Dawn Huckelbridge is a mother and the Founding Director of Paid Leave for All. In this conversation we discuss (and lament) how the United States is one of the few countries left in the world that does not have any national Paid Family Leave program.Nearly 1 in 4 employed mothers have to return to work within two weeks of giving birth and only 25 percent of US workers have access to paid family leave through an employer. For the employers that do offer some kind of leave, it is usually anywhere from 6-12 weeks which is simply not enough time for a new mother to heal from childbirth let alone acclimate to new parenthood. At this point it is widely acknowledged that the lack of support withheld from new mothers can lead to adverse health outcomes for women. Specifically, postpartum mood disorders can develop as a result of the absence of financial and physical support in the early weeks and months following birth. Even more disturbing is the overwhelming financial burden most new families face when they decide to have a child. The most disheartening revelation I had as a birth doula is that having a family in the United States is almost a marked sign of luxury -reserved for the elite, as they are the ones who can afford to pay for the good providers who do not accept insurance, take time off of work unpaid, and put their child in day care or hire a nanny. Dawn recently addressed the Biden Administration urging lawmakers to commit to passing legislation that provides paid leave for new families. As I mention in this episode, this is a nonpartisan effort; we do not need to be affiliated with a certain political party to be in favor of paid family leave. Most importantly, it is time we hold politicians accountable for the promises they make.While I know we are preaching to the choir as the MOTHERLANDS community is predominantly women, we can utilize and mobilize our outrage together to create the change that we as well as our children and future generations deserve. Join the movement with Paid Leave for AllPhotograph of Dawn Huckelbridge, Paid Leave For All Founding Director5:09 How the pandemic put paid leave in a bipartisan spotlight6:56 Financial access to paid leave and childcare11:33 Making sense of life after birth13:13 Lack of access to paid leave contributes to postpartum mental health issues16:10 Statistics, disparities, election issues, and costs of care and childbirth19:35 Policy change: how can people get involved?21:01 Where to find Dawn and Paid Leave for All21:28 Wisdom for new mothers: tell your full, authentic stories24:41 Advice to new families and partnersThank you for being here. If you find this episode helpful or enlightening I would be so grateful if you left a rating or a write a review.** Register for Medical Informed Consent: A Deep Dive Live Session with Keely Semler.Use Code: MOTHERLANDS for 10% off.Connect with our host, Keely Semler on Instagram (@k.eelys or @motherlands.podcast)Sign up for the newsletter here This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keelysemler.substack.com