Perinatal Wellbeing - The Podcast about Prenatal, Pregnancy & Postpartum Health

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Content Warning: Fertility challenges

Today’s guest is Katie Lamport, RSSW. Katie is a counsellor in private practice in the Barrie, Ontario area. I first met Katie when I started a new job as an addictions counsellor. Katie was fully pregnant and went on maternity leave a few days later. Katie was the first person I had met that was a gestational carrier and I thought WOW what an amazing person! On today’s episode Katie shares her story of being a gestational carrier, what all the preparation was like and how the pregnancy went for her. Katie shares her story in such an authentic way that I had to keep asking her questions! So Katie’s story is in 2 parts.   

Highlights:

3:08 – How Katie decided to become a surrogate

7:00 – Gestational carrier vs Surrogate

8:25 – Telling the kids

10:15 – Meeting the couple 

11:28 – How Katie and Dave made the decision to move ahead

16:55 – Mental health screening 

18:05 – Questions about Surrogacy legal issues

20:28 – Transfer day

27:28 – Positive test

32:00 – Intersection of gender stereotypes and gestational carrying

35:48 – Pregnancy sickness

39:27 – How the surrogacy changed Katie and Dave’s relationship

40:45 – How did the pregnancy impact Katie’s work

42:35 – How did the kids feel about it?

45:00 – Navigating client questions around surrogacy

46:00 – Being pregnant as a way of honouring this job

47:04 – Felt like an abrupt ending after delivery

Resources: 

You can find Katie on Instagram @katielamportcounselling at  https://www.mainstreamtherapy.com and

 https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapists/katie-lamport-barrie-on/960500?preview=1&return_to=https%3A%2F%2Fmember.psychologytoday.com%2Fca%2Fhome&_ga=2.157527610.1247068831.1649346645-1756219686.1648751043

You can find us at www.perinatalwellbeing.ca on Instagram @perinatalwellbeing_ontario or by email [email protected]

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Content Warning: Mention of birth trauma, baby blues, obstetric violence, NICU, some swearing, gendered language. 

Today’s Guest is Kelley Hassanpour, RN who is the Founder over at Parenting From Within and we are talking about the unrealistic expectations of motherhood. We covered a wide range of topics from gendered stereotypes to patriarchy’s impact on motherhood and the systems that we birth in to integrating our mom parts. We could do a separate episode on each of these topics, so this is really just to get the conversation going! 

Highlights:

3:30 – Perfect Mommy Myth “Being a good mom” “mom as martyr”

7:55 - Integrating mom parts

9:20 – Taking care of ourselves last

10:00 - Expectations around birth and postpartum that you should experience pain, discomfort “suck it up”

13:05 – Patriarchy and gender stereotypes and their impact on our health care

14:24 – Losing our dignity in birth, birth-trauma, obstetric violence 

16:50 - Trauma-informed care as the standard

19:08 - Myth of natural motherhood

21:35 – Shame

34:47 – Mental Load of motherhood

38:14 - Gender roles and division of labour

45:58 – Unrealistic Expectations of women’s beauty and bouncing back after birth

48:29 – “You still need you”, doing things that connect you to you

51:12 – How can we break down these myths and stereotypes?

Resources: 

Dr. Sophie Brock https://drsophiebrock.com 

Brené Brown’s Podcast https://brenebrown.com/podcast-show/unlocking-us/ 

The 4th Trimester By Kimberly Ann Johnson

https://www.amazon.ca/Fourth-Trimester-Postpartum-Balancing-Restoring-ebook/dp/B071ZXWNSC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=307EKWHTN8HEW&keywords=4th+trimester+book&qid=1649452704&sprefix=4th+tr%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-1 

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

https://www.amazon.ca/Untamed-Glennon-Doyle-ebook/dp/B07VSZTKJ8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=E4C3W4VT3H7A&keywords=untamed&qid=1649452888&sprefix=untamed%2Caps%2C81&sr=8-1  

You can find Kelley at https://www.parentingfromwithin.ca

Facebook @parentingfromwithin 

Instagram @parenting_from_within_ 

You can find us at www.perinatalwellbeing.ca on Instagram @perinatalwellbeing_ontario or by email [email protected]

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Content Warning: Intrusive thoughts, birth trauma, postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, OCD, postpartum OCD, intrusive thoughts/compulsions around sleep and food, challenges with nursing, rage, trauma, fear, NICU experience, some swearing 

Today is the 2nd part of my conversation with Lisette and Catherine from Together Waterloo. Together came out of a desire to increase the services available to families struggling with perinatal mental health in Waterloo Region. Their goal is to increase support systems, educate health care providers, and build a village so that no parent is left behind. In part 2 of this episode Catherine and Lisette share how they started Together Waterloo, advocating for more PMH supports, building a community of survivors and parents and how they’re making shit happen in Waterloo! 

