Do you know the signs of postpartum depression? Many parents (and even medical professionals) often miss diagnosing new mothers with a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder. Here to help shed light on this important topic is Board-Certified OB/GYN and author of the upcoming book, Then Comes Baby, Dr. Jessica Vernon.

 

In this episode we explore:

 

- Why postpartum mental health conditions are so often overlooked—even in medical training.

 

- The types of questions Dr. Jessica started asking her prenatal and postpartum patients that allowed them the space to open up and reveal the struggles they were experiencing. 

 

- How the 6-week check-in after birth become the standard practice and what birthing people can expect of their bodies and minds at the 6-week mark.

 

- Why women experiencing mental health struggles in postpartum are so prone to feelings of guilt and shame - even though there is no difference between medical risks and mental health risks, as a society we tend to attach more shame to mental health challenges.

 

- What is matrescence and how is it revolutionizing the way we view early motherhood.

 

- Managing our expectations with the realization that reality and our fantasies often don’t match up and how that can cause struggles - from birth, to feeding, postpartum, and early parenthood.

 

- Free moms groups, books, and other resources for expecting and new parents.

 

Whether you’re pregnant, newly postpartum, or a professional working with new parents, this episode offers essential insights into how we can improve postpartum care and support maternal mental health.

 

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT DR. JESSICA:

https://www.drjessicavernon.com/ 

 

PRE-ORDER DR. JESSICA'S BOOK:

📚 Then Comes Baby: An Honest Conversation about Birth, Postpartum, and the Complex Transition to Parenthood

 

ARE YOU A MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL?

Go to upshurbren.com/IFSTraining to register for The Good Mom/Bad Mom Loop, a 3-hour workshop on 2/27 designed to teach professionals how to integrate Internal Family Systems concepts into maternal mental health services to provide improved support for moms.

 

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

📱 @drsarahbren

📱 @dr.jessicavernon, Jessica Vernon, Jessica Vernon, MD, FACOG, PMH-C

 

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

📚 Ordinary Insanity: Fear and the Silent Crisis of Motherhood in America

📚 Matrescence: On Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood

✨ Postpartum Support International

 

CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Going back to work after baby: Maintaining a healthy and secure attachment bond

 

🎧 How to lighten the load in pregnancy and postpartum with Dr. Sterling

 

🎧 A breakdown of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs)

 

🎧 Sex after baby - Part I and Part II