"Pregnancy is no joke," Erin tells us in this body odyssey that's both deeply personal and all-too-common. Having been on bed rest with preeclampsia, Erin confides, “I wasn’t good at being pregnant.” Weight gain and postpartum depression --a condition affecting 1 in 8 new moms-- made matters worse. 

But when a close friend and fellow high school teacher tells Erin that running might help her behavioral and physical challenges, she (begrudgingly) starts training for a marathon. 

“Each person needs a plan that is well suited for that personality and for their functioning level,” advises Dr. “Shosh” Bennett, a clinical psychologist who has personally struggled with postpartum. “The take-home message shouldn't be: I have to run a marathon in order to beat postpartum depression. It should be: Find something that's going to give them great satisfaction.”

Does Mom-on-the-Run Erin find that satisfaction on a 26.2-mile run? Listen in to see how putting in extra miles helps her kids, her partner and herself. 

Original Music by Ryan Adair Rooney

SHOW NOTES

Expert:

Dr. Shoshana Bennett, PhD 

Internationally recognized as the go-to expert on prenatal and postpartum depression and related mood and anxiety disorders, clinical psychologist Dr. Shoshana Bennett has inspired and transformed countless lives worldwide through her radio shows, books, lectures, interactive tele-classes, consultations, and videos.

Books:

Postpartum Depression For Dummies (2006)

Beyond the Blues (2019)

Links:

More resources at www.mybodyodyssey.com

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