Mom and Mind | Pregnancy and Postpartum Depression & Anxiety

Today’s guest shares her personal story of postpartum psychosis with an underlying bipolar disorder. Her experience has inspired her passion for advocacy on behalf of other mothers who need support and the assurance that they can get through these issues and go on to lead normal lives. Join us to learn more!

Luisa Shamas is an educator with more than a decade of experience in the perinatal mental health field. She provides bilingual (Spanish and English) support to families experiencing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Luisa is the PSI Spanish Support Group Manager and provides training and ongoing assistance to volunteers interested in facilitating a support group. She is a PPP survivor who believes that peer support is essential for successful recovery and is a Certified Group Facilitator, Coach, and Lead Trainer for GPS en Español. Her lived experience with perinatal mood disorders provides her with an expertise that has fueled her advancement at both GPS and PSI. Luisa describes herself as a passionate advocate, educator, and mother who wants to help other mothers who struggle with perinatal mental health issues. She is of Argentinian heritage and currently lives with her husband and son in St. Petersburg, Florida. 

Show Highlights:


Luisa’s story: marriage (into a family of doctors), a new baby, the loss of her father, postpartum intrusive thoughts, and her family noticing that “something’s not right.”


Even having a healthy baby and seemingly everything she ever wanted couldn’t prevent thoughts that became a nightmare.


Delusions, negative thoughts, and an obsession with the baby


With postpartum psychosis, early detection is important!


Finding a Spanish-speaking psychiatrist, but she was not a perinatal psychiatrist.


Finding help with medications, but then being diagnosed with bipolar disorder


Luisa’s passion to work with PSI to help other mothers


Understanding that breastfeeding while on medication can work


Luisa’s message to mothers who are struggling with bipolar disorder or PPP


Cultural stigmas for Latin Americans to not admit when they are struggling


The need for more perinatal mental health professionals 


Women need to educate themselves about mental health.


Peer support groups through PSI help women know they are not alone. 

Resources:

Connect with Luisa Shamas: 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 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

Guilt, shame, and unreasonable expectations should not be the words that describe parenthood, but for many new parents, they are. This conversation focuses on the impact of social systems on perinatal mental health and what professionals should know about how to support people with perinatal mental health conditions. We still have a long way to go to fully understand how our social systems impact parents. Join us to learn more!

Olivia Scobie is a queer social worker whose own chaotic transition into motherhood inspired her dedication to supporting new parents. She holds a Master of Social Work and a Master of Arts in Sociology with a focus on gender and family, and she is completing a Ph.D. in Health Policy and Equity, researching the reproductive trauma experience of LGBT+ birthers. Olivia works one-on-one with parents and is the co-founder of Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Trainings, where she mentors and trains mental health and allied professionals to navigate the unique challenges of the perinatal period. She is the author of Impossible Parenting: Creating a New Culture of Mental Health for Parents, a bold call to rethink the impossible standards parents are expected to meet. Olivia specializes in perinatal mood, reproductive trauma, parental mental health, and provider burnout. She is committed to fostering equity, understanding, and support for parents and professionals alike. 

Show Highlights:


Olivia’s journey into perinatal mental health


Confusing expectations to maintain “parenthood status.”


Understanding “maternal role collapse” and what it means to be a “good mom.”


Mixed messages for moms about giving, depleting, sacrificing—but prioritizing self-care


Systemic problems that contribute to the mixed messages for parents


Maternal leave policies in Canada are different from those in the US


How thoughts and feelings of guilt and shame show up for new parents


External pressure of expectations, shame, and guilt can contribute to diagnosable perinatal mental health conditions.


Understanding “maternal strain.”


Recognizing when you’ve crossed from tired, exhausted motherhood into the space of needing professional help


Significant pre-pregnancy risk factors that shouldn’t be overlooked in perinatal mental health


Highlights of Olivia’s organization and their work in Canada


The importance of validating and normalizing ALL feelings of parenthood

Resources:

Connect with Olivia Scobie

Website

Instagram, Facebook

Impossible Parenting: Creating a New Culture of Mental Health for Parents

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 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

Today’s episode takes a deep dive into learning to listen to your body and understanding how this knowledge can support you through motherhood. Trusting your body with a deep connectedness can help you heal your relationship with it. Join us to learn more!

Charlotte Mindel is a London-based somatic therapist and the founder of The Embodied Mother, a high-touch program that helps mothers heal their relationship with themselves. Certified through the Focalizing Institute, Charlotte supports women to move beyond overwhelm, reactivity, and self-doubt so they can parent (and live!) from a place of steadiness, joy, and self-trust. Her approach combines nervous system education with body-based healing, offering practical tools to break cycles of stress and create a more connected, fulfilling motherhood. 

Show Highlights:


Highlights of Charlotte’s work as a somatic therapist


An example of setting an intention and connecting with a “felt” experience with the body


Common reasons why clients seek out a somatic therapist (Visualize the “shrinking cup.”)


