Mom and Mind | Pregnancy and Postpartum Depression & Anxiety

We talk about a lot of things that people don’t want to talk about or even hear. Still, they are very real, challenging, and difficult circumstances surrounding pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. It’s important to share these stories because these difficulties become a reality for many people. Today’s show focuses on birth trauma and breastfeeding as we hear our guest’s personal account.

Erin Northrup is a mom of four busy children, ranging in age from 2 to 10. She lives in Atlantic Canada, where she enjoys spending time in nature with her family. With the birth of her oldest child, Jack, she experienced birth trauma, and this experience sparked her passion for researching trauma. Erin holds a bachelor’s in Psychology and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Health Services Research. Her current research explores the experience of breastfeeding after birth trauma. Her own experience of breastfeeding after birth trauma inspired her to become a volunteer with a breastfeeding support organization offering community-based, peer-to-peer breastfeeding support. She is committed to raising awareness of the intersection of birth trauma, breastfeeding, and perinatal mental health.

Show Highlights:

Erin’s birth trauma experience with the birth of her son, Jack, now 10

How her OB prepared her to have a C-section because of an ambiguous condition

How Erin’s water broke a week early, and her spinal didn’t take, so the C-section proceeded under general anesthesia, while Erin felt dissociated from the entire experience

In recovery, she was told that her son was taken to the NICU because of low blood sugar, and she couldn’t see him yet

How Erin’s mom, a physician, stepped in to advocate for Erin to see her son

While eating breakfast a few hours after the birth, Erin felt a popping sensation in her incision and felt a gush of blood

Erin was rushed back to the OR, and the spinal worked this time while Erin cried on the table--all of this was before she had even held her baby

How Erin was repeatedly spoken about like she wasn’t even in the room; she felt like her input wasn’t even important

When Erin got home, survival mode kicked in, and she regretted not advocating more strongly for herself

How Erin questioned whether or not her son was even the right baby, worrying that a mix-up could have occurred in the hospital because neither she nor her husband witnessed his birth

How she determined to “make it up” to her son by breastfeeding him

How the Ob told her at two months postpartum that her condition should not have warranted a C-section in the first place---which just made everything worse

How Erin felt an erosion of trust in her doctors and the medical system

How Erin asked where the growth and meaning was in her situation and how she could use her experience to help others

Erin applied to a Master’s program and went on to have three more kids with positive birth experiences

How Erin found support for breastfeeding

What Erin has found in her research by asking mothers about their experience with birth trauma and breastfeeding

The magnitude of the response she has received, but the difficulty in hearing the painful stories of birth trauma

The results from Erin’s research: Birth trauma is destabilizing to the breastfeeding process because of the physical and emotional pain in childbirth and the postpartum period from mistreatment

The importance of trauma-informed care

How women with these experiences feel like the trauma is somehow their fault

What care providers should be aware of in their work

Resources:

⁠Instagram: Live Learn Lactate⁠

Call the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA or visit⁠ cdph.ca.gov⁠

Please find resources in English and Spanish at⁠ Postpartum Support International⁠, or by phone/text at 1-800-944-4773. There are many free resources, like online support groups, peer mentors, a specialist provider directory, and perinatal mental health training for therapists, physicians, nurses, doulas, and anyone who wants to be more supportive in offering services.

You can also follow PSI on social media: ⁠Instagram⁠,⁠ Facebook⁠, and most other platforms.

Visit ⁠www.postpartum.net/professionals/certificate-trainings/⁠ for information on the grief course.

Visit my website,⁠ www.wellmindperinatal.com⁠, for more information, resources, and courses you can take today!

If you are a California resident looking for a therapist in perinatal mental health, ⁠email me⁠ about openings for private pay clients!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There are internal and societal pressures in making birthing and parenting decisions that are magnified for the BIPOC community. My guest explains how incorporating ancestral practices can be supportive, shares her valuable work, and highlights the importance of doulas for people of color.

Dr. Suzanne Mungalez (aka Dr. Zann) is a licensed clinical psychologist in CA, certified in perinatal mental health, a childbirth educator, a certified lactation education specialist, and a trained doula. She has worked in hospital settings and birthing centers alongside OB-GYNs, midwives, and other birth workers. She is black, Congolese-American, and queer, along with being a gender-expansive woman and mother who has given birth in the comfort of her own home. Her background and experience shape her expertise in clinical work and how she holds space for her patients. Dr. Zann describes herself as “tender with people, tough on systems, and relentlessly committed to our collective liberation.”

Show Highlights:

Dr. Zann’s path to the perinatal work she does today

The need to equip people with knowledge

Everyone needs support and community!

Pressures in birthing and parenting decisions for people of color

Dr. Zann’s help includes guided meditation, visualizations, therapy, and education.

The benefits of incorporating ancestral background into birth experiences

Considerations for people of color in “mom rage” and finding safe spaces to express yourself

Understanding the role and benefits of a doula

Dr. Zann’s unique support for people in the transition to parenthood

Ways of telling your birth story that bring empowerment, healing, and community

How things are changing for the better for the BIPOC community—but it’s still not enough! More support is always needed!

Dr. Zann’s appeal to people of color

Resources:

Connect with Dr. Zann

⁠Website⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠.

Call the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA or visit⁠ cdph.ca.gov⁠

Please find resources in English and Spanish at⁠ Postpartum Support International⁠, or by phone/text at 1-800-944-4773. There are many free resources, like online support groups, peer mentors, a specialist provider directory, and perinatal mental health training for therapists, physicians, nurses, doulas, and anyone who wants to be more supportive in offering services.

You can also follow PSI on social media: ⁠Instagram⁠,⁠ Facebook⁠, and most other platforms.

Visit ⁠www.postpartum.net/professionals/certificate-trainings/⁠ for information on the grief course.

Visit my website,⁠ www.wellmindperinatal.com⁠, for more information, resources, and courses you can take today!

If you are a California resident looking for a therapist in perinatal mental health, ⁠email me⁠ about openings for private pay clients!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s episode focuses on the narrative style of therapy, and it’s a topic that we haven’t covered on the podcast before. We always want to explore new therapeutic approaches and the various ways they can offer healing and support for more women. Everyone needs to know about the different therapies that are available to them. Join us to learn more!

Dr. Lyneia Richardson is a mother, healer, and licensed psychologist who works as a maternal mental health advocate dedicated to revitalizing the spirit of all mamas. She received her BA in psychology from North Carolina A&T State University and a master’s in mental health counseling from Johns Hopkins University. After earning a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Howard University, she focused her work on decolonizing therapy and education through a mothering praxis. She is currently a professor of counseling at McDaniel College and the proud owner of ⁠Melanated Women's Therapy LLC. Dr. Richardson recently published ⁠Mothering As A Work of Art⁠, an anthology collection of personal narratives exploring the multiple dimensions of black mothering aimed at changing the narrative on mothering and what it means to mother in contemporary times. In today’s episode, she discusses these topics and the value of using narrative therapy as a pathway through healing birth trauma.

Show Highlights:

The narrative approach: to externalize and separate yourself from the problem (It’s the opposite of self-blaming and internalizing issues, challenges, and traumas.)

Understanding the difference between storytelling and narrative

The common experience for women of all races is not being listened to by their doctors and nurses

Dr. Richardson’s personal birth story and her work with social justice and advocacy to amplify the voices of black mothers

The challenge in advocacy work

Broadening the network to have a bigger outreach to help moms

Collective healing and community healing

Empowerment through a support network

Trying to normalize the struggle when social media makes everyone else’s life look perfect

⁠Mothering As A Work of Art⁠: How the book came to be

Being a creative mom

The value of sharing stories as a form of healing and therapy

Resources:

Connect with Dr. Lyneia Richardson

⁠Website⁠, ⁠Melanated Women's Therapy LLC⁠, Instagram⁠, Mothering As A Work of Art⁠

Call the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA or visitcdph.ca.gov.

Please find resources in English and Spanish at Postpartum Support International, or by phone/text at 1-800-944-4773.

There are many free resources, such as online support groups, peer mentors, a specialist provider directory, and perinatal mental health training for therapists, physicians, nurses, doulas, and anyone who wants to be more supportive in providing services.

You can also follow PSI on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and most other platforms.

Visit www.postpartum.net/professionals/certificate-trainings/for information on the grief course.

Visit my website at www.wellmindperinatal.com for more information, resources, and courses you can take today!

If you are a California resident seeking a therapist in perinatal mental health, please email me about openings for private pay clients.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I’m excited to welcome Dr. Daniel Singley back to the show. He joined me years ago when we were a brand-new podcast, and he’s been busy doing meaningful work in the world around paternal mental health. Join us to learn more about why the mental health of fathers cannot be overlooked in perinatal care.

