WHO AM I NOW?

I am still figuring out who I am on the other side of motherhood nearly five years later. It can feel lonely to suddenly not recognize yourself physically, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally post-baby. I know how this feels and am finding my way through every day. I wanted to share some more thoughts and little tips that have helped me understand myself more in the process.

Drive with me. This is a 15 minute meditation for mindfulness while driving. Breathe in. Breathe out.

E. 82 Is this thing still on? Weaning, life updates, etc.

I am back, baby! This episode talks about babies, breastfeeding, weaning, and feeling ALIVE when you've been feeling LOST.

E. 78 Meditation for transit

This is a quick meditation to reset while you are on the go

E. 80 Postpartum Preparation vs. Reality

This is an episode on my postpartum healing journey and what preparations we set up ahead of time for support.

The most important piece of advice I've heard and followed is the 5-5-5 rule. Once you have a baby, your body needs to rest and recover. A great way to support your healing is to spend 5-6 days completely resting in bed. Then the next 5 days on the bed or close to the bed with rest at the forefront. Finally the last 5 days you should still be resting "close" to the bed. This is the bare minimum for allowing your body to recover. I share more tips in this episode!

Preparing for Baby, again

Here is another nap-time podcast recording on Not Another Wellness Podcast. In this episode I share the ways I prepared myself physically, mentally, and emotionally for our second baby.

Pt. 2 Teagan's Birth Story

...How she made her grand entrance into the world and what the postpartum period felt like with a toddler at home this time.

Teagan's Birth Story Pt. 1

Dr. Stephanie Dueger is a psychotherapist, parent coach, and educator, who works with expectant and new parents and their little ones. Her first book, Preparing for Parenthood: 55 Essential Conversations for Couples Becoming Families, is the book she wishes she'd had for herself when first becoming a parent. She facilitates parent workshops, and was the Editor-in-Chief of the academic Journal of Pre- and Perinatal Psychology and Health for 3 years. Dr. Dueger lives in Boulder, Colorado, with her husband and two daughters. preparedforparenthood.com

“You can both be grateful, & have trauma” after your birth

Birth Trauma

• The difference between a difficult and traumatic birth
• What is happening in the brain during labor, primal brain
• About “1 in 10 people feel their birth was traumatic”
• About “1 in 6 people can be diagnoses with postpartum PTSD”
• What are the common threads between a persons birth and their likelihood for experiencing trauma in birth

Preparing for Birth

• Managing past traumas before you give birth
  • “Letting the nervous system know that it is safe, and seen, and soothed”

Doulas/Birth Workers

• The language of “doula” is shifting to “birth worker”
• What is the role of the doula
• Birth preferences vs. a birth plan
• Helping birthing people feel empowered
• The difference between a birth worker and a partner
• Minimize the unexpected with education and preparation
• Birth is safe in lots of difference places

The top 3 things that seem to help people have the most satisfying birth experiences (and make the whole birthing team more successful)

1. A team with whom they feel supported

2. Use the strengths you already have

3. Have flexibility

• Why wanting to “control” birth doesn’t always work
• Postpartum workers/doulas and what that can look like
  • What is postnatal depletion?
• Post Trauma GROWTH!

Jenevieve Russell: Jenevieve has been in the pregnancy/parenting world for the past 20 years as a doula, psychotherapist, support group host. She has witnessed 450 births in that time as a birth worker. She is a psychotherapist through her Nurturing Strategies, LLC [psychotherapy, trauma/birth processing and perinatal adjustment] and motherhood support group, and a doula/birthworker through Doulas of Boulder. She delights in exploring her own journey of motherhood with her family and is ecstatic about supporting expecting families. She draws on her vast, eclectic experiences (more below) when supporting families before, during and after birthing, specifically she has attended/supported births since 1996.

Get in touch with Jenevieve:

www.NurturingStrategies.com

Jenevieve is also an experienced doula:

Doulas of Boulder

Other links from the show!

Doula Database:

https://www.dona.org/what-is-a-doula/find-a-doula/

https://referral.dancyperinatal.com/

https://psidirectory.com/

Soul 2 Soul Sisters: out of Colorado

https://soul2soulsisters.org/sacred-seeds-black-birthworker-collective-of-colorado/