When someone gets pregnant, so much focus is on having a healthy pregnancy and preparing for baby. But what about mom during the "fourth trimester"? In this episode, we get real about the challenges, struggles, pains (and joys) for moms in the days, weeks and months following birth.

Aubrey Howard and Mia Clarke, two of the three co-founders of Nyssa, join us for this unfiltered conversation about the realities of the Fourth Trimester, what lessons they learned from their own postpartum experiences, and ways in which expecting parents can prepare for this time. 

In the "You Want Me To Do What??" section, Nicole shares her personal postpartum experiences: what she wished she had known and what preparation she did that helped her.

Episode Recap: Interview with Mia Clarke and Aubrey Howard - 2:16, "You Want Me To Do What??" section - 45:33

Highlights:

• Nyssa started as a way for the three co-founders (Eden Laurin, Mia Clarke, & Audrey Howard) to provide products & resources for birthing parents during the Fourth Trimester (the first few months postpartum). The brand has since evolved to be a leader in starting an open dialogue surrounding all of the "unmentionables" - from period pain to postpartum challenges to menopause and everything in between.
• Aubrey explains the three areas of postpartum recovery:
• • Physical - focus should be on feeling healthy & healing (not on "getting your body back")
  • Emotional - this includes postpartum depression, perinatal anxiety disorders, and other emotions felt during this major life change
  • Relational - this deals with the changes to the relationships with a person's partner, family and friends following the birth of the baby
• Mia & Aubrey share their tips for planning for the postpartum period:
• • Have conversations with your partner, family and friends on how they can best support you during this time including sharing the load of baby care, making meals, and offering to watch baby so you can shower/nap/take time for yourself
  • If you are predisposed to anxiety, depression, or OCD, it is more likely that those things will be heightened during the postpartum period. Plan for ways to prepare for this whether it is having a therapist ready to talk to, preparing with your partner, etc.
  • Have a Pelvic Health Physical Therapist researched and the way to schedule an appointment "written down" so you know who to contact if you need one
• Nyssa offers the following products:
• • Nyssa FourthWear® Postpartum Underwear is super stretchy and accommodates a heat or ice pack in the vaginal/perineal area or at the site of a caesarean incision
  • Nyssa FourthCare™ Ice/Heat Pack fits their FourthWear® Postpartum Underwear.
  • Nyssa VieWear™ Underwear features proprietary pocket openings in the front and back to enable easy insertion of an ice/heat pack directly into the garment to give you additional comfort for things like period pain, endometriosis flare-ups, fertility treatments, and more.
  • Nicole's top three tips to prepare for the postpartum period:
  • • Have a lactation consultant researched with their phone number/email easily accessible (if you want to breastfeed)
    • Have a chiropractor lined up with their phone number/email easily accessible in case you need one
    • Do meal prep & ask people to bring meals over for you

 

Resources:

Where to find Nyssa:

Instagram: @nyssacare

Website: https://nyssacare.com/

Podcast: The Unmentionables Podcast

Book mentioned by Mia during interview:

Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool by Emily Oster