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Mom Breaks: Science and Stories of Postpartum Psychosis
Mom Breaks: Science and Stories of Postpartum Psychosis episodes
- My Break, My Why, and the Birth of Mom Breaks
Welcome to the very first full episode of Mom Breaks! 🎙️
In this episode, I share my personal "why" for starting this podcast - a journey shaped by surviving postpartum psychosis, navigating recovery, and finding meaning in advocacy. I’ll also talk about the broader why behind Mom Breaks: creating space for education, healing, and awareness around postpartum psychosis.
You’ll hear about:
- My background in cognitive neuroscience, grad school, and motherhood
- My experience with postpartum psychosis, from onset to hospitalization to recovery
- How accessing my medical records and diving into research helped me heal
- Why this podcast matters for survivors, families, and the wider community
The goals of Mom Breaks are simple but powerful:
✨ Empower families impacted by postpartum psychosis
✨ Promote healing and wholeness after trauma
✨ Raise awareness beyond those directly affected
✨ Encourage treatment and support for mental health across life stages
This episode is part personal backstory, part mission statement — and an invitation to join me as we break silence, build hope, and learn together.
⚠️ Trigger warning: This episode includes discussion of postpartum psychosis, including symptoms of paranoia, suicidal thinking, and hospitalization.
Resources & Support
- Postpartum Support International (PSI) HelpLine – Call or text 1-800-944-4773
- National Maternal Mental Health Hotline (U.S.) – Call or text 1-833-TLC-MAMA
Citations:
Kendell, R. E., Chalmers, J. C., & Platz, C. (2018, January 2). Epidemiology of puerperal psychoses: The British Journal of Psychiatry. Cambridge Core. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/abs/epidemiology-of-puerperal-psychoses/F2861FD5151AE5B8FB9949F1638436FB
Osborne, L. M. (2019, September 1). Recognizing and managing postpartum psychosis: A clinical guide for Obstetric Providers. Obstetrics and gynecology clinics of North America. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6174883/
VanderKruik, R., & Barreix, M. (2017, July 28). The global prevalence of postpartum psychosis: A systematic review. BMC psychiatry. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28754094/
38 min - 3 min
About Mom Breaks: Science and Stories of Postpartum Psychosis
From the publisher's feed
What happens when motherhood collides with a mental health crisis that even doctors struggle to recognize? Postpartum psychosis is a mental health condition that is said to affect about 1–2 in…
every 1,000 births. This is less common than other mental health conditions - though with 130–140 million births worldwide each year, we’re talking about 130,000–364,000 new cases annually. Across years, as many as 4 million survivors of postpartum psychosis may be living today - yet too often, our stories go unheard.
We're creating space to hear those stories.
In this podcast, we explore postpartum psychosis in all its complexity - our researched understanding as well as human experiences. We'll weave perspectives into an honest, compassionate conversation - making space for both the heaviness and the hope. We bring together:
- Survivors who’ve lived through the storm
- Researchers uncovering what we know (and what we still don’t)
- Clinicians on the frontlines of care
- Partners and loved ones who witnessed the unthinkable
Here, we normalize Mom Breaks - both the psychotic kind no one asks for, and the everyday kind everyone needs. A delusion I had during my psychosis was that I could reach an altered state where I wouldn’t have to care for myself at all, and could endlessly serve others. The truth - the cure, in many ways - is the opposite. We all need breaks. The small, regular pauses we build into our days and family routines are just as relevant as the bigger, harder interruptions that force us to stop. Mom Breaks remind us that caring for ourselves is not selfish—it’s what allows us to thrive and care for the people we love.
We’re here to shine light, offer understanding, and remind each other that nobody has to walk this path alone. If you’ve lived it, love someone who has, or simply believe these stories need to be heard - welcome.