Fathers are often overlooked in the conversation around perinatal mental health, and that needs to change. June is not only the month of Father’s Day but also International Fathers’ Mental Health Day, celebrated on June 19. Fathers, and men in general, have been conditioned to look past their feelings in most cultures, but we know men have complex emotional responses to the challenges of fatherhood. We need to offer more support for fathers in the co-parenting relationship, and these conversations are necessary and beneficial. Join us to learn more from today’s guest!
Adam Angel, LCSW, has 15 years of experience working with youth, adults, and families. His specializations include paternal mental health and developmental trauma. He currently facilitates both peer support and death-oriented therapy groups for fathers at various stages, specializing in supporting fathers who have suffered perinatal loss in stillbirth and early infancy. Adam’s specialization in developmental trauma is supported by his master’s level training in the NeuroAffective Relational Model, also known as NARM. We need to change the narrative around fatherhood and recognize men as the complex, emotional beings that they are. 
Show Highlights:

What paternal mental health is and how Adam offers support to fathers

Why fathers feel left out of much of the perinatal experience and don’t want to be “the other” part

Common mental health challenges for dads in the perinatal period

How support groups and group therapy help fathers find safe spaces for conversations–even in the virtual space

What NARM is and how it works in therapy sessions

Why men need help dealing with shame, guilt, emotions, and the role model gap

How Adam uses Fair Play Life in therapy with fathers–and how it can be a tool to support relationships

Why both partners need to value all three relationships: you and your partner, you and your baby, and you and yourself

What fathers can do to get started with mental health conversations

Resources:
Connect with Adam: Website and Instagram
Visit www.postpartum.net for resources and support! Find more information about International Father’s Mental Health Day events!
Visit www.postpartum.net/professionals/certificate-trainings/ for information on the grief course.  
Visit my website, www.wellmindperinatal.com, for more information, resources, and courses you can take today!
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273: Paternal Mental Health: The Emotional Wellness of Fathers

Posptartum Depression is real. And it's only part of the story. We dig in to ALL of the stuff that no one tells you about, but you NEED to know. Dr. Kat, Psychologist and specialist in perinatal mental health, interviews moms, dads, experts and advocates about how to cope, manage and recover from perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. We talk about postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety and SO MUCH MORE! We get real. We get honest. We put on our stigma crushing boots and address the realities of the transition to motherhood and parenthood. Learn about it before you find out about it the hard way! You don't have to suffer! www.momandmind.com

Kids & Family

Parenting

Health & Fitness

Mental Health

Health anxiety during pregnancy and the postpartum is a very real struggle for many people. My guest today joins us to share her experience and what she’s seeing from clients in her practice. You’ll learn how to notice perinatal health anxiety and what to do about it. Join us to learn more!
Michelle Flynn is a fully accredited perinatal psychotherapist and certified infant massage instructor based in Dublin, Ireland. She specializes in supporting parents at all stages of their parenting journey from conception through birth and postpartum. She works with a national organization providing psychotherapy to survivors of childhood sexual abuse and also teaches in a master’s program. Following her experience of perinatal anxiety and her struggle to access appropriate mental health support, Michelle turned her focus to perinatal mental health and set up her private practice, An Croi Beag Psychotherapy (“Little Heart” in Irish). Through her private psychotherapy practice and her infant massage groups, Michelle hopes to further support parents in perinatal distress, raise awareness about perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and improve access to mental health services for birthing people. 
Show Highlights:

Michelle’s journey into perinatal mental health and her overwhelming anxiety during her difficult first pregnancy

Michelle’s experience with healthcare providers who dismissed her concerns and made her feel invalidated and unsafe

Even mental health professionals feel shame and stigma about asking for help!

Subsequent pregnancies brought Michelle two more babies for “three under three,” but those were different from her first pregnancy.

The conversations we need to have with young people about pregnancy, birth, and postpartum so we can normalize it and remove the shame and stigma

Understanding the mental health system in Ireland—and how things are beginning to improve

What Michelle sees in her patients and their experiences

The challenges in treating health anxiety

The narrative around motherhood—and why we don’t open up when things go wrong

Michelle’s advice about identifying health anxiety for yourself, and what to do next


Resources:
Connect with Michelle Flynn: Website, Email, and Instagram
Please find resources in English and Spanish at Postpartum Support International, or by phone/text at 1-800-944-4773. There are many free resources, like online support groups, peer mentors, a specialist provider directory, and perinatal mental health training for therapists, physicians, nurses, doulas, and anyone who wants to better support people for whom they provide services. 
You can also follow PSI on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and most other platforms
Visit www.postpartum.net/professionals/certificate-trainings/ for information on the grief course.  
Visit my website, www.wellmindperinatal.com, for more information, resources, and courses you can take today!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

339: Perinatal Health Anxiety with Michelle Flynn, MA, MIACP

Many factors influence the transition to parenthood, and most of those things are unexpected and unpredictable. No one “signs up for” a perinatal mental health condition, but it can seem to come out of nowhere and leave you blindsided–in addition to the normal adjustments that come with the addition of a new baby to the family. These PNMH conditions can impact every area of life significantly, including the return to work. Join me for a closer look at navigating this tricky transition.

Show Highlights:

New parents experience varied emotions about returning to work (“It’s okay to want to return to work, and it’s okay not to want to return to work!)

The truth: If you return to work when you’re not mentally well, the added stress of work will not help you get better.

Your healthcare provider can do assessments of your perinatal mental health symptoms–just ASK!

Planning ahead for the return to work can help you navigate the transition.

My best tips for returning to work: 

Try to navigate your return slowly, and don’t take on big, new projects right away.

Pace yourself and give yourself space to figure out your changing needs.

Understand that your priorities might have shifted by having a new baby. (Things might not feel “normal” for a while.)

Be intentional and think about how you’ll balance work and home.

Set boundaries and protect your energy.

Prioritize your sleep!


Resources:
Please find resources in English and Spanish at Postpartum Support International, or by phone/text at 1-800-944-4773. There are many free resources, like online support groups, peer mentors, a specialist provider directory, and perinatal mental health training for therapists, physicians, nurses, doulas, and anyone who wants to better support people for whom they provide services. 
You can also follow PSI on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and most other platforms
Visit www.postpartum.net/professionals/certificate-trainings/ for information on the grief course.  
Visit my website, www.wellmindperinatal.com, for more information, resources, and courses you can take today!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

338: Behind The Sessions: Returning to Work After a Perinatal Mental Health Condition with Dr. Kat

Having information and being empowered to make decisions are ways to protect mental health. Nothing is more disempowering than finding out later that you had choices of which you were unaware at the height of a mental health struggle. All of these concepts apply perfectly to birthing situations. One of the main reasons this podcast exists, along with the work of today’s guest is to spread information so that it’s accessible to EVERYONE. Join us to learn more!
Dr. Rebecca Dekker, a nurse with her Ph.D., is the founder and CEO of Evidence Based Birth®️ and the author of Babies Are Not Pizzas: They're Born, Not Delivered. Previously, Dr. Dekker was an assistant professor of nursing at the University of Kentucky. In 2016, she shifted gears to focus full-time on the mission of Evidence Based Birth®️. She and Team EBB are committed to creating a world in which all families have access to safe, respectful, evidence-based, and empowering care during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. EBB does this by boldly making the research evidence on childbirth freely and publicly accessible. Dr. Dekker is also the host of the 
Evidence Based Birth®️ Podcast, which has over 5.5 million downloads!

Show Highlights:

The beginnings of EBB in 2012

The shift for Rebecca from her first birth to her second—-a clear change from disempowerment to empowerment

The evidence around preventable cesarean births, vaginal births, and the mother’s wishes

Rebecca’s advice for those who want to advocate or feel empowered:

Choose a provider and birth setting with a low cesarean rate. (Leapfrog is a recommended resource for information.)

Consider hiring a doula for added support.

Learn what the evidence shows about induction, Pitocin, and preparing your body with proper sleep, food, and hydration.

Assessing your provider for “continuity of care”

Fact: Switching providers can help prevent birth trauma!

Approaching your labor/delivery experience with a spirit of collaboration and teamwork

How PTSD can impact the decisions of healthcare workers

Rebecca’s tips for empowering yourself in the labor/delivery process, using the acronym BRAND [Ask, what are the benefits, risks, alternatives, (what happens if I do) nothing, and discuss (with your partner).]

Hot tip for laboring moms: Ask for time to pray (Rebecca explains why this gives you time and space.)

