In Episode 15 of After the Quiet, I share what pregnancy and early motherhood were really like inside a coercive controlling relationship. From Christmas 2004 in Cuba to finding out I was pregnant with my first child, I believed this chapter would bring more love and stability—but instead, the criticism, pressure, and control followed me into pregnancy, labour, and postpartum recovery. I open up about all-day sickness, being told I was “just pregnant, not dead,” and the expectation to keep cooking, cleaning, and meeting marital demands even while my body struggled. This episode also explores isolation, medical vulnerability, and sexual coercion after birth, including the pressure to resume intimacy before my body had healed. If you’ve ever felt unsupported during pregnancy, controlled in your marriage, or forced to perform while exhauste ...