The Staircase

New parents know the feeling. You’re sleep-deprived, scrolling, and desperate to solve the problem with a baby product. One $2000 bassinet later, you feel bamboozled! Chabeli Carrazana, reporter for The 19th, uncovers the manipulative marketing strategies around baby-rearing.  … Recommendations from the archive • My very first episode is about struggling to get a newborn to sleep! Your Singing Really Interferes With My Going-To-Sleep Process • Another early one: My Newborn, the A**hole 😂 … Episode resources • Chabeli’s article: You’ll do anything for your baby. The algorithm knows how to exploit that. • Subscribe to Chabeli’s newsletter about mom guilt and consumerism • There’s tons of other great reporting on gender, politics, and power from The 19th … Get Wedlocked! I promise, if you love this show, you’re gonna love my original audiobook, Wedlocked. It’s basically a thriller about all of the things we cover on the podcast. Preorder now! … • Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe! • Follow us on Instagram • Sign up for our newsletter, where we recommend other parenting + reproductive health media • Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!) • Website: longestshortesttime.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A marriage; a miscarriage. A divorce; a guy who looks (and smells) like a caveman. All in this epic love story. ⭐️ This episode originally ran on February 10, 2016 and is a favorite from the archives. We hope you enjoy, and we’ll be back next week with a brand new episode. … • Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe! • Follow us on Instagram • Sign up for our newsletter, where we recommend other parenting + reproductive health media • Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!) • Website: longestshortesttime.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Becoming a parent can make you more nurturing... but it can also make you meaner. Stand-up comic Ophira Eisenberg confesses her not-so-nice tendencies, and shares tips on how to heckle your haters. … Recommendations from the archive We have a bunch of stories from comedian-moms! Check them out. • Sona Movsesian Feels Like the World’s Worst Mom • Negin Farsad Tackles Her Daughter’s Unanswerable Questions • Casey Wilson on Mothering Without a Mother • Lauren Lapkus Answers Kids’ Unanswerable Questions … Get Wedlocked! If you like stories about women unleashing bottled up rage, you’re gonna love my new audiobook! Wedlocked is a feminist thriller with lots of blood, gaslighting, marriage trouble, and gynecology. Preorder now! … More from Ophira • Watch Ophira’s new special—I Used to be Nicer—on her website • Check out Ophira’s special about deciding to have a kid: Inside Joke • Ophira’s podcast: Parenting Is a Joke • Ophira’s book: Screw Everyone: Sleeping My Way to Monogamy … • Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe! • Follow us on Instagram • Sign up for our newsletter, where we recommend other parenting + reproductive health media • Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!) • Website: longestshortesttime.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's it like to nurse piglets in one hand and your own baby in the other? Life on a farm, with baby. ⭐️ This episode originally ran on February 22, 2016 and is a favorite from the archives. We hope you enjoy, and we’ll be back next week with a brand new episode. … • Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe! • Follow us on Instagram • Sign up for our newsletter, where we recommend other parenting + reproductive health media • Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!) • Website: longestshortesttime.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like many first-time parents, Sona Movsesian felt as if she was doing everything wrong. In this episode, she opens up about the challenges of conception and her C-section turning unexpectedly vivid — plus, how being Conan O’Brien’s personal assistant prepared her for raising toddlers. … Recommendations from the archive • More on the grueling reality of IVF: One Woman, 3 Kids, 15 Rounds of IVF • Another revealing C-Section story: A Childless Man Gets a C-Section  • Our series about discrimination against working moms: It’s a Real Mother … Episode resources • Sona’s books: The World’s Worst Mom and The World’s Worst Assistant • Sona’s (and Conan O’Brien’s!) podcast: Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend … • Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe! • Follow us on Instagram • Sign up for our newsletter, where we recommend other parenting + reproductive health media • Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!) • Website: longestshortesttime.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices