Adventures With Postpartum Depression

It's Maternal Mental Health Week 2021! Maternal mental health is a cause near and dear to my heart. When I talk and write about maternal mental health, I end up focusing on postpartum depression. That's an important subject that needs attention, but maternal mental health does not end with the postpartum period. We deserve excellent mental health our entire lives, not just when we have a little baby at home. 

In other news, between May 5 and May 9, 2021, my memoir Adventures With Postpartum Depression is free on Amazon. Happy downloading! 

Show notes are available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com. The music is "Carpe Diem" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License. 

This week, I wanted to drop in and say, "Hello!" because the e-book of my memoir, Adventures With Postpartum Depression, is free now, December 8-12, on Amazon. It's my early Christmas gift for all the mamas struggling right now. And while I was saying hello, I thought I would give a pep talk for all the postpartum mamas because sometimes, you just need someone to tell you, "You can do this. Yeah, this is tough. But I believe in you." Because seriously, mamas, I do believe in you and I know how tough newborns are - and in 2020, sweet mercy, there's a whole extra dimension to the toughness.

Show notes are available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com. My memoir is available on Amazon. You can also follow me on IG @Courtney.Novak. Questions? Comments? Email [email protected].

I love you and please, please, please remember: You are not alone.

This episode is Episode 17 from my new podcast, Adventures With My Forties. But the things I had to say for that show are just as relevant - possibly more! - for mamas with a maternal mood disorder. I talk about the upcoming 2020 holidays. Spoiler alert: the holidays will be a bit different this year because hello, #pandemic. I am trying my best to lower/change my expectations so my family can still enjoy this time of year. I talk about the mindset I am trying to embrace so I do not drive myself crazy. (Or at least, crazier than usual.)


Show notes are available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com. While you are there, sign up for my newsletter! You can also follow me on IG @Courtney.Novak.

The music is "Carpe Diem" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

This week, I am sharing Episode 10 from my new podcast, Adventures with My Forties, because I think it is also helpful for any parent. When I had PPD, my recovery focused on managing my worst symptoms like insomnia, anxiety and OCD rituals. But I was also struggling to find my footing as a new parent. In this episode, I talk about the "Jedi mind tricks" that help me thrive as a parent, before and now during the pandemic.

Show notes are available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com. The music is "Carpe Diem" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

I started a new podcast called Adventures With My Forties. It is now available on iTunes and the usual places for podcasts. For that show, I did an episode about my anxiety during the pandemic. (Spoiler alert: I'm back on Zoloft.) I am sharing that episode here because anxiety is often a big part of postpartum depression.

Show notes are available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com. The music is "Carpe Diem" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Happy Mother's Day 2020! If you are listening to this episode during the week it airs, the Kindle version of my memoir Adventures With Postpartum Depression is FREE from Sunday, May 10 to Thursday, May 14, 2020. This is my Mother's Day gift to you! (Flowers would be tough.) The book is also now part of the Kindle Unlimited universe. And of course, it is always available on Amazon as a paperback or e-book. This week, I talk about motherhood during the Covid-19 pandemic and how sheltering-at-home has prompted me to take a closer look at my PPD experiences and beliefs about motherhood. Show notes will be available on my website CourtneyHenningNovak.com. I also announce new podcast episodes on IG @Courtney.Novak. Thank you for listening!

This is episode 81, formerly episode 8, featuring an interview with Alexia Johnstone. This was actually the first interview I ever did for the show! Unfortunately, some earlier episodes dropped off the feed due to storage issues, but I still had the original file. Hooray! I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I enjoyed getting to talk to Alexia about her adventures with postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, pregnancy depression and postpartum OCD. Thank you, Alexia, for being my first ever guest! The intro music is "Cute" by Bensound.com. My old email address and website broke (sigh), but you can email me now at [email protected]. My website is CourtneyHenningNovak.com. Thank you for listening.

Hi, everyone! I retired the show a year and a half ago but felt compelled to post a special episode during the Covid-19 crisis. I am currently sheltering at home with my husband Nathan, daughter Pippa (7 now!) and son Julian (4 years old). I wish I had some special advice for parents with newborns and babies during the pandemic, but mainly, I just want you to know that I see you, I see your extra stress, and I love you. My old website died, so I am writing now at CourtneyHenningNovak.com. You can also follow me on IG @CourtneyNovak and email me at [email protected]. (Sorry, I can't access the old email either! #techfails.) Show intro music is "Cute" by Bensound.com. I know many of you are feeling extra isolated during the pandemic, but you are not alone and with help and support, you can and will make a full recovery.

This week, I give an update on the past couple months of my life and the changes I have been making as I enter a new phase of my life. I have fully recovered and healed from postpartum depression, and my intuition told me that it was time to cease my involvement with the peer-to-peer postpartum support group that I started. That was tough. And then, my intuition told me it was time to stop producing new episodes for this podcast. That was an even more difficult decision to embrace. But here I am, finally posting what I believe is the last episode for this show. New listeners: the old episodes are not going anywhere! The interviews and stories are just as relevant and authentic as they were when they were first recorded. Old listeners: follow my latest adventures on IG @Courtney.Novak. Show notes will be available at PPDadventures.com. Thank you for listening. It has been an honor to do this work. I know that sharing my story and the stories of other women was a critical part of my recovery.

This week, Emily Souder shares her personal and professional stories on the show. Emily is the mother of two littles, ages one and three, and she shares her personal postpartum adventures, including a traumatic birth experience. She is also a licensed clinical social worker answering the call to work with mothers during their transition to motherhood. We also talk about her book, Birth Story Brave, which is a resource to help you writer your personal birth story. Her latest book, Birth Story Held, is a guide for doctors, midwives and doulas who need to process their experiences with their clients. I loved talking to Emily and I'm so excited to share her interview on the show today. This will be the final interview of the 2018 season (there will be one more episode to finish up the year) but if you would like to be interviewed for the 2019 season, please email [email protected]. Show notes are available at PPDadventures.com. The intro music is "Cute" by Bensound.com. Thanks, Emily, for coming on the show!