Finding the missing piece: joy


Motherhood forces us to explore a new set of values in life.


Signs of being disconnected from your body


Feeling anger and fear toward our body makes it difficult to connect and feel safe.


The “bridge of repair” with our body (cultivating self-trust)


Mothers’ needs change during different stages of motherhood.


Tools and techniques that are helpful: orienting (bringing ourselves into the present) through touch, reparenting ourselves, and acknowledging our tiredness


Being attuned to your experience increases your awareness of the self-care you need.


Noticing moments of discomfort and standing up for yourself is key.


Charlotte’s hopeful messages for listeners about somatic healing

Resources:

Connect with Charlotte Mindel

Website and Instagram

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, 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 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

In May, which is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month, I’ll be releasing weekly episodes. In June, we will celebrate 10 full years of the Mom & Mind Podcast–480 episodes of personal stories, expert interviews, paths to healing, and a multitude of ways to know you’re not alone in experiencing difficulties in fertility, loss, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Join us to hear today’s guest share her focus on perinatal mental health for military families. 

Patience Riley is a perinatal mental health specialist who bridges the gap between clinical expertise and somatic wellness. With 14 years of experience as a licensed professional counselor, Patience offers a multifaceted approach to healing by integrating her roles as a therapist, RETAIN Parental Leave Coach, and 200-HR Registered Yoga Teacher specializing in prenatal care. Patience’s career is defined by her work in high-impact settings, including psychiatric hospitals, crisis intervention, and military installations. As a military spouse, she brings a deeply personal understanding of the unique challenges facing service members and their families. Patience channels this dedication into her roles on the PSI Georgia Board and PSI Military Task Force, working to ensure every family, military and civilian alike, has access to the specialized support they deserve. In her private practice, Patience primarily supports clients during the perinatal period through individual therapy, yoga, and mental wellness workshops in her community. A popular keynote speaker, she serves in various leadership positions and has been featured in multiple media outlets. Outside of work, Patience is a creative, a foodie, and a “plant mom” who loves a good festival. She loves doing life with her college sweetheart and their two sons. 

Show Highlights:


Patience’s work in private practice with perinatal mental health and yoga


Mental health seems scary, but yoga is a gateway to deeper mind-and-body healing.


The stigma of seeking mental health help extends to military spouses.


“Mission ready” and “service first” mentalities keep service members from seeking help.


A “no records/no notes” approach encourages military members to access the mental health services available to them.


Common barriers to access to mental health services for service members and their families


Parental leave policies for military members include birth, loss, and adoption.


Patience’s story of motherhood with two sons: multiple moves, COVID, her husband’s deployment, no local support system/community, and anger/rage


Feeling the need to filter everything, especially negative feelings about the military


Patience’s key message to military families: “Support is out there, it is available, and you deserve it.” 

Resources: 

Connect with Patience Riley 

Website, Facebook, Instagram, 

Additional Resources

Military OneSource Counseling, PSI Military Resources and Support Group, Telemynd Virtual Mental Health Care, MMHLA Fact Sheet, and Military Reach (accessible and practical research for military families)

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, 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 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

There is an increased awareness recently about bringing somatic-based tools into our therapy practices, mainly because so much of the perinatal experience is influenced by the changes taking place in our bodies. Today’s guest explains why a body approach to therapy can help perinatal clients, how perinatal experiences can alienate a woman from her body, and why this type of therapy can be beneficial for those in the perinatal period. Join us to learn more!

Dr. Leslie Ann Costello is a psychologist and certified bioenergetic therapist. Originally a preschool teacher, she volunteered as a Lamaze instructor in the 1980s and subsequently studied developmental psychology, with a focus on infant mental health. Professional encounters with pregnancy and infant loss propelled her toward maternal mental health as a career focus. As a freshly minted Ph.D., she landed in a grant-funded prenatal clinic in Louisiana, soaking up experiences that shaped the trajectory of her thirty-year career as a professor, therapist, trainer, and supervisor. Leslie is a mom, step-mom, and grandmother who identifies as an American living in Canada. Her new book, Helping Mothers Helping Babies, is for perinatal therapists who want to bring somatic tools into their work with clients. 

Show Highlights:


The cultural shift that focuses more on the mother and her somatic experience


The “mother first” philosophy in perinatal mental health


Respecting the language of body sensation OVER the language of emotion and story


Using physical grounding exercises can help with emotional overwhelm.


With somatic tools, slower is always better.


Not having the language for your direct experience is normal.


Dr. Costello’s message about the benefits of body-centered healing therapies


Understanding somatic interventions


The WHAT is more important than the WHY in understanding a body experience.


Drawbacks of the current culture of aesthetic living and parenting


Maternity leave: differences in the US and Canada


Drawbacks in the US practice of maternity leave (It’s not socially responsible to ignore the 4th trimester.)

Resources: 

Connect with Dr. Leslie Ann Costello: Instagram and Helping Mothers Helping Babies

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

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 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