preface - it has taken me 7 months to write this post. between babies, crazy current events and extreme weather, it was near impossible to write this much material, create accompanying images and rewatch all of it to make sure I was correctly describing these shows/specials. please enjoy!
When I was pregnant, especially during my last trimester, lots of Netflix was had. I was high risk, so being active really wasn't in the cards. This can be depressing, but I found a very good mom-related batch of comedic specials and series to help get me through it. I even revisited many of these during the first few weeks postpartum, since I really couldn't get out of bed and humor was a welcome escape.
Two sitcoms that really made me laugh and feel more at ease were Working Moms (with Catherine Reitman), which has 4 seasons (and more on the way) and I'm Sorry (with Andrea Savage), which had 2 seasons.
Working Moms has so many moments, where I was dying laughing, but so worried that someone would walk in at the wrong moment and really misunderstand what was happening on the television. It is just so funny, and so relatable. There are some very sweet moments, but also heartbreaking ones, with comedy bridging everything together. You follow several family units who all have a mommy and me daycare class that brings them together. Some are close friends, some are just daycare acquaintances, all are bad ass moms in their own right. They show does a good job of emphasizing that no one really has their shit together, and that we're all just doing the best with what we've got. The stories are relatable, and really brings to light that no matter how good someone/something looks on the outside, you really don't know the situation based on surface level appearances.
I'm Sorry is very lighthearted. It's episodic, without an overarching storyline. You could jump in at any time and still enjoy it. Andrea Savage is great. There are many adult themes and dark humor aplenty, so beware, or rather, enjoy. I don't know that I've said it yet, but none of these shows/specials are child appropriate, so if you have an older little one that you're spending your downtime with, save these for when you're alone!
Refreshingly, there are quite a few comedians whose specials revolve around parenthood or even pregnancy itself. I have watched and re-watched these specials and highly recommend ALL OF THEM:
Ali Wong's Baby Cobra & Hard Knock Wife are fantastice, and probably my first exposure to a pregnant woman performing a comedy special. Ali is amazing. If you're not familiar with her standup, you've probably experienced her comedy writing already and not known it. Additionally, I've also listened to her audio book, Dear Girls, a brutally funny and hilariously honest read/listen. Each chapter of it is a different story/letter to her daughters, explaining life lessons and anecdotal experiences. Funny in its own right, it's very neat to know that she's speaking to her daughters who she was pregnant with whilst performing the aforementioned Netflix specials.
Christina (Pazsitzky) P's Mother Inferior gives great foreshadowing to the birthing process, especially if you have no point of reference. Her quick wit and filter-free delivery are a great introduction to what you can expect from motherhood. She also dives into relationship foibles and a few other topics. I've revisited this special at least half a dozen times, and can't recommend it enough.
Amy Schumer's Growing puts the agony of pregnancy front and center on stage, literally. She emphasizes that the only reason she's performing *that pregnant* is that she's contractually obligated. It's a funny quip, but there is some truth there that stings, knowing that not even she is immune to the poor maternity care offered in the US. We as a nation commit a great disservice to working mothers in general, and Amy is no exception. She also dives into her unique experiences and relationship dynamics with her husband, offering many laughs at the off the wall things occurrences that come with being married to someone on the autistic spectrum.
Mike Birbiglia's The New One offers a great perspective for new/expecting dads. Obviously being the only man on the list, it's an outlier. He outlines the trials and tribulations involved in trying to get pregnant and needing medical intervention (spoiler - he needed help). He also covers the social changes and challenges you experience after becoming a parent, and how everyday problems and freedoms change so immensely. I've watched this special several times, just because it's almost soothing to hear how much trouble he and his wife had, in a sick sense of "wow, someone had it worse than me" kind of way. If ever you're having a bad day, just be glad you don't have the everyday litany of Mike's crazy health problem related rituals (which are fascinating to hear about btw).
I feel like this us unfinished, and I may go back and finesse some wording later, but that's it! I'm done, go watch these things, I think they're all on Netflix. I started writing this in October of 2020, and it's taken me until mid-April 2021, so please for all that is good in the world, head my advice and go have a laugh, or two, or twenty. Cheers!
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