Honest motherhood, and the words for it
Say the quiet part out loud, so you don’t have to.
I’m Rachel. I built the toolkit I wish I’d had: the boundaries, the exact words to say them, texts you can copy and paste, and a sign for the fridge so you don’t have to say anything at all.
Free. Seven tools. Take what you need.
Or come say hi on Instagram: @heyrachelmcintosh
Saying no to a visit
We’re laying low this week to rest and recover. Not personal at all! I’ll reach out when we’re ready for visitors.
@heyrachelmcintosh
Why I made this
“I think so many of us know what our boundaries are. We just don’t always know how to say them without feeling rude, dramatic, controlling, or ungrateful.”
So I made the thing I wish I’d had when I was freshly postpartum.
The free toolkit
What’s inside
Seven tools. Use one, use all of them, or send a single page to the one person who needs to read it.
The non-negotiables
Nine rules for every single person who comes near the baby.
The family visit guide
Seventeen house rules, plus the things you can say.
The friendship guide
What a new mom needs from her friends, and the one text every new mom needs.
Stranger scripts
Short scripts for the stroller, the grocery store and the stranger who wants to touch her.
Copy and paste texts
Eight texts you can send as they are, or tweak and send.
The “what actually helps” checklist
Do this, skip this. Specific beats “let me know if you need anything.”
Printable fridge sign
Print it, stick it up, say nothing.
Free, and yours to share.
Take what you need and send the rest to someone who does.
Get the free toolkitHow it works
Screenshot it. Send it. Put it on the fridge.
Borrowed authority
My name is all over it, so let them be mad at me instead of you.
Hand someone the page. It says what you meant to say, and it carries the awkward part for you.
Get the free toolkit
Hi, I’m Rachel
I’m a mom in Austin, and this page is a little bit of everything: motherhood, relationships, the things no one warned me about, and whatever I’d normally send my friends in a four-minute voice memo.
You’re among friends here.
I share the honest side of motherhood, and the words to say what you need.
Follow @heyrachelmcintosh