Mom and Mind | Pregnancy and Postpartum Depression & Anxiety

Latest Episodes:

127: Holiday Self-care and Stress Reduction Nov 26, 2018

Show notes

Do you find the holidays stressful? We would all have to say YES, if we’re completely honest. For a pregnant mom, a postpartum mom, or a mom experiencing loss, the holiday obligations can be overwhelming in magnified ways. In today’s solo episode, we will discuss how to survive the holidays and manage stress by setting healthy boundaries and prioritizing self-care.

Show Highlights:

The holidays: a mix of lovely things and difficult moments with the unseen pressure of motherhood to take care of everyone
Boundaries are not easy, and sometimes confusing, but necessary
Set boundaries around family, friends, spending, activities, and the time you spend with others
Don’t be afraid to communicate what your needs are
In spending time at someone’s house, have a set time limit or some kind of communication with your partner to signal when it’s time to go
To figure out where you need boundaries, ask yourself, “What brings me stress? What do I find difficult?”
Why we feel guilty for setting boundaries
How anger and resentment toward others will develop when we don’t set boundaries
How pushback from someone else can signal the need for boundaries
It’s OK when you need a time-out from the tension of social situations
Important skills include knowing when to say NO and when to say YES
Why you shouldn’t feel obligated to do things that aren’t good choices for you
Allow flexibility and compassion in considering your needs
How saying YES and NO protects against resentment building up in relationships
Ask yourself what you need when you feel anger, guilt, anxiety, and sadness
If sleep and self-care are not on your holiday list, then you will feel depleted
Sleep is essential for health and restoration, but especially for pregnant moms, postpartum moms, and moms with loss
Give yourself permission NOT to do everything
Steps to take to manage stress:
Think about times in the past when you’ve ignored your own needs
Figure out where you can make adjustments
Find places where you can say YES and set limits
Don’t allow yourself to feel guilty
Why your new holiday regimen should be ways to manage stress, keep your energy level, and feel like yourself
What feels restorative, whole, and good to you?
Set intentions for baths, yoga, solitary walks, connection time with a friend, alone time, or time with your partner

This Episode Sponsored by Ritual Women's Essential and Essential Prenatal Vitamin www.ritual.com/MIND

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126: A Journey Through Trauma and Postpartum OCD with Alexis Bruce Nov 19, 2018

Show notes

Imagine what it would be like to not even trust yourself to be alone with your children---for fear of doing them harm. What if you KNEW something was wrong with your mental health, but couldn’t find the help and support you needed? Dealing with anxiety is always a problem, but never more so than in the postpartum period, when a mom is called upon to give SO MUCH of herself to care for her new baby. Yet moms are not informed and educated about the possibilities that may occur, or given access to the resources that can provide help. My guest today is committed to getting the word out that there is help for new moms.

Alexis Bruce is a stay-at-home mom turned maternal mental health advocate after the traumatic birth of her youngest son. Her birth experience, postpartum anxiety, and intense OCD fears and thoughts have been the impetus for her desire to help others in these situations. Through her struggle, it became clear that there is a lack of information and education about perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and her mission has become to change that narrative. Alexis now works with Moms Mental Health Initiative, a local non-profit group whose mission is to help moms navigate perinatal mood and anxiety disorders by sharing information, connecting them to resources, and providing the necessary peer support. Alexis lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with her husband, Tyler, stepdaughter Ava, and sons Noah and Leo.

Show HIghlights:

How Alexis struggled long-term with anxiety that was usually manageable until her first son was born, and the intrusive thoughts began, with fears, panic attacks, and guilt
Becoming unexpectedly pregnant again, when Noah was only 8 months old, caused a spike in anxiety
Intrusive thoughts began again, and Alexis now knows that this is the way her brain sends alarms
She went to a therapist and things got better until she was 33 weeks along
Around midday, while home alone with Noah, she experienced severe bleeding, called her husband, and paramedics came and took her to the hospital by ambulance, all the while with her fearing she had lost the baby
The baby’s hearbeat was OK and they started preparing for an emergency C-section, but then decided to wait and see what would happen
Steroid shots for the baby to help lungs develop, and the hope that she could wait 48 hours to deliver
Discomfort, contractions, and then intense pain: within 5 minutes, 12 people from the NICU team, several nurses, and the doctor were all present in the room
How Alexis pushed once and Leo was born, but he was whisked away
The helpless feeling of listening to the medical team trying to get the baby to breathe
With no information about their baby’s condition, they watched the baby taken away to NICU
Alexis felt no sympathy or attention to the severity of the trauma she had been through; the nurse came in and told her to start pumping, something she did 10x each day for the next few days
She finally got to see her son about 3 hours later, but he was covered in tubes and medical tape
A hopeful message from Alexis: “You aren’t alone. Help is available. It’s possible on the recovery end to grieve the pregnancy and postpartum period that you wanted to have.”
Alexis’ advice: “Be aware of vulnerabilities, be gentle with yourself, and have self-compassion.”

Resources:

www.momsmentalhealthmke.org

www.postpartum.net

Email Moms Mental Health Initiative: mmhimke@gmail

Find Moms Mental Health Initiative on Facebook

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125: Perinatal Loss in the Orthodox Jewish Community Nov 12, 2018

Show notes

How is perinatal loss handled in the Orthodox Jewish community, or in any other faith-based culture? Today’s show takes a deep dive into a new perspective as my guest shares how she offers faith-based support and understanding of perinatal loss in a unique culture of rich traditions.

Dvora Entin, LCSW, developed and directs JFCS Ma’oz in Philadelphia, a unique initiative to engage the Orthodox community on mental health issues. With specialized training in maternal mental health and perinatal death, Dvora moderates the Pregnancy Loss phone support calls for K’nafayim and for Yesh Tikvah Yeesh on infertility. In 2017, her BLOOM program to engage the Orthodox Jewish community on Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders won the Perinatal Mental Health Society Innovation Award. Dvora provides private sessions for supportive counseling and consultation and presents nationally about perinatal loss and compassionate bereavement. She resides in Philadelphia with her husband, Isaac, and their children.

Show Highlights:

How stigma and shame play a role in perinatal loss and seeking support in a culture and religion with a very long history
What orthodox Judaism is
The need for a niche approach with mental health, one that is specific and tailored to the needs of the community
Dvora’s work as an emotional doula and mental health counselor with 50-100 women monthly from the US and other countries
Why mental health is not openly talked about, especially in light of the tendency to help “arrange” marriages
The community’s approach to loss and bereavement with the 7-day Shiva
Why there is no ritualistic tradition for any loss of a baby who hasn’t lived 30 days
How families are given a meaningful space for grief
The orthodox community is in tune with mental health, and wants to increase awareness, as long as it doesn’t conflict with religious law
Why some women wonder what they’ve done “wrong” to encounter a perinatal loss
Why they question their grief and the strength of their faith, wondering if their faith is not strong enough, since they are grieving
The stigma around having only 3-4 children, when the norm is many more than that
The deeply driven core identity of motherhood for the Orthodox Jewish woman
The norm: marry young, have children quickly, and have many overall; if they don’t, then something MUST be wrong
In Dvora’s work, she sees the transition from an anonymous phone support space to an in-person space
Why early losses are isolating because pregnancy isn’t announced until the 2nd trimester, so women have to act like “everything is fine” if they suffer an early loss
The blend of faith and American Jewish heritage
The struggle with faith questions and shame
Why support is available for men, but it’s difficult to engage them
The challenges for husbands to support their wives when there are strict rules about physical contact when a woman is bleeding
The challenges in communication skills with a very young couple who now must deal with the intricacies of a multi-layered loss
The goal is to more deeply understand the impact of perinatal grief on a woman, her husband, their children, family, and community
How Dvora helps them find the pathway to OK and allows them to ask the questions
The challenges of different kinds of losses and disenfranchised grief
The deep hole that occurs after making the decision to terminate a life-threatening pregnancy
Why there is room for growth in any faith community and how remembering their pain helps bring connection

Resources:

www.dvoraentin.com

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124: Single Mother Journey in Pregnancy and Postpartum Nov 05, 2018

Show notes

Have you thought about--or personally experienced--the stigma surrounding single moms? We all know that the road can be tough for these women, but what support is available? Today’s show features someone who has been there, caught in the swirl of shame, doubt, and fear as she struggled to go through pregnancy and single motherhood. She’s turned the narrative on its head and spreads an empowering message to women who are fearfully stuck in relationships that aren’t healthy and nurturing. There is hope for you, Single Mom!

Jaren Soloff is a women’s health practitioner based in San Diego who became a single teen mom after enduring an abusive relationship. As a young, single mother of her daughter, now 7, Jaren is passionate about creating a new narrative for moms to find their voices and connect to themselves. Jaren has the unique experience of raising a child while navigating college, career, and parenting. She hopes to share her journey of single parenting to empower others on their journey. Jaren is a registered dietitian and lactation educator, and the founder and owner of Empowered RD, Nutrition+Lactation, a private practice dedicated to empowering women through their reproductive years, from preconception to postpartum. Jaren shares her perspective on changing the narrative and the language we use around single motherhood.

Show Highlights:

Jaren’s unplanned pregnancy while in college--and the on/off abusive relationship with the father of her child
The shaming reactions and conversations from her family, filled with criticism and judgment
How her partner felt about the pregnancy and manifested his power and manipulation
Jaren’s next steps: how she left school, moved back home, and braced herself to face motherhood alone
How she knew the relationship would have to end for the safety of herself and her child
How her mom and her conservative religious background affected her during her pregnancy
How Jaren felt about herself and her mental state during this time
The chaotic postpartum period and how she returned to school just five weeks after giving birth
The helpful support Jaren found in her doula
What she really needed was partner support and community with other moms
The validation she felt when there was a label put to what she was going through
How Jaren finished school when her daughter was four--and then got her nutrition credential
Her great job at a university, with good psychological and social support
Why resilience was one strength that helped Jaren survive
Why we need better support for single moms
How Jaren helps support single moms today with her passion and sense of responsibility to serve them and women who are breastfeeding and facing other feeding challenges
How we can create a different narrative by eliminating the stigma and shame around single motherhood:
Help them form their own identity and interests
Teach them to prioritize self-care
Help them be unafraid to do well and thrive

Resources:

www.empoweredrd.com

Find Jaren on Instagram: @empoweredrd

Facebook: Empowered RD, Nutrition+Lactation

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123: Perinatal Chiropractic Care with Dr. Elliot Berlin Oct 29, 2018

Show notes

Do you know the benefits of chiropractic and massage during pregnancy and the postpartum period? Despite the opinions of some, these practices can be a regular and extremely beneficial part of overall maternal wellness. What does chiropractic care for prenatal women look like and what conditions can be treated in this way? We’re diving into these topics and more with today’s expert guest.

Dr. Elliot Berlin is an award-winning prenatal chiropractor, childbirth educator, and labor doula. He’s here to share how chiropractic care can support mental wellness and, specifically, perinatal mood and anxiety disorder. He shares how he came into this amazing work, almost by accident. His Informed Pregnancy Project aims to utilize multiple forms of media, including a weekly podcast, documentary films, and a YouTube series to compile and deliver unbiased information about pregnancy and childbirth to empower new and expectant parents to make informed choices regarding their pregnancy and parenting journey.

Show Highlights:

Dr. Berlin’s work and how it resulted from his lifelong interest in holistic medicine
He and his wife took a long medical journey to have a child---with no success
A holistic approach brought them their first baby, and then another every two years for awhile!
When they moved to Los Angeles, he started a program to help others improve their health and fertility naturally
He was soon surrounded by pregnant women who wanted to continue their wellness with chiropractic and massage care
His work grew into attending births and body work, so he and his wife completed doula training together
Their holistic perspective of prenatal wellness that developed over time
The debate over C-section and VBAC (vaginal birth after Caesarean)
How he wrote articles, then a blog, then a magazine, then a podcast, then documentary films, and then a YouTube series
How he sees about 15 pregnant patients each day and tries to make sure they are informed about their choices
Common conditions that people seek chiropractic care for during pregnancy: sciatica, hip pain, neck/shoulder pain, headaches, pubic joint pain, heartburn, nausea, and positioning problems
The analogy of the birth canal: a stretchy rubber band and a squishy basketball
How chiropractic care helps with mental wellness, especially with perinatal mood and anxiety disorder
The Importance of improving sleep during and after pregnancy
Every appointment at Dr. Berlin’s clinic includes at least 25 minutes of massage and body work
Being “part of the puzzle” to perinatal mental health
Misconceptions about chiropractic care: getting one adjustment isn’t enough unless you keep coming back, and pregnancy isn’t a good time for chiropractic and massage
If you are looking for a chiropractor/massage therapist, you need to know that no special training is required for prenatal/postnatal chiropractic
Dr. Berlin’s podcast, Informed Pregnancy, airs one episode weekly; they have great audience interaction as they provide information and entertainment about pregnancy, postpartum, and early parenting. They present facts about topics in an unbiased way and let people know about their choices
The YouTube series: The Real Midwives of Los Angeles, Heads Up, a documentary about the disappearing art of vaginal breech birth, and VBAC, about vaginal birth after C-section

Today's episode supported by Ritual Vitamin! Essential for Women and Essential Prenatal. Go Find out how awesome this vitamin is at www.ritual.com/mind

Resources:

Find resources on Instagram: @DoctorBerlin

icpa4kids.com Find a chiropractor for pediatric patients and pregnancy

Find Dr. Berlin on Twitter @DrBerlin or on Facebook @InformedPregnancy

Parents on Demand network Find parenting resources!

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122: Postpartum Depression, PTSD Personal Story Oct 22, 2018

Show notes

If you know something is wrong, wouldn’t you want your doctor to listen? How does it feel to advocate for yourself with no success? My guest shares her story of dealing with postpartum depression for years while she tried to advocate for herself. Listen in to see how she finally found healing, and why she shares her story with honesty and openness.

Jessica Mirisis lives in Massachusetts and is the mother of three girls, ages 2, 6, and her stepdaughter, age 12. Jessica works as an RN and helps her husband run their two businesses.

Jessica battled several issues with maternal mental health for years, not getting the help she needed.

Show Highlights:

In May 2012, her first daughter was born, about the time she graduated from nursing school, got married, and bought a house
With her pregnancy, she was sick all the time
Her labor was slow and long, the baby came four days early, and she had low iron after the birth
Her breastfeeding struggles for 6 weeks and then switching to formula
How her baby didn’t sleep well and woke up every 3 hours to eat
Her husband tried to tell her doctor that something was “off”
How Jessica continued to struggle with motherhood and going back to work
Her frustration and anger that continued for almost 2 years
Again, she tried to tell her doctor that something was wrong, that she wasn’t sleeping, and that she was angry and frustrated----but the doctor discounted her feelings
Why Jessica saw a psychiatrist and therapist on her own
With her 2nd pregnancy, the anxiety increased and the constant sickness returned
Why she had a scheduled C-section to avoid another long, hard delivery
When her daughter was born, her in-laws came for an extended visit and Jessica still felt the anger and frustration
She started Zoloft, but wasn’t getting any better an continued to go downhill
The wine rack incident that was the last straw
Why she switched to another psychiatrist
Another episode that scared her
Jessica’s hard time functioning as a mom, with suicidal thoughts and desires to run away
How the psychiatrist suggested a partial hospitalization that helped immensely
The group sessions, where people actually listened and helped her
Jessica’s youngest daughter was almost 2 years old before she started to feel better
The diagnoses: generalized anxiety, major depressive disorder, PTSD, and panic
Jessica’s new “8 pm rule” and how it helps her every day
How journaling has helped her
Why she finally feels ready to return to work as a nurse and begin helping others again
What Jessica wants others to know about postpartum depression: “Motherhood is not all rainbows and butterflies. Take the advice of others, but make your own decisions.”
Her advice to others who may be going through postpartum depression: “You may not even realize what’s going on. Talk to someone who can help and keep going.”
Jessica’s rules she lives by now in her recovery
How postpartum depression can affect the entire family---not just the mom

Resources:

Find Jessica Leigh Mirisis on Facebook

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121: Eating Disorders and Recovery for Perinatal Moms Oct 15, 2018

Show notes

If you’ve had any experience with eating disorders, then you know how difficult the recovery process can be. If you’ve ever been a new mom, then you know the perinatal period is crammed full of physical changes, emotional adjustments, and lifestyle challenges. Putting these two volatile situations together can be a recipe for disaster, mainly because of all the triggers and the constant fear of relapse. My guest today has been there. She knows the common triggers for those with eating disorders and how to cope; she’s here to share what she’s learned.

Linda Shanti McCabe is a licensed clinical psychologist in CA who has worked in the field of eating disorders, chemical dependency, anxiety, depression, and co-dependency recovery since 1999. She has served in a variety of settings as a therapist for women and their families, and she now is in private practice in San Francisco. Her doctoral research focused on reimagining the body, using expressive arts with women recovering from bulimia, anorