriage problem is really a capacity problem.

I’m talking more about this later this week, because it can be surprisingly hard to tell the difference between a relationship that needs attention and two people who are simply exhausted.

Now tell me: What completely ordinary thing becomes WAY more annoying when you’re tired?

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