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This episode cuts straight to the core, revealing how common birth medications—Pitocin, epidurals, and antibiotics—are directly connected to this surge in postpartum mental health crises. 

Postpartum providers and advocates: You know the reality. More new moms are struggling with postpartum depression (PPD), anxiety, and autoimmune conditions. This isn't just "normal." The evidence is undeniable: these birth medications and interventions disrupt hormonal feedback loops, alter the nervous system, and damage the crucial gut-brain axis. For any professional dedicated to maternal wellness, this is critical. Understand these links to offer holistic care practices and deliver lasting solutions in postpartum recovery.

Check out this episode on the blog HERE. 

Key time stamps: 

• 0:02 Birth Meds & PPD: Unpacking the undeniable link.
• 2:19 Informed Consent: Why this conversation is crucial, not about blame.
• 3:26 Overlooked Impacts: How labor meds affect mood, hormones, and healing.
• 6:03 Compelling Research: The science behind interventions and postpartum mental health.
• 8:54 Epidurals & Gut-Brain: Understanding nervous system and gut disruption.
• 10:16 Pitocin's Risks: Synthetic oxytocin's impact on emotional well-being.
• 11:19 Antibiotics & Microbiome: How gut disruption contributes to PPD.
• 12:27 The "Trifecta": Compounded effects of multiple interventions.
• 18:32 Routine Recovery: The urgent need for post-intervention healing protocols.
• 19:49 Healing Protocol: Key strategies for nervous system, gut, nutrients, and rest.
• 28:03 Empowering Moms: Community support, education, and sovereignty in postpartum care.
• 29:38 Call to Action: Your role as a provider in leading change.

NEXT STEPS:

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🔔Sign up for the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Waitlist

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📚Get a Copy of the BOOK: Reclaiming Postpartum Wellness
🧠Perinatal Mental Health Certificate Training & Additional Courses for Providers & Postpartum Professionals

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As postpartum providers, we're seeing it: new moms are struggling with postpartum depression and anxiety at epidemic rates—now affecting 1 in 3 women. This isn't normal; it's the number one complication of childbirth, and our current postpartum care system is clearly failing. If you're a healthcare professional, perinatal mental health specialist, or functional health practitioner seeking holistic postpartum care solutions and evidence-based strategies to truly help clients heal at the root, you need to understand why this is happening and what we can do about it.

Check out this episode on the blog HERE. 

Key time stamps: 

• 00:00: The failing postpartum care system and the rise of maternal mental health issues. 
• 01:57: Postpartum depression is NOT normal but a sign of un-met needs. 
• 03:53: The inadequacy of postpartum checkups & normalization of suffering. 
• 06:05: Historical exclusion of women from medical studies
•  08:50: Gender-specific health research & maternal brain changes. 
• 12:20: Complex physiological postpartum changes beyond the obvious. 
• 13:53: Gut health and nervous system regulation in postpartum healing. 
• 20:12: Learning from cultural postpartum traditions around the world. 
• 22:03: The importance of herbs  & nutrient-dense postpartum foods. 
• 23:59: The shift away from traditional support & struggle for modern moms. 
• 25:43: Postpartum retreats aren't the answer – healing happens at home. 
• 27:39: Postpartum care appointments and the need for in-home support. 
• 28:44: The transformative power of 40 days of deep postpartum support.

Connect with Janelle: 

Janelle Lara is a Theologian who focuses primarily on the intersection between Alternative Spirituality and Christian Theology in her research. She enjoys sharing her studies and presenting her findings on her Youtube channel, @janellemlara. She lives in Southeast Georgia with her husband and young children. 

Youtube

NEXT STEPS:

🎒Download the free Postpartum Restoration Method™ Assessment Tool & Guide for Providers
🔔Sign up for the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Waitlist

👍Rate, REVIEW & share the podcast
📱Connect on Instagram!
📚Get a Copy of the BOOK: Reclaiming Postpartum Wellness
🧠Perinatal Mental Health Certificate Training & Additional Courses for Providers & Postpartum Professionals

Send us a text

Ever wonder why your postpartum clients feel like they're in a fog, forgetful, or just plain different? 

It's not just "mom brain" as we know it. In this eye-opening episode, we’re completely shifting the conventional understanding of the postpartum brain and diving deep into the profound neurological rewiring that happens after birth. Forget surface-level fixes; we're talking about real, lasting solutions for postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and maternal burnout by understanding the biological brilliance behind a mother's transformation. This isn't about "fixing" women; it's about seeing their bodies and brains with the reverence they deserve, and equipping postpartum providers with the holistic care practices to truly heal their clients at the root.

Check out this episode on the blog HERE. 

Key time stamps: 

• 0:48: Postpartum brain is rewiring, not broken. 
• 3:23: What happens to the brain in postpartum? Neurological transformation explained. 
• 4:25: Increased diligence, heightened emotional sensitivity, disrupted memory & focus, decreased self-prioritization.
• 5:30: Biologically appropriate functions without proper support lead to burnout, anxiety, rage.
•  6:46: The role of stress in brain rewiring – adaptive vs. chronic. Chronic stress creates maladaptive programming. 
• 10:40: Mom brains prioritize survival and baby's needs, not broken. 
• 11:29: Oxytocin strengthens memory of emotionally charged events. 
• 12:24: Understanding intrusive thoughts: protection, not pathology. 
• 15:28: How to support postpartum brain recovery: nutrition, nervous system regulation, repletion. 
• 16:05: Why holistic approaches are crucial and why single strategies fail. 
• 17:44: Body-based trauma release techniques like TRE therapy. 
• 18:11: The importance of safe co-regulating relationships. 
• 19:59: Consistent nutritional repletion is biochemical reality.
•  20:25: Sleep rhythm and restoration for active brain repair. 
• 24:08: Reclaim mom brain: it's a superpower, not a problem. Postpartum rewiring makes mothers more intuitive, protective, efficient. 

NEXT STEPS:

🎒Download the free Postpartum Restoration Method™ Assessment Tool & Guide for Providers
🔔Sign up for the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Waitlist

👍Rate, REVIEW & share the podcast
📱Connect on Instagram!
📚Get a Copy of the BOOK: Reclaiming Postpartum Wellness
🧠Perinatal Mental Health Certificate Training & Additional Courses for Providers & Postpartum Professionals

Send us a text

If you're a postpartum provider, you know the juggle: supporting new moms while often navigating your own intense motherhood journey, battling burnout, and feeling stretched thin. This episode gets real with midwife Corina Fitch & Maranda who share their deeply personal struggles with postpartum mental health – from depression to bipolar disorder – and how those experiences completely shifted their approach to holistic postpartum care. If you're a doula, midwife, or any birth worker focused on maternal wellness and improving our current system, you'll want to hear this. They explore how understanding and embracing matrescence is crucial not just for your clients to thrive, but for you as well.

Check out this episode on the blog HERE. 

Key time stamps: 

• 0:43 Postpartum recovery is a multi-year transformation, not just weeks
• 2:13 Corina's own postpartum depression fueled her passion for maternal wellness
• 4:00 Even birth professionals face their own postpartum struggles
• 10:48 Personal healing ignited innovative holistic maternal support programs
• 17:05 Postpartum University grew from provider demand for root-cause healing for moms
• 19:58 Many moms turn to alternative support after traditional healthcare fails them
• 22:43 Postpartum University addresses the gap in provider education
• 27:19 New laws push for extended, comprehensive postpartum care plans
• 31:33 Pregnancy causes immediate brain changes & motherhood's lifelong impact.

Connect with Corina: 

Corina Fitch is a Certified Professional Midwife and Neonatal Intensive Care nurse with over 27 years of experience in the field of maternal health.  She is also a Certified Feminine Power Transformational Facilitator and has been leading women’s circles and ceremonies for over 2 decades.  Corina has three daughters, each one bringing deeper meaning to her work. In 2017, after experiencing postpartum depression following the birth of her third daughter, Corina founded MotherFly, an organization dedicated to supporting maternal wellness and thriving.  

Website | IG 

NEXT STEPS:

🎒Download the free Postpartum Restoration Method™ Assessment Tool & Guide for Providers
🔔Sign up for the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Waitlist

👍Rate, REVIEW & share the podcast
📱Connect on Instagram!
📚Get a Copy of the BOOK: Reclaiming Postpartum Wellness
🧠Perinatal Mental Health Certificate Training & Additional Courses for Providers & Postpartum Professionals

Send us a text

As a postpartum provider, functional health practitioner, and perinatal nutritionist, you're likely being asked daily: "What's the best postnatal vitamin?" But here's the uncomfortable truth: the supplement market, especially for postpartum nutrition, is a wild west, riddled with misleading practices and products that could be doing more harm than good. Forget the simple brand recommendations. This episode pulls back the curtain on white labeling in supplements, reveals why so many popular brands are problematic, and empowers you to identify high-quality, bioavailable nutrients your clients actually need. We're challenging the "pill for every ill" mentality and arming you with the science to truly nourish depleted postpartum moms at the root.