Lisette Weber is a postpartum doula, the Social Media Manager for The Climb for PSI and co-founder at Together Waterloo along with Catherine Mellinger an expressive arts therapist. They are both trained in Perinatal Mental Health and are making things happen in this space!

Highlights:

2:50 - Lack of supports, seeking support at our breaking point

10:32 - Experiencing postpartum mental illness as a traumatic event 

11:00 - Fear of another pregnancy

11:58 – Grieving the Postpartum period

13:45 - Lisette’s experience with being diagnosed with a PMAD and having her second child with supports in place

16:13 - NICU experience

26:32 - The importance of being trained in Perinatal Mental Health

36:51 - How Lisette and Catherine and providing supports and building community in Waterloo and making things happen

Resources:
Together
https://togetherwaterloo.ca/ 
@togetherwaterloo

The Climb
https://togetherwaterloo.ca/cotd-waterloo/ 
@psiclimbout

Lisette
https://postpartumsidekick.ca 
Instagram @postpartumsidekick

Catherine
https://catherinemellinger.com 
Instagram @catherine_mellinger

Reproductive Life stages Program at Women’s College Hospital Toronto
https://www.womenscollegehospital.ca/care-programs/mental-health/rls/  

You can find us at www.perinatalwellbeing.ca on Instagram @perinatalwellbeing_ontario or by email [email protected]

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Content Warning: Intrusive thoughts, birth trauma, postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, OCD, postpartum OCD, intrusive thoughts/compulsions around sleep and food, challenges with nursing, rage, trauma, fear, NICU experience, and some swearing. 

Hello and welcome to Perinatal Wellbeing episode #12! Today I’m talking with Lisette and Catherine from Together Waterloo, Together came out of a desire to increase the services available to families struggling with perinatal mental health in Waterloo Region. Their goal is to increase support systems, educate health care providers, and build a village so that no parent is left behind. In part 1 of this episode Catherine and Lisette share their experiences in the perinatal period and the mental health challenges they faced. 

Lisette Weber is a postpartum doula, the Social Media Manager for PSI and co-founder at Together Waterloo along with Catherine Mellinger an expressive arts therapist. They are both trained in Perinatal Mental Health and are making things happen in this space!

Highlights:

3:26 - Catherine’s story

6:08 - Symptoms of OCD in pregnancy, intrusive thoughts 

18:32 - Healthcare Practitioner Experiences; mental health and pregnancy screening

37:57 - Lisette’s birth story, birth trauma, postpartum experience, challenges with nursing, 

44:15 - Lack of supports in her area and discovering the need for more supports

Resources: 

Together Waterloo https://togetherwaterloo.ca/ 
Instagram @togetherwaterloo

The Climb https://togetherwaterloo.ca/cotd-waterloo/ 
Instagram @psiclimbout

Lisette https://postpartumsidekick.ca 
Instagram @postpartumsidekick

Catherine https://catherinemellinger.com
Instagram @catherine_mellinger

Reproductive Life stages Program at Women’s College Hospital Toronto
https://www.womenscollegehospital.ca/care-programs/mental-health/rls/  

You can find us at www.perinatalwellbeing.ca on Instagram @perinatalwellbeing_ontario or by email [email protected]

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Content Warning: Ectopic pregnancy, pregnancy loss, trauma, medical procedures, surgery, a near miss and grief.

My guest today is Nicole Leijh, RSSW who is a perinatal therapist in private practice in Muskoka Ontario. Over the past few months, we’ve gotten to know each other and become friends and I was so honoured when Nicole agreed to share her experience with an ectopic pregnancy. Nicole endured a lot last year and shares her story in order to raise awareness about ectopic pregnancies and to advocate for more education and better care for people experiencing pregnancy loss. 

You can find Nicole at https://lynxlakecounselling.ca 

Highlights:

3:20 - What is ectopic pregnancy? 

4:35 - Nicole’s story

5:47 - Signs of a miscarriage

7:15 - Ultrasound confirmed ectopic pregnancy

8:48 – Told to go to the E.R.

11:14 – Medication to treat the ectopic pregnancy 

17:11 – Experiencing pain and returning to hospital after some hesitation

24:47 – Talk with surgeon, advised that Nicole would need emergency surgery

27:23 – Leaving her son for the first time since his birth

28:29 – Realization that Nicole had postpartum depression and anxiety

30:08 – Having to stop nursing because of the medication

32:05 – Surgery

36:25 – Nicole’s husband experience of being in the parking lot during her surgery

40:43 – Discharge, after-care and recovery 

46:12 – Post-trauma symptoms 

46:53 – Support system

50:35 – Emotional/mental recovery

52:14 – The Due Date

54:28 – Difficulty in finding external supports

56:30 – Raising awareness about ectopic pregnancies, sharing information about ectopic pregnancies

1:02:55 – Where Nicole is at today with her healing

1:03:35 – Advocating to hospitals to make positive changes to ectopic pregnancy care

1:05:40 – What would Nicole have needed during her experience

1:12:19 – What does Nicole want to see change in this space

Resources: 

You can find Nicole at https://lynxlakecounselling.ca 

Information about Ectopic pregnancies 

https://www.babycenter.ca/a549381/ectopic-pregnancy 

Support at PAIL Network

https://pailnetwork.sunnybrook.ca/support-for-families-menu/ 

Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Trainings https://www.canadianperinatalmentalhealthtrainings.com 

Pregnancy Loss Support at Postpartum Support International

https://www.postpartum.net/get-help/loss-grief-in-pregnancy-postpartum/ 

You can find us at www.perinatalwellbeing.ca on Instagram @perinatalwellbeing_ontario or by email [email protected]

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Content Warning: Today’s episode is all about relational trauma including sexual, physical and emotional abuse as well as birth trauma. Please know this is a heavy episode and you can take your time listening to it or come back to it at a different time. 

My guest today is vania sukola, RP who is a feminist and trauma therapist and works with clients in the perinatal period. I first met vania when she was providing training on trauma assessments. I was instantly drawn to vania’s calm and steady presence and her wisdom. Today’s episode is quite heavy and so I encourage you to take care of yourself when listening to this episode and afterwards. Please know that we will be talking about relational trauma, childhood trauma and how this can impact people when they are in the perinatal period. 

Highlights:

4:30 – What is relational trauma? 

7:15 - How can past or relational trauma impact people in the perinatal period, including in the Prenatal period?

13:32 - during pregnancy 

17:22 – How can we change the narrative around our story? Resourcing, grounding and regulating the nervous system. 

22:00 - Parenting from our values, meeting our own needs 

25:18 - Asking for help

26:24 – Attachment

29:10 - Asking questions and advocating for your perinatal care and saying no to procedures

35:52 – Circles of support – who is in our support system?

38:56 – How relational trauma impacts labour and delivery 

43:00 - How relational trauma impacts our intuition

47:00 – Birth Trauma and relational trauma showing up in delivery

57:15 – How does relational trauma show up in the postpartum period?

1:03:39 - How can foreboding joy show up for people in the Perinatal period? 

1:09:25 - How does the pandemic impact how relational trauma can affect us in the perinatal period and our ability to cope?

1:14:10 - What is a takeaway tool that you would like to give listeners? 

Resources:

You can connect with vania on her website: http://vaniasukola.ca

Facebook: Therapy with Vania

Instagram: vania_sukola

You can find us at www.perinatalwellbeing.ca on Instagram @perinatalwellbeing_ontario or by email [email protected]

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Content Warning: Anxiety, stigma around medication, pressures to sleep train, intrusive and suicidal thoughts

Today’s Guest is Kelley Hassanpour, RN who is the Founder over at Parenting From Within. Kelley experienced postpartum anxiety after the birth of her son. Kelley recognized the symptoms at 13 months postpartum and started her recovery journey then. Kelley experienced pressure to sleep train her son from her doctor and shares how this experience added to her anxiety. Kelley recently founded Parenting From Within in order to provide education, support and community to new parents, providing the support she felt she could’ve used when she had her son. We touched on some important topics including perfectionism and anxiety, the stigma around mental health medications, suicidal and intrusive thoughts, seeking support and so much more!   

Highlights:

4:10 - Pregnancy Story 

5:45 - Perfectionism and anxiety

8:10 - Experiencing postpartum anxiety and the intersection with being a NICU nurse

9:52 – Reluctancy around medication and stigma around mental health medication

14:55 - Noticing the signs of postpartum anxiety at 13 months old

16:12 - Suicidal and intrusive Thoughts

19:00 - Seeking Support

21:05 - Reflecting on signs and symptoms of anxiety in the first year

26:35 - Sleep and pressure to sleep train 

36:52 - Recognizing anxiety vs worry

41:50 - Partner’s experience

45:55 - Post-Birth planning

50:05 – More pressure to sleep train

52:30 - Recovery including medication and therapy 

1:02:18 - Returning to work

1:03:15 - Parenting from Within – Kelley’s Organization

1:16 - What is missing from Perinatal support? 

Resources: 

You can find Kelley at www.parentingfromwithin.ca

Facebook
@parentingfromwithin 

Instagram
@parenting_from_within_ 

Le Leche League Safe Seven: 

https://www.llli.org/the-safe-sleep-seven/

Health Link BC: https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/sites/default/files/pdf/safer-sleep-for-my-baby.pdf

Canadian Community Health Study: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2019007/article/00002-eng.htm 

= 60% of families say they have bedshared at some point

You can find us at www.perinatalwellbeing.ca on Instagram @perinatalwellbeing_ontario or by email [email protected]

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Content Warning: Fertility Challenges, grief and loss

Hello and welcome to Perinatal Wellbeing episode #8. Today we’re going to talk about Queer fertility journeys and processes. My guest today is Laine Halpern Zisman, PhD, a Toronto-based queer doula who specializes in queer fertility support. She is also a queer culture and communications scholar and has published and taught on a range of topics related to queer theatre & media, activism & trauma, and critical queer feminist theory. Laine is also the LGBTQ+ Support Co-ordinator and Doula at Perinatal Wellbeing Ontario where she helps people find resources and supports from fertility planning to the postpartum period. Laine and I cover a lot in this episode. Laine guides us through various fertility planning considerations, fertility treatments and processes as well as how to cope with change and grief and the importance of self-advocacy throughout this process. And so much more! You can find her on instagram: @queerconceptions.

Highlights:

3:20 - Laine’s work

4:57 - What is involved in the fertility planning

5:19 - Learning to cope with change and anxiety through the fertility journey 

10:25 - Lack of inclusivity in fertility clinics 

13:05 - Options in queer fertility journeys

15:20 - Anonymous vs open-ID for sperm or egg donations

19:03 - CMV status testing 

21:06 - Choosing a fertility clinic

25:08 - Choosing a method

27:40 - Creating a fertility plan

29:41 - Giving yourself permission to take a pause

31:56 - Creating your support network

32:57 - Transitioning from care during fertility treatments to pregnancy care

42:30 - Coping with grief and loss throughout the fertility process

49:07 - Support for non-gestational parents

50:57 - How the Pandemic has affected fertility journeys

52:59 - What do you think is missing from the space of Perinatal Support for people in the Queer community? 

54:33 - How do we help to break down barriers? 

58:27 - Understanding and using pronouns

Resources: 

Check out Laine on Instagram @queerconceptions for information on fertility planning and journeys as well as questions to ask and think about on your fertility journey.

You can find us at www.perinatalwellbeing.ca on Instagram @perinatalwellbeing_ontario or by email [email protected]

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Content Warning: Fertility struggles, Intrusive thoughts, anxiety, mention of birth trauma, and grief.

Hello and welcome to Perinatal Wellbeing episode #7! On today’s episode I interview Sascha, who I met through PSI’s Peer Mentor program last year. Sascha is a mom to her 2-year-old son and lives with her husband in New Jersey. 

Sascha experienced Postpartum Anxiety after the birth of her first child and she shares her story with us, what recovery looked like for her and what having a baby during a pandemic has been like. We touch on so many different really important points that I think everyone will take something from this episode. 

Highlights:

4:30 - Sascha’s birth story

13:23 - The Baby Blues

16:50 - Postpartum Anxiety

18:58 - Baby’s sleep

19:55 - The impact of social media on perinatal mental health

23:16 - Transition back to work after maternity leave

25:52 - Intrusive thoughts

28:50 - Reaching out for help, connecting to supports

34:40 - Connecting to our values

39:11 - Recovery

40:20 - Coping Skills

47:27 - Grief

49:43 - Baby’s 1st birthday

54:45 - Experience of having a baby in a pandemic

59:19 - Transitioning to daycare in a pandemic

1:03:17 - What would you tell yourself in that difficult time?

1:04:53 - What supports do we need to help new parents?

Resources: 

Book: Good Moms have Scary Thoughts by Karen Kleiman 

You can find information about the Peer Mentor program at Postpartum International at https://www.postpartum.net/get-help/peer-mentor-program/

You can find us at www.perinatalwellbeing.ca on Instagram @perinatalwellbeing_ontario or by email [email protected]

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Content Warning: Intrusive thoughts, anxiety and challenges with nursing.

Hello and welcome to Perinatal Wellbeing episode #6 today is part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Jodi Pawluski. Jodi is a researcher, neuroscientist, therapist, podcaster, and parent! Jodi is from Canada and currently lives in France with her partner and 2 kids. Jodi researches the Parental brain and you can learn all about it on her website and on her podcast, Mommy Brain Revisited. Jodi is also a perinatal mental health therapist. In this episode, Jodi shares her story of her delivery with her 2nd child and her experience with nursing him, in a different country than her first. We also talk about the neuroscience of anxiety and the biology of nursing. And because we had so much to talk about you get to hear Jodi’s story in 2 parts! Please see last week’s show for part 1.  

You can find Jodi at https://www.jodipawluski.com and her podcast Mommy Brain Revisited is on most major platforms.

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