Components of a calm birthing environment for an empowered laboring mother

What Rebecca wants our listeners to know


Resources:
Connect with Dr. Rebecca Dekker and Evidence Based Birth®️: Website, Instagram, Facebook, Babies Are Not Pizzas: They're Born, Not Delivered, and the Evidence Based Birth®️ Podcast
Please find resources in English and Spanish at Postpartum Support International, or by phone/text at 1-800-944-4773. There are many free resources, like online support groups, peer mentors, a specialist provider directory, and perinatal mental health training for therapists, physicians, nurses, doulas, and anyone who wants to better support people for whom they provide services. 
You can also follow PSI on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and most other platforms
Visit www.postpartum.net/professionals/certificate-trainings/ for information on the grief course.  
Visit my website, www.wellmindperinatal.com, for more information, resources, and courses you can take today!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

337: Evidence Based Birth®️ with Dr. Rebecca Dekker

We have a very special episode to share with you today. I’m deeply honored to host Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, thought leader, and wholeness advocate, Alanis Morissette! She is joined by the president and CEO of Postpartum Support International, Dr. Wendy Davis! 
Alanis found PSI as a resource when she was dealing with perinatal mental health challenges, and she has openly shared about the value of PSI resources while on tour. In addition to being a long-time, powerful presence in the music world, she has become an equally influential advocate for mental health. She has been vocal about experiencing postpartum depression, or “postpartum activity,” as she has referred to it. In our conversation, she shares like never before what her experience was like, how it impacted her life, and how she has found her way to healing. Being in the public eye as a well-known performer has brought a whole other level of pressure and scrutiny to Alanis’ life experiences under the bright–and sometimes stinging–light of celebrity. 
Dr. Wendy Davis began as a volunteer with PSI in 1997, became the executive director in 2009, and later became the president and CEO. She was drawn to this work after healing from postpartum depression and has become a passionate advocate and leader in the world of perinatal mental health. I’ve been privileged to see Wendy in action at PSI and work closely with her in my role as the Board Chair. Her heart-centered and help-centered approach to leadership has grown PSI into the leading perinatal mental health non-profit in the world today. 

Show Highlights:

Alanis’ struggle to balance the people-pleasing life of a celebrity with “the dark swamp of depression” that nobody wanted to see or hear

Being a high-achieving perfectionist who is self-reliant and autonomous puts a person at a greater risk for postpartum depression.

Figuring out the archetype of “mom” is a lifelong journey.

Motherhood brings profound vulnerability–and ALL the past traumas.

Alanis’ perspective: What does a struggling mother need the most? To be nurtured

Understanding how the 90s rock and roll scene was a strongly patriarchal environment that left Alanis feeling more isolated and less connected

Alanis’ role today as the champion of a sisterhood that protects and micromanages on behalf of women

The immense value of someone saying, “I see you.”

Alanis’ experience with anger, rage, panic attacks, and a loss of identity

Tenderness, love, and empowerment in motherhood

The elements of support that were most helpful for Alanis: the appropriate medications, finding community, strong relationships, and finding a space of safety to be “broken” (What didn’t help was someone saying, “You’re not alone.”)

What we all want: to make postpartum challenges more visible and to normalize the conversations around them

“Wholeness over wellness”

Alanis’ thoughts on the beauty and purity of being a mother to her children

Our immense gratitude for Alanis’ impact as a fierce advocate and champion of PSI’s work and helpful resources


Resources:
Connect with Alanis Morissette: Find out more about Alanis’ music and events on her Website; follow Alanis on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
Please find resources in English and Spanish at Postpartum Support International, or by phone/text at 1-800-944-4773. There are many free resources, like online support groups, peer mentors, a specialist provider directory, and perinatal mental health training for therapists, physicians, nurses, doulas, and anyone who wants to better support people for whom they provide services. 
You can also follow PSI on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and most other platforms
Visit www.postpartum.net/professionals/certificate-trainings/ for information on the grief course.  
Visit my website, www.wellmindperinatal.com, for more information, resources, and courses you can take today!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

336: In Conversation with Alanis Morissette and Postpartum Support International

It’s no secret that a new baby brings many nuances to a couple’s relationship and family life. The couple relationship dynamics shift and change as new responsibilities have to be prioritized. Planning ahead with open communication can make things easier in every way. Let’s take a closer look in today’s behind-the-sessions episode.
Show Highlights:

The first few weeks with a new baby: patterns, plans, and problems

Sleep issues complicate everything!

The communication challenges around different parenting styles, cultural differences, and incorrect assumptions

Understanding how resentment builds and creates a rift in the relationship

The value of setting aside time for regular daily or weekly check-ins to stay connected

The importance of asking for help and giving each other space

Planning ahead is the key!

Resources:
Visit www.postpartum.net for resources and support! 
Visit www.postpartum.net/professionals/certificate-trainings/ for information on the grief course.  
Visit my website, www.wellmindperinatal.com, for more information, resources, and courses you can take today!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

273: Paternal Mental Health: The Emotional Wellness of Fathers

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