Check out this episode on the blog HERE. 

Key Time Stamps: 

• 00:54: The Postnatal Supplement White Labeling Scam (Why Most Brands are Problematic)
• 04:31: Spotting a Fake: How to Identify Low-Quality Postpartum Supplements
• 08:22: Beyond Folic Acid: Crucial Checks for High-Quality Postpartum Vitamins
• 10:42: Food First: Why Real Food Outperforms Postpartum Supplements (Science-Backed)
• 13:25: The Supplement Trap: How Isolated Nutrients Can Harm Postpartum Moms
• 15:20: When Supplements Are Needed: A Provider's Guide for Postpartum Depletion
• 18:50: Topical Magnesium & Beyond: Optimal Delivery Methods for Postpartum Absorption
• 27:21: Your Checklist: What to Look for in a Truly Effective Postpartum Supplement
• 28:38: Advanced Biochemistry: Navigating Nutrient Interactions in Postpartum Supplements
• 31:14: The P5P Controversy: Understanding B6 Risks for Postpartum Mental Health
• 36:50: Herbs as Medicine: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Postpartum Nourishment
• 40:17: Precision Matters: Empowering Postpartum Providers in Supplement Assessment

NEXT STEPS:

🎒Download the free Postpartum Restoration Method™ Assessment Tool & Guide for Providers
🔔Sign up for the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Waitlist

👍Rate, REVIEW & share the podcast
📱Connect on Instagram!
📚Get a Copy of the BOOK: Reclaiming Postpartum Wellness
🧠Perinatal Mental Health Certificate Training & Additional Courses for Providers & Postpartum Professionals

Send us a text

Ever had a gut feeling that your client's postpartum depression or anxiety wasn't just about hormones? What if the real root is an unspoken birth experience, a wound that's been hiding in plain sight? This episode is a must-listen for anyone in perinatal mental health, functional health, or holistic postpartum care. Dr. Maya Weir peels back the layers of birth trauma, exploring its deep neurological effects, how it secretly shows up in the postpartum period, and why therapy alone often don't work. Transform how you support your postpartum clients, understand maternal trauma at its core, and add powerful somatic healing techniques to your toolbox. 

Check out the episode on the blog HERE. 

Key Time Stamps

• 1:47 Redefining birth trauma as more than just emergencies
• 3:00 Why grief is often at the heart of the trauma
• 5:38 Trauma vs. mourning: Recognizing the deep emotional layers
• 8:33 The surprising physiological & neurological signs of birth trauma
• 10:17 Common hidden symptoms of living with unresolved birth trauma
• 12:04 Misdiagnosing PPD/Anxiety when it's actually birth trauma
• 13:54: Why talk therapy often falls short for birth trauma healing
• 14:43 How somatic work helps the brain process trauma + bilateral stimulation and resourcing
• 16:41 Exploring intergenerational healing and ancestral connections
• 18:59 Why past traumas resurface intensely in postpartum
• 20:10 Healing in parenthood
• 21:27 Cultural wisdom about maternal healing and family patterns
• 25:07 Integrating family constellation work
• 26:09: A powerful somatic practice for any birth provider: 10-tap regulation.

Connect with Dr. Maya Weir

 Dr. Maya Weir is a clinical psychologist specializing in birth trauma treatment and the emotional landscape of early parenthood. Her own experience of becoming a parent revealed how physically, emotionally, and psychologically intense the transition can be. She helps parents make sense of their journey, heal from birth trauma, and find more grounded, connected ways to move forward. Website | IG

NEXT STEPS:

🎒Download the free Postpartum Restoration Method™ Assessment Tool & Guide for Providers
🔔Sign up for the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Waitlist

👍Rate, REVIEW & share the podcast
📱Connect on Instagram!
📚Get a Copy of the BOOK: Reclaiming Postpartum Wellness
🧠Perinatal Mental Health Certificate Training & Additional Courses for Providers & Postpartum Professionals

Send us a text

Dad brain is real: Men's brains change after baby arrives too!

Ever wonder what happens to dads when a new baby enters the picture? We all know about the wild ride moms go through, but what about the silent, powerful transformation happening in partners? If you're a postpartum provider, perinatal mental health professional, or advocate for new parents, this episode is an absolute must-listen. We're discussing the biological brain changes in men after childbirth, the paternal identity shift, and why understanding these nuances is crucial for holistic postpartum care. You're about to uncover insights that will profoundly impact how you support new families, fathers in the postpartum period, and ultimately, maternal well-being. This isn't just about men's struggles; it’s about empowering all parents to thrive in early parenthood.

Check out the episode on the blog: https://postpartumu.com/podcast/what-happens-to-dads-after-baby-the-science-behind-dad-brain-ep-220/

Key Time Stamps: 

• 00:00: Intro: Unpacking fatherhood's unseen transformation.
•  03:17: The science of men's brain changes after baby. 
• 04:34: Real-life impacts of paternal brain shifts. 
• 06:13: Navigating increased anxiety and identity shifts in new fathers.
•  07:57: Relational strain and libido changes for dads. 
• 09:32: Acknowledging male birth trauma and secondary trauma. 
• 12:04: The invisible load: Financial stress and protector instincts in new fathers. 
• 14:42: The societal pressure for men to "be strong." 
• 15:29: Why "postpartum" is specific to mothers: The biological truth.
• 18:05: The dangers of mislabeling paternal mental health.
• 18:46: Accurate terms for paternal perinatal mental health. 
• 19:14: Supporting fathers: Witnessing, educating, and partnership skills.
•  21:01: The vital balance: Supporting fathers without excusing absence. 
• 22:11: Why a mother's postpartum journey is unique. 
• 23:15: Holding both truths: Fathers change, postpartum is for mothers. 
• 25:20: Call to action for providers and lasting impact on postpartum health.

NEXT STEPS:

🎒Download the free Postpartum Restoration Method™ Assessment Tool & Guide for Providers
🔔Sign up for the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Waitlist

👍Rate, REVIEW & share the podcast
📱Connect on Instagram!
📚Get a Copy of the BOOK: Reclaiming Postpartum Wellness
🧠Perinatal Mental Health Certificate Training & Additional Courses for Providers & Postpartum Professionals

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As a postpartum provider or professional, it can feel like the standard "bounce back" narrative after birth just doesn't quite capture the profound shifts your clients are experiencing and  you sense a deeper transformation happening beyond postpartum depression and anxiety. Get ready to have your understanding of motherhood completely reframed with Jessie Harrold as she shared the concept of matrescence – the essential and often overlooked developmental transition into motherhood. Forget the outdated idea of simply "recovering"; this conversation unveils how becoming a mother is a radical rewiring on biological, psychological, social, and even spiritual levels, a journey that can take years and demands a whole new level of support and understanding. This is critical postpartum education for all who work with new mothers.

Check out this episode on the blog HERE. 

Key Time Stamps: 

• 02:19: Diving into the definition and significance of matrescence. 
• 05:02: Comparing matrescence to adolescence 
• 07:20: "losing yourself" as a necessary part of mother becoming. 
• 10:52: The growth and reprioritization during matrescence. 
• 13:20: The normative matrescence experiences & postpartum depression. 
• 15:39: Matrescence as a developmental model 
• 16:48: Grieving pre-baby identities. 
•  21:52: Connecting matrescence to adult development 
• 23:37: Mindfulness when navigating postpartum changes. 
• 24:42: The importance of community and tradition in the healing process
• 25:40: Exploring "mother powers" as during this transition 
• 27:38: The challenges of building community in modern motherhood

Connect with Jessie: 

Jessie Harrold is a coach and doula who has been supporting women through radical life transformations and other rites of passage for over fifteen years. Jessie specializes in matrescence, or the transition to motherhood.  She's the founder of the internationally acclaimed matrescence support program MotherSHIFT and The Village.  She is the author of Mothershift:  Reclaiming Motherhood as a Rite of Passage.   Website | IG 

NEXT STEPS:

🎒Download the free Postpartum Restoration Method™ Assessment Tool & Guide for Providers
🔔Sign up for the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Waitlist

👍Rate, REVIEW & share the podcast
📱Connect on Instagram!
📚Get a Copy of the BOOK: Reclaiming Postpartum Wellness
🧠Perinatal Mental Health Certificate Training & Additional Courses for Providers & Postpartum Professionals

Send us a text

Providers, let's challenge the standard 6-week checkup and the conversation around "default birth control". 

What if it's not just "standard care" but a MAJOR factor in the rise of postpartum depression and anxiety we're seeing? Is hormonal birth control a silent driver of postpartum depression and anxiety? It's time to connect the dots. New research links hormonal birth control postpartum to increased maternal mental health risks. Understanding the biological reality of postpartum, including postpartum brain rewiring, shows why synthetic hormones disrupt a healing body. This is a call to action for anyone supporting new mothers. For postpartum providers and perinatal mental health professionals focused on holistic support and evidence-based care, this knowledge is essential for informed consent and optimizing postpartum recovery. 

Check out this episode on the blog: https://postpartumu.com/podcast/the-link-between-hormonal-birth-control-and-postpartum-depression-ep-218/

Key Time Stamps: 

• 2:37 hormonal birth control postpartum and mental health
• 3:34 Key finding: 49% increased postpartum depression risk linked to hormonal contraception
• 5:12 Highlighting birth control as default postpartum care.
• 6:48 Diving into the biological reasons behind the link.
• 7:52 The complex postpartum body state: hormones, nutrients, sleep, inflammation.
• 11:48 Synthetic hormones interfere with delicate postpartum healing.
• 13:11 Exploring postpartum brain rewiring and changes.
• 15:26 How hormonal birth control can alter brain structure/function.
• 17:14 The "neurological collision" of postpartum brain changes and birth control.
• 20:34 Lack of provider training in postpartum brain science and hormone impacts.
• 25:07 Systemic issue: medicating women through a sacred transformation.
• 27:56 What holistic postpartum care and informed consent should look like instead.
• 31:09 The need for ongoing postpartum support (recovery takes years!).

NEXT STEPS:

🎒Download the free Postpartum Restoration Method™ Assessment Tool & Guide for Providers
🔔Sign up for the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Waitlist

👍Rate, REVIEW & share the podcast
📱Connect on Instagram!
📚Get a Copy of the BOOK: Reclaiming Postpartum Wellness
🧠Perinatal Mental Health Certificate Training & Additional Courses for Providers & Postpartum Professionals

Send us a text

Think postpartum psychosis is just a scary headline? Think again. This powerful episode pulls back the curtain on a condition too often misunderstood and dangerously dismissed. Join us as we listen to Aaisha Alvi, a postpartum psychosis awareness advocate and survivor, whose raw and compelling story will challenge everything you thought you knew. As postpartum providers and professionals, you'll gain invaluable insight into the lived experience of this psychiatric emergency, the critical warning signs, and the potentially life-saving actions you can take. This isn't just theoretical knowledge; it's essential postpartum education that could directly impact the lives of your clients and their families.

Check out this episode on the blog HERE. 

Key Time Stamps: 

• 01:17: Meeting Aaisha Alvi & the urgent need for PPP awareness.
• 02:24: Aaisha's progression from PPD/PPA to psychosis after birth.
• 05:13: The onset of terrifying delusions & altered reality.
• 06:38 & 09:29: Repeated dismissal by doctors despite clear distress.
• 08:21: PPP after miscarriage: highlighting broader risk factors.
• 17:07: Hallucinations & delusions: the critical diagnostic markers.
• 18:07: PPP as a psychiatric emergency with suicide/infanticide risks.
• 23:34: The heartbreaking impact of dismissed pleas for help.
• 25:16: Aaisha's healing journey: medication, therapy, self-education.
• 21:52: The critical importance of truly listening to mothers.
• 15:18: Challenging the "rare" label & advocating for better care.
• 28:35: Hope for improved provider awareness & life-saving interventions.

Connect with Aaisha

Aaisha Alvi is a postpartum psychosis awareness advocate and writer. Her book, A Mom Like That: A Memoir of Postpartum Psychosis was recently released. You can follow her awareness efforts below.

Website | IG |

Read the first 5 chapters of Aaisha's Book: A Mom Like That: A Memoir of Postpartum Psychosis ---> https://books.google.ca/books?id=kd_eEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT12&source=kp_read_button&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&gboemv=1&redir_esc=y

NEXT STEPS:

🎒Download the free Postpartum Restoration Method™ Assessment Tool & Guide for Providers
🔔Sign up for the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Waitlist

👍Rate, REVIEW & share the podcast
📱Connect on Instagram!
📚Get a Copy of the BOOK: Reclaiming Postpartum Wellness
🧠Perinatal Mental Health Certificate Training & Additional Courses for Providers & Postpartum Professionals