Dr. Daniel Singley is a San Diego-based, board-certified psychologist and director of The Center for Men’s Excellence. His research and practice focus on men’s mental health with particular emphasis on reproductive psychology and the transition to fatherhood. He won the American Psychological Association’s 2017 Practitioner of the Year Award from the Division on Men and Masculinities. He is a past president of the APA’s Section on Positive Psychology and is the current president of the APA’s Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinities and the President’s Advisory Council for Postpartum Support International. Dr. Singley conducts training and presentations across the country to assist individuals and organizations in enhancing their level of father inclusiveness. He also founded the grant-funded Basic Training for New Dads, Inc. nonprofit and the Padre Cadre social networking application, Just for Dads, to give fathers the tools they need to be highly engaged with their infants and their partners. 

Show Highlights:


How things have changed over the past seven years in paternal perinatal mental health–and why there is still much work to do


Why it’s a systemic problem in our society that men can’t take time off when a new baby arrives


How a dad’s mental health is affected in the reproductive period


What the numbers show about the prevalence of perinatal mental health disorders in fathers


How neurobiological shifts happen in fathers during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum


How society’s message to fathers about being the emotional rock and provider for their family is a damaging one


The impact on a new baby, kids, and the family system when a dad gets the mental health help he needs


What perinatal mental health issues might look like in new dads


An overview of Dr. Singley’s advanced PSI training, Foundations in Paternal Perinatal Mental Health (Find out more at⁠ www.postpartum.net⁠.) 

Resources:

Connect with Dr. Singley:⁠ Website⁠,⁠ Facebook⁠,⁠ Instagram⁠, and⁠ Twitter⁠

Call the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA or visitcdph.ca.gov.

Please find resources in English and Spanish at Postpartum Support International, or by phone/text at 1-800-944-4773. 

There are many free resources, such as online support groups, peer mentors, a specialist provider directory, and perinatal mental health training for therapists, physicians, nurses, doulas, and anyone who wants to be more supportive in providing services.

You can also follow PSI on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and most other platforms.

Visit www.postpartum.net/professionals/certificate-trainings/for information on the grief course. 

Visit my website, www.wellmindperinatal.com, for more information, resources, and courses you can take today! 

If you are a California resident seeking a therapist in perinatal mental health, please email me about openings for private pay clients.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is a special episode as we hit the 10-year mark of the podcast. It’s unbelievable, and it certainly doesn’t feel like ten years have passed! It’s a good point to stop and reflect on what we’ve done and how incredibly grateful I am to each person who has come on the show to share their stories and help us learn what perinatal mental health conditions look like and how we can offer more support. This information is what everyone needs before they even know they need it. I want to take this opportunity to reflect on how far the podcast has come and how far perinatal mental health education, advocacy, and understanding have advanced over the past ten years. This specialty has continued to grow within the context of how people find growth and healing. We’ve covered the basics and made people aware of the fundamentals of perinatal mental health, and the voices have only gotten louder in spreading vital information. Let’s take a look!

Show Highlights:


A look back at the very beginning of Mom & Mind


The shift in language from “maternal mental health” to “perinatal mental health” and “PMADs” to “PMDs.”


The need for basic information remains, letting people know what to look for.


Diving into people’s lived experiences through their cultural, religious, ethnic, and marginalized lenses


Our systems impact us, especially in how we become parents and parent our children.


Deepening and widening the discussion to include everyone connected to the birth or loss of a child


The myth of “the magical download” of parenthood


People are more willing to talk about their shortcomings as new parents. 


Scary thoughts are what you might be feeling—not WHO you are.


We understand SO much more about what people might be going through with perinatal mental health.


Everyone deserves highly specialized care for these 100% treatable and very temporary conditions. 


The stigma of medication during pregnancy and postpartum, and how we’ve addressed it


Your culture, identity, and lived experience are central to your healing. 


One final truth: “The transition to motherhood and parenthood is a profound psychological transition. Peer connection is essential.”

Resources:

Call the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA or visitcdph.ca.gov.

Please find resources in English and Spanish at Postpartum Support International, or by phone/text at 1-800-944-4773. 

There are many free resources, such as online support groups, peer mentors, a specialist provider directory, and perinatal mental health training for therapists, physicians, nurses, doulas, and anyone who wants to be more supportive in providing services.

You can also follow PSI on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and most other platforms.

Visit www.postpartum.net/professionals/certificate-trainings/for information on the grief course. 

Visit my website, www.wellmindperinatal.com, for more information, resources, and courses you can take today! 

If you are a California resident seeking a therapist in perinatal mental health, please email me about openings for private pay clients. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices