Mom and Mind | Pregnancy and Postpartum Depression & Anxiety

Latest Episodes:

346: Psychotherapy and Professional Training for Treating Infertility with Shatiera Amankrah, LCSW, LICSW, PMH-C Jun 24, 2024

Show notes

Infertility affects many people all around us, and discussions about this topic are not happening enough. Whether a long path or a short one, every infertility journey is different with a million factors at play. I’m grateful that my guest today is sharing her story!

Shatiera Amankrah is a licensed therapist specializing in infertility counseling, and she is certified in perinatal mental health. She is sharing her infertility journey and what she and her husband have been through, along with how she’s helping other professionals learn more about supporting families affected by infertility. Her private practice, Seeds of Hope LLC, provides a range of services, such as individual therapy, surrogacy screenings, donor egg and sperm screenings/consultations, workshops/training for professionals, clinical supervision, and consultation. Shatiera is licensed to practice in VA, GA, and Washington, DC, and has upcoming training sessions, both in-person (in the DC area on July 28) and virtual (on August 9 and September 8). Find out more at Seeds of Hope.

Show Highlights:

Shatiera’s story: grad school, marriage, and no progress in trying to conceive
Multiple unsuccessful IUIs, an issue with her husband, and decreasing sperm counts–all pointing toward IVF as the only option
Ups and downs in the IVF process: two unsuccessful attempts and then—Shatiera’s first-ever pregnancy with her daughter, now 8
The dilemma Shateira and her husband faced with their one remaining embryo
Another IVF transfer, and—their son, now 5, was the happy result
The emotional side of infertility from Shatiera’s struggle to become a parent and her current work as an advocate for others
Blaming yourself and listening to the “outside noise” just adds to the pain of infertility
The stigma men feel about male factor infertility
The importance of setting boundaries to guard against others’ advice and opinions
Infertility—--silent suffering
Shatiera’s experience of pregnancy and postpartum after infertility–and the anxiety and emotional pain that came
Shatiera’s path to a career in perinatal mental health
What training to pursue to become a perinatal therapist
Shatiera’s advice to anyone on the infertility journey

Resources:

Connect with Shatiera Amankrah and Seeds of Hope LLC: Website, Instagram, and TikTok

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 better support people for whom they provide 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!

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

345: A New Father’s Experience Through His Wife’s Postpartum Psychosis with Tony Pacitti Jun 17, 2024

Show notes

It is astounding to note that 1 in 10 dads will experience a perinatal mental health condition, and research shows that dads also face hormonal changes. This Monday, June 17, 2024, is International Father’s Mental Health Day, and we want to bring fathers’ mental health to the forefront in today’s episode. When a mom goes through a perinatal mental health disorder, her partner is 50% more likely to also struggle. This is an important topic to discuss regarding the entire family system. Especially on social media, dads’ experiences are pushed aside and discounted because they don’t physically go through pregnancy and birth as a mother does, but we want to shed light on and give a voice to dads and the important part they play in the entire perinatal process. I’m grateful that my guest is sharing his story of becoming a new father. Join us to hear Tony’s story!

Tony Pacitti, a writer, navigated pandemic parenthood to welcome his twin sons in 2020. He shares how he coped with the initial shock of his wife’s postpartum psychosis and psychiatric care, the emotions he encountered, and the complexities of writing and talking about this topic from a father’s perspective. Tony writes regularly about this topic and has been featured on numerous podcasts to share his story and bring awareness to a father’s perspective of perinatal mental health conditions. You can find out more about Tony’s life and work at his website.

Show Highlights:

Highlights of Tony’s story: twins born in 2020 during the pandemic and his wife’s psychotic episodes that began a few days later with paranoia, confusion, and hallucinations
The shock, heartbreak, and fright Tony felt at seeing his wife’s psychosis play out in the hospital
The response and efforts of the medical staff to help his wife—even though no one ever used the term “postpartum psychosis”
After his wife and sons were home, she showed signs of depression and confessed to being suicidal.
The dual realities in what he and others were seeing and what his wife was seeing about the twins’ health and wellness
The back-and-forth experience of day treatment, short-term hospitalizations, and continued symptoms until she went for a long-term stay of more than a month
Tony’s support system of his parents, therapist, PSI, and friends who helped out with the twins’ care
The treatment (ECT: electroconvulsive therapy) and medications that finally worked and allowed his wife to come home
An update on Tony’s wife now: the healthy and improved version, “Sondra 3.0”
The truth about perinatal mental health conditions: the entire family system is greatly affected
Tony’s need to document their experience and acknowledge what they went through

Resources:

Connect with Tony Pacitti: Website

Click here to find resources about International Father’s Mental Health Day.

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!

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

344: Comparing Yourself to Others with Dr. Kat Jun 13, 2024

Show notes

I want to explore a topic that comes up a LOT in therapy sessions: comparing yourself to others. It’s a trap that many of us are caught in, especially when it comes to engaging in social media. In general, we seem to think that everyone else has their shit together except us. I won’t keep you in suspense, but I’ll tell you upfront that nobody has it together all the time. Why do we spend so much time and energy playing the comparison game? Let’s jump in.

Show Highlights:

Parents are particularly vulnerable to making comparisons to others.
The top reasons that we compare ourselves to others: societal pressure, social media, curated imagery in TV/movies, and general insecurities
The downward spiral of negative self-judgment is a long road toward anxiety, depression, etc.
Dr. Kat’s advice: “When it comes to social media, take note of how it makes you feel.”
Comparison is seeing a snapshot of someone else’s life and comparing our worst to what looks like their best.
Comparison, perfectionism, and people-pleasing are all attempts to make ourselves “good enough” for other people.
Dr. Kat’s tips to combat comparisons:
Limit social media.
Realize that comparing yourself to a sliver of someone else’s moment is not the full picture.
Cut yourself some slack and live YOUR own life.
Realize that you are human—and all humans make mistakes.

Resources:

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!

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

343: Innovative Trauma Informed Care for High-Risk Pregnancy with Parijat Deshpande Jun 10, 2024

Show notes

Hearing the words “high-risk pregnancy” strikes fear in the heart of every parent. Even though we may not understand all the ramifications of that designation, we know it means that an unpredictable journey is ahead. I’m excited to welcome back today’s guest and learn more about her work in the field of high-risk pregnancy. Join us!

Parijat Deshpande is the founder and CEO of Ruvelle, the only trauma-informed wellness company specifically dedicated to improving high-risk pregnancy outcomes, reducing preterm births, and supporting parents on the entire high-risk pregnancy journey. Parijat is a high-risk pregnancy expert who has a storied history of phenomenal work in this often-overlooked space. Her specialization in this field combines the somatic, mental, and emotional elements of the high-risk pregnancy experience. On a mission to end the high-risk pregnancy crisis, Parijat has served and supported thousands of clients through her live events, one-on-one work, and her bestselling book, Pregnancy Brain: A Mind-Body Approach to Stress Management During a High-Risk Pregnancy. She has also written the Body Language Journal.

Show Highlights:

Understanding the “high-risk pregnancy” designation–and why it does NOT guarantee a horrible outcome!
The need for more communication in the healthcare system about the likely reasons for a high-risk pregnancy designation, such as advanced age, recurrent pregnancy loss, asthma, depression, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, pregnancy with multiples, etc.
Empower yourself by asking the right questions!
Highlights of Parijat’s work with clients who have lived through a bad pregnancy experience
The truth: Stress physiology affects reproductive health.
It’s important to return to baseline after experiencing chronic or traumatic stress.
We can learn how to control what we CAN control.
Parijat’s work with clients to empower them to be seen and heard, find balance, and re-create the narrative in subsequent pregnancies
How Ruvelle supports people in their high-risk pregnancy journeys
The impacts Parijat has seen in clients through improved health, newfound confidence, and lived experiences of empowerment

Resources:

Connect with Parijat Deshpande and Ruvelle: Website and Instagram

Get Parijat’s books: Pregnancy Brain: A Mind-Body Approach to Stress Management During a High-Risk Pregnancy and the Body Language Journal

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!

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

342: "Rattled" How to Calm New Mom Anxiety with Nicole Amoyal Pensak, Ph. D., PMH-C Jun 03, 2024

Show notes

So many changes happen in the transition to motherhood, and these shifts run the gamut from physical, mental, emotional, and social changes to even chemical changes in the brain. I’m joined today by the author of Rattled: How to Calm New Mom Anxiety with the Power of the Postpartum Brain. Join us for an informative discussion on this important topic.

Dr. Nikki Pensak is a clinical psychologist specializing in perinatal mental health and providing evidence-based therapy to her patients. She also serves on the Expert Review Board for Parents Magazine, the Expert Board of Providers for Mother Untitled, and is a TEDx speaker. She shares with us her personal experience and what inspired her to write her book.

Show Highlights:

Dr. Nikki’s journey to perinatal mental health work through a focus on caregivers
Dr. Nikki’s hindsight into mothers after her postpartum experience
The mother: “The silent patient”
Dr. Nikki’s book is based on the premise that motherhood, as we know it in the US, is NOT working.
Three pillars in the transition to motherhood: postpartum treatment and mental health, matrescence, and the power of the maternal brain
Postpartum treatment should focus on healthy ways to increase neuroplasticity in a productive way.
Neuroplasticity in a new mother
The prevalence of suffering in new mothers–and the time and understanding they need in this huge life transition
A closer look at Dr. Nikki’s book, which addresses topics like mom shame, mom guilt, mom rage, relationship changes, bonding, back-to-work transitions, brain changes, and more
The value of having a postpartum mental health action plan in place
Dr. Nikki’s TEDx talk experience of speaking on “The Power of the Maternal Brain”
The disparity in healthcare and research funding for men’s issues and women’s issues—we can do better!

Resources:

Connect with Dr. Nikki Pensak: Website, Instagram, YouTube,Rattled book

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!

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

341: Behind the Sessions: Becoming a Parent When You Had Difficult Parents May 30, 2024

Show notes

Relationship challenges are at the top of the list of things that come up in therapy sessions. I’m not just referring to partner relationship difficulties, but even relationships with other family members. Becoming a parent brings up a lot of relationship dynamics about childhood, family, and our own parents, especially if there was family disruption, abuse, neglect, or emotional unavailability. To be fair, I’m not parent-shaming or blaming. Parents of a generation or two back might not have had great parenting skills because they didn’t get the parenting that they needed. Join me as we explore this concept in today’s Behind the Sessions episode.

Show Highlights:

As a psychologist, I can only diagnose and understand my clients—not all the other people in their lives.
Our early experiences with our parents shape how we connect with people, how we bond and attach, and how we navigate relationships.
The pressure on a new parent can be intense and lead to anxiety, depression, perfectionism, and OCD patterns.
Healing our childhood trauma is a relatively new concept.
Relationships with our parents can run the gamut from having no contact at all to having an incredibly intrusive parent.
The generational healing journey begins with realizing that the way you were parented doesn’t have to be carried forward. You CAN break the cycle.
Mistakes are part of life and learning.
Seeing a therapist can help you NOT carry old traumas into the rest of your parenting journey.
A deeper understanding of yourself and your healing can help you see your parents through a different lens.
I look forward to expanding further on this topic in future episodes with several of my colleagues!

Resources:

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!

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

340: Perinatal Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) with Roxanne Rosenberg, LCMHC, PMH-C May 27, 2024

Show notes

Join us for a deep dive into a perinatal IOP and what that involves. Today’s expert shares helpful information so we can understand the value of this higher level of perinatal support.

Roxanne Rosenberg is the co-founder and clinical director of Anchor Perinatal Wellness, the Southeast’s only perinatal-specific intensive outpatient program (IOP). She is a member of the new federal Maternal Mental Health Task Force and has volunteered with Postpartum Support International at the local and national levels. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology with honors from Yale University and her master’s degree in psychology from Duke University. Roxanne has been supporting pregnant and postpartum people for over 15 years through individual psychotherapy, intensive outpatient programming, birth doula work, and advocacy. Her trainings in perinatal mental health and women’s trauma have been available across the country. She is a bilingual Latina mom of two and is a survivor of perinatal loss and trauma.

Show Highlights:

What is a perinatal IOP?
Reasons why someone might need an IOP
Understanding the history of IOPs in the US (first began in Rhode Island in 2000; even now, there are only 32 across the US)
IOP resources are available both in-person and virtually.
Typical perinatal symptoms that indicate the need for an IOP
Barriers to IOP treatment, like insurance limitations (although most insurance will cover it!)
Roxanne’s role as the facilitator of the support system
Promising results in Roxanne’s IOP in the last two years
Benefits of support in a group setting with a structured program
Specific needs and concerns in the IOP environment
How to find a perinatal IOP (and housing if you need to go to a different state for care)
Anchor Perinatal Wellness supports and accommodates a parent with attachment to their baby by providing childcare.
Perinatal IOPs are an underutilized resource because people are unaware of their existence!
Roxanne’s vision to make these IOPs more available to everyone who needs them
The process of starting a perinatal IOP
Advice for therapists who want to send their patients for this level of perinatal care

Resources:

Connect with Roxanne and Anchor Perinatal Wellness: Website, Roxanne’s email, Anchor Perinatal’s email, Facebook, YouTube, and phone: 919-275-0806

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!

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

339: Perinatal Health Anxiety with Michelle Flynn, MA, MIACP May 20, 2024

Show notes

Health anxiety during pregnancy and the postpartum is a very real struggle for many people. My guest today joins us to share her experience and what she’s seeing from clients in her practice. You’ll learn how to notice perinatal health anxiety and what to do about it. Join us to learn more!

Michelle Flynn is a fully accredited perinatal psychotherapist and certified infant massage instructor based in Dublin, Ireland. She specializes in supporting parents at all stages of their parenting journey from conception through birth and postpartum. She works with a national organization providing psychotherapy to survivors of childhood sexual abuse and also teaches in a master’s program. Following her experience of perinatal anxiety and her struggle to access appropriate mental health support, Michelle turned her focus to perinatal mental health and set up her private practice, An Croi Beag Psychotherapy (“Little Heart” in Irish). Through her private psychotherapy practice and her infant massage groups, Michelle hopes to further support parents in perinatal distress, raise awareness about perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and improve access to mental health services for birthing people.

Show Highlights:

Michelle’s journey into perinatal mental health and her overwhelming anxiety during her difficult first pregnancy
Michelle’s experience with healthcare providers who dismissed her concerns and made her feel invalidated and unsafe
Even mental health professionals feel shame and stigma about asking for help!
Subsequent pregnancies brought Michelle two more babies for “three under three,” but those were different from her first pregnancy.
The conversations we need to have with young people about pregnancy, birth, and postpartum so we can normalize it and remove the shame and stigma
Understanding the mental health system in Ireland—and how things are beginning to improve
What Michelle sees in her patients and their experiences
The challenges in treating health anxiety
The narrative around motherhood—and why we don’t open up when things go wrong
Michelle’s advice about identifying health anxiety for yourself, and what to do next

Resources:

Connect with Michelle Flynn: Website, Email, and Instagram

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!

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

338: Behind The Sessions: Returning to Work After a Perinatal Mental Health Condition with Dr. Kat May 16, 2024

Show notes

Many factors influence the transition to parenthood, and most of those things are unexpected and unpredictable. No one “signs up for” a perinatal mental health condition, but it can seem to come out of nowhere and leave you blindsided–in addition to the normal adjustments that come with the addition of a new baby to the family. These PNMH conditions can impact every area of life significantly, including the return to work. Join me for a closer look at navigating this tricky transition.

Show Highlights:

New parents experience varied emotions about returning to work (“It’s okay to want to return to work, and it’s okay not to want to return to work!)
The truth: If you return to work when you’re not mentally well, the added stress of work will not help you get better.
Your healthcare provider can do assessments of your perinatal mental health symptoms–just ASK!
Planning ahead for the return to work can help you navigate the transition.
My best tips for returning to work:
Try to navigate your return slowly, and don’t take on big, new projects right away.
Pace yourself and give yourself space to figure out your changing needs.
Understand that your priorities might have shifted by having a new baby. (Things might not feel “normal” for a while.)
Be intentional and think about how you’ll balance work and home.
Set boundaries and protect your energy.
Prioritize your sleep!

Resources:

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!

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

337: Evidence Based Birth®️ with Dr. Rebecca Dekker May 13, 2024

Show notes

Having information and being empowered to make decisions are ways to protect mental health. Nothing is more disempowering than finding out later that you had choices of which you were unaware at the height of a mental health struggle. All of these concepts apply perfectly to birthing situations. One of the main reasons this podcast exists, along with the work of today’s guest is to spread information so that it’s accessible to EVERYONE. Join us to learn more!

Dr. Rebecca Dekker, a nurse with her Ph.D., is the founder and CEO of Evidence Based Birth®️ and the author of Babies Are Not Pizzas: They're Born, Not Delivered. Previously, Dr. Dekker was an assistant professor of nursing at the University of Kentucky. In 2016, she shifted gears to focus full-time on the mission of Evidence Based Birth®️. She and Team EBB are committed to creating a world in which all families have access to safe, respectful, evidence-based, and empowering care during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. EBB does this by boldly making the research evidence on childbirth freely and publicly accessible. Dr. Dekker is also the host of the

Evidence Based Birth®️ Podcast, which has over 5.5 million downloads!

Show Highlights:

The beginnings of EBB in 2012
The shift for Rebecca from her first birth to her second—-a clear change from disempowerment to empowerment
The evidence around preventable cesarean births, vaginal births, and the mother’s wishes
Rebecca’s advice for those who want to advocate or feel empowered:
Choose a provider and birth setting with a low cesarean rate. (Leapfrog is a recommended resource for information.)
Consider hiring a doula for added support.
Learn what the evidence shows about induction, Pitocin, and preparing your body with proper sleep, food, and hydration.
Assessing your provider for “continuity of care”
Fact: Switching providers can help prevent birth trauma!
Approaching your labor/delivery experience with a spirit of collaboration and teamwork
How PTSD can impact the decisions of healthcare workers
Rebecca’s tips for empowering yourself in the labor/delivery process, using the acronym BRAND [Ask, what are the benefits, risks, alternatives, (what happens if I do) nothing, and discuss (with your partner).]
Hot tip for laboring moms: Ask for time to pray (Rebecca explains why this gives you time and space.)
Components of a calm birthing environment for an empowered laboring mother
What Rebecca wants our listeners to know

Resources:

Connect with Dr. Rebecca Dekker and Evidence Based Birth®️: Website, Instagram, Facebook, Babies Are Not Pizzas: They're Born, Not Delivered, and the Evidence Based Birth®️ Podcast

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!

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

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