Today I talk to Cassie, a mother of two and L&D nurse, who shares her personal experience with preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, anxiety, and postpartum depression. She talks about some difficult thoughts she had during this time of depression and how she found her way back to herself. This story is close to her heart, and it will touch yours. Big thanks to Cassie for her vulnerability.

Resources:

• EPDS Scale. Contact your provider if you score above 10.
• Postpartum Support International
• Call 1-800-944-4773 to get in touch with someone in your area (this is outside of Utah) who can help you find your local resources.
• Maternal Mental Health Resources in Utah

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Today I get to talk to Dr. Deirdre Conway, a local reproductive endocrinologist from Utah Fertility Center. She helps us understand the difference between an OBGYN and a reproductive endocrinologist (REI), when to make an appointment with an REI, what a first appointment looks like, how common infertility is, and possible treatment options. She's an absolute delight, and you'll love getting to know her and the information she shares. 

Resources:

• Patient Resources on Utah Fertility Center's website
• As a Woman Podcast by Reproductive Endocrinologist Dr. Natalie Crawford
• Dr. Natalie Crawford's YouTube Channel

The Sad Moms Club's Instagram: @the.sad.moms.club

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Short solo episode on my number one question: how do I find a therapist who specializes in maternal mental health AND who takes my insurance AND who I like AND is taking new clients? 

I also talk about how I navigate these sites, so the options are not so overwhelming. Here are the resources I share in the episode:

• PSI Helpline
• PSI Directory
• PSI Support Groups
• Utah-Specific Maternal Mental Health Website
• Psychology Today

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I get to talk to Louisa, a local Utah mother of two children. She shares her personal experience with postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety after delivering her first daughter and adopting her second. She explains some of her thoughts from when she was struggling the most and how therapy helped her. 

Resources:

• PSI Helpline: 1-800-944-4773 Louisa actually called this number and the PSI coordinator emailed her the next day with a list of therapists who were currently taking clients.
• Utah's Website: find a maternal mental health therapist in Utah
• PSI's Provider Directory: find a maternal mental health therapist in any state
• TIPP Skill
• Climb out of the Darkness Utah. Sign up using this link. 
• Join a Climb near you. 

The Sad Moms Club's Instagram: @the.sad.moms.club

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Emily Freeze is a marriage and family therapist who specializes in working with couples as well as maternal and reproductive mental health. She is an owner of New Beginnings Counseling Group who has locations in Provo, Lehi, and American Fork. Emily shares a lot about her own story regarding her infertility journey. She normalizes going to couples therapy, common problems couples face, and offers lots of usable tools. 

Resources:

• Hold Me Tight by Dr. Sue Johnson
• The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by Dr. John Gottman: 
• The New Rules of Marriage by Terrence Real

The Sad Moms Club's Instagram: @the.sad.moms.club

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Today I talk with Betty Flores, LCSW, who has a private practice called Perinatal Wellness where she sees clients in Utah and North Carolina. We talk about her experience postpartum, the mental load of motherhood, perfectionism, asking for help, and planning for the postpartum period while pregnant. 

Resources:

• Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do (and More Life to Live) by Eve Rodsky
• Fair Play Documentary
• Postpartum Plan
• You Should've Asked Comic
• The Hidden Load: How 'Thinking of Everything' Holds Mums Back

The Sad Moms Club's Instagram: @the.sad.moms.club

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This episode we talk about some of my experiences with loneliness, why connection is so important for humans, and some tips on how to make friends as an adult. 

Resources:

• PSI Online Support Groups
• Call or Text PSI Help Line: 1-800-944-4773
• maternalmentalhealth.utah.gov
• What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness TEDTalk by Robert Waldinger
• Making Friends as An Adult by Thoughts on Thoughts
• This could be why you're depressed or anxious by Johann Hari
• BumbleBFF
• Peanut App

The Sad Moms Club's Instagram: @the.sad.moms.club

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Camille Hawkins is a therapist and owner of Chapters & Seasons who shares her personal experience with infertility, pregnancy loss, and infant loss. She acknowledges and affirms that if you have lost a baby or pregnancy, your loss matters. Your pain is real and valid and that is due to the deep love and connection that you have with a baby or pregnancy that you lost. She teaches us a few things about navigating grief around humans who do not know what to say. Finally, she talks about her practice called Chapters and Seasons which blends individual and group therapy with a wellness and experiential component.

Resources:

• Ghost Belly
• Chapters & Seasons Groups, Classes, and Workshops
• Miscarriage or Stillbirth: Why do we automatically assume one is harder? written by Camille Hawkins
• Chapters & Seasons Instagram

The Sad Moms Club's Instagram: @the.sad.moms.club

Enter your personal story here.

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Today I talk with two people from the Utah Infertility Resource Center (UIRC), a non-profit organization that provides education and emotional support to those who are struggling to grow their families so they are empowered, strengthened, and equipped to move forward on their respective journeys.

First, I speak with Annie Hamilton who has experienced infertility herself and is now a therapist at UIRC helping people navigate and process their own infertility journey. We discuss the several losses associated with infertility and coping skills such as mindfulness, finding pleasant activities, identifying emotions, and boundary setting. 

Then, I speak with Shelli Mecham the current executive director for UIRC who talks about all the resources available through their organization.

Resources Referenced:

• As a Woman Podcast by Reproductive Endocrinologist Dr. Natalie Crawford
• Dr. Natalie Crawford's YouTube Channel
• Pleasant Activities List
• Emotion Wheel
• Emotions in Body
• DEARMAN
• Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend
• Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler
• Conquering Infertility by Dr. Alice Domar
• It Starts with the Egg by Rebecca Fett
• What Makes a Baby (picture book) written by Cory Silverberg and illustrated by Fiona Smyth 
• UIRC Support Groups
• UIRC Resource List
• Fertility Challenges PSI Support Group

The Sad Moms Club's Instagram: @the.sad.moms.club

Enter your personal story here.

Article: Thompson, J. (2021). The effectiveness of couple therapy on psychological and relational variables and pregnancy rates in couples with infertility: A systematic revie

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Today I talk with Dr. Lauren Gimbel who is an OBGYN at the University of Utah. We talk about the value of pre-conception visits, the risks associated with untreated mental illness during pregnancy, and the building blocks of mental health: sleep, nutrition, and exercise.

After the interview, I talk a little bit about postpartum psychosis because of a recent tragedy that has been in the news. I also talk through some recommendations made by the pediatrician and author Dr. Natasha Sriraman from her book called Return to You: A Postpartum Plan for New Moms. We talk about a few things that are important to plan before having your baby, so you can be set up with the most support possible. I just thought these two topics go together because you don’t always know what postpartum will bring and having an actual written plan can help you and help your support people help you.

Beehive Meals. Not sponsored, I just think it's a great idea.

The Sad Moms Club's Instagram: @the.sad.moms.club

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