We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amy Tucker & Erin Fassnacht. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amy & Erin below.
Amy & Erin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
After having my first baby, I took one of the biggest risks of my life, and it honestly changed everything. Before my son was born, I was professionally deep in the high-tech world for 12 years—super type-A, always planning everything out, checking off boxes, and working so hard to prove my drive and worth. I was all about earning those gold stars. But when my son came into the world, everything shifted. I developed severe postpartum depression (PPD) and postpartum anxiety (PPA), and I had no idea what was going on. I felt unexpectedly sad, confused, angry, and lost. For 14 months, I struggled through the typical motions of being a new mom, and I felt like I was drowning.
My identity felt shredded, and I didn’t know who I was anymore. My old life, full of non-stop work and deadlines felt like a distant memory, and I couldn’t seem to connect with anyone outside of that world. I was lonely. Finding help wasn’t easy, so I suffered in silence. Honestly, that year was the darkest of my life. I was furious that everyone’s focus after birth was only on the baby, and as long as I checked off a few medical boxes, people thought I was “fine.” But I wasn’t. And I was frustrated with the lack of support for new parents. I honestly thought we’d only have one child because I didn’t know if I could survive going through that again. But deep down, I knew I wanted another baby.
So, when we decided to try again, my husband and I did everything so differently. We made a postpartum plan, built a team that included a doula, a therapist, and a compassionate OB. We wrote out everyone’s contact info and stuck it on the fridge, and we had a plan in place in case I experienced postpartum depression and anxiety again. I also started taking care of myself just as much as I cared for my babies. And you know what? It worked.
The second time around, with real support and a focus on my healing, I felt amazing. It completely changed my experience as a mom. I was so moved by that second chance and the positive experience I had that I took a huge risk of my own. I quit my corporate job, jumped headfirst into building a business to help other parents, and it was both exhilarating and terrifying. I stayed up late working on it after the kids went to bed, and even though I was tired, I felt more alive than I ever had. I was fueled by my mission to help other parents avoid what I’d gone through.
I became a certified postpartum doula and mental health coach, threw myself into every training I could find, and partnered up with my amazing colleague Erin Fassnacht (who had a very similar postpartum experience and the same drive to make a difference for other parents) to create Life With Baby.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Life With Baby is so much more than a business for us—it’s our passion and our way of making a real difference in the world by supporting parents.
Erin and I first met while serving on the Board of Directors for Nurtured TX (formerly The Pregnancy and Postpartum Health Alliance of Texas), and we instantly bonded over our shared experiences with postpartum anxiety, depression, and PTSD. We both wanted to make sure other parents had a healthier, more supported transition into parenthood—without the struggles we faced. After both of us went through such tough emotional journeys after the births of our first babies, we knew we had to do things differently when it came to our second ones.
This is how the idea of a postpartum plan was born, and it was on post-it notes! When we were both pregnant with our second babies, notes were stuck on the fridge, bathroom mirror, front door, and looked something like this:
–“When things go sideways, call Dr. Carter at 123-456-7890” (action for my partner to connect with my provider)
–“Hug me every day and remind me I’m doing a good job feeding the baby” (what I need from my partner)
–“I know I need more support when I can’t sit still, I’m irritable with people, or I feel numb inside” (warning signs that I need more support)
–“You are healing and learning” (an affirmation to myself)
These little notes were our lifeline—giving us a clear sense of direction, actions to take, and empowerment by having our support network identified before we actually needed help. The planning notes were our way of making sure we didn’t go through the same traumatic experience we had the first time.
After having such a positive experience the second time around, we combined our personal experience with our professional mental health focus, and put pen to paper to build out a comprehensive postpartum plan that could be a tool used to help others. We created a collaborative care approach to postpartum planning, where parents could be supported by our services as a postpartum doula and therapist, in addition to other providers including psychiatrists, therapists, OBs, midwives, doulas, lactation consultants, and other perinatal professionals. The idea was to have everyone working together to make sure parents thrived, not just survived.
About Us:
Life With Baby provides direct mental health support for parents navigating challenges throughout fertility, pregnancy, adoption/surrogacy, loss, and postpartum. We offer virtual 1:1 emotional support coaching sessions and our Life With Baby pregnancy/postpartum planning workbook. We help parents process emotions, build coping skills, and reduce stress by offering fast, accessible care that bridges the gap in mental health support so no parent falls through the cracks.
For parents:
–Life With Baby Workbook (available on Amazon)
–1:1 Emotional Support Coaching virtual sessions
–Postpartum Planning virtual sessions
–Newborn Care virtual sessions
For Organizations & Professionals
–Hospital systems – large-scale implementation of the Life With Baby workbook (it is provided to hospital patients in prenatal hospital classes and/or in the postpartum unit before they are discharged from the hospital) and customized classes for prenatal, antepartum & postpartum patients
–Professional trainings for psychiatrists, therapists, and birth professionals
–Consulting for non-profits, FemTech startups, and community organizations
About Life With Baby:
Founded in 2019 by Amy Tucker (mental health coach/postpartum doula) & Erin Fassnacht (therapist), who together have more than 30+ years of combined perinatal mental health experience. Created after both Amy and Erin experienced severe postpartum depression, anxiety, and birth trauma first-hand, and could not find the support they needed.
Where to find Life With Baby:
–Life With Baby workbook available on Amazon
–IG: @lifewithbabyworkbook
–Website: lifewithbabyworkbook.com
–Email: [email protected]
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I’ve had to unlearn all the deeply embedded programming placed on women from society! I am still working on this now, and it’s a continuous process.
Women are often conditioned by society to carry a heavy and often unrealistic mental load, especially when it comes to navigating motherhood, work, and managing a household. It’s ingrained into women that we should bounce back after having a baby, effortlessly return to our pre-pregnancy bodies, be highly successful at work, and raise happy, well-adjusted children, all while providing a smooth home and being emotionally level-headed.
This “superwoman” ideal is pushed by media, advertising, and even well-meaning friends and family, creating an overwhelming pressure for women to excel in all areas of life at once. And it’s simply not realistic.
Unlearning these societal pressures is not easy because it’s so deeply programmed into our brains. And to change the narrative and unlearn this programming, it’s necessary for women to step into their own power, find self-compassion, and learn to tune out unhelpful messages. Here are some ways I am personally learning how to do this:
–Recognize and Reject Unrealistic Expectations – The first step is recognizing the pressure. It’s easy to fall into the trap of comparing oneself to the “ideal” mom, worker, or strong woman portrayed on social media. But it’s important to acknowledge that these portrayals are often highly curated and don’t show the full picture. Women need to give themselves permission to not meet every expectation and realize that doing so doesn’t diminish their worth.
–Prioritize Self-Compassion – Learning to show yourself kindness is key, and often really hard to do. Instead of criticizing yourself for not doing it all, practice self-compassion. This means acknowledging that it’s ok to have bad days, feel overwhelmed, and need help. This could also mean giving yourself permission to take breaks, rest, and prioritize your mental health, which is just as important as caring for others or getting things done.
–Define Success on Your Own Terms – The pressure to “bounce back” after having a baby or achieve a balanced life is exhausting. Unlearning this means rethinking what success really means. It’s not about fitting into a mold that society sets for you—it’s about what makes you feel fulfilled and content in the moment. Whether it’s tackling your to-do list, being present with your kids, or simply carving out time for yourself, you get to define your version of success each day.
–Seek Support and Build a Team – Realizing you don’t have to do it alone is a huge part of the process. Building a support system through friends, family, online community, or professional help allows women to build connections, keep expectations in check, and share challenges with people who truly get it.
–Celebrate Small Wins – Instead of feeling guilty for what wasn’t done, celebrate what was done. Whether you made it through the day without talking negatively to yourself, took 2 minutes to breathe, or made an important decision for your well-being, these small wins matter. Celebrating them builds confidence and self-respect.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
We launched Life With Baby in April 2019, about one year before the world changed with the COVID-19 pandemic. When March 2020 came along, like everyone else, our lives were flipped upside down, and we had to pivot every aspect of both our business and personal lives. Fast forward to when the world re-opened, and life began to fall back into the anticipated routine, we realized that we had been constantly pivoting to stay afloat long before the pandemic. We were good at this as parents!
Life happens, and while Erin and I are both raising small children while running a business, we’ve learned to roll with changes, accept them, and make sure we’re taking care of ourselves along the way. For example, we will be working hard to meet a deadline, and then a kid gets the stomach flu. Pivot. Or we have a client who is going through a tough time and needs extra support. Pivot. Or we did not sleep well and need to take some extra time to rest. Pivot. Or the world feels so heavy that we need to give more time to our community. Pivot.
Honestly, the ability to pivot through constant changes AND acknowledge the effort it requires has been one of the greatest gifts we’ve received from the time of COVID. Some days are smooth, and other days are really hard, and both are ok.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lifewithbabyworkbook.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifewithbabyworkbook/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lifewithbabyworkbook
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-gilger-tucker/
- Other: Life With Baby workbook on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Life-Baby-Pregnancy-Postpartum-Well-being/dp/1733880917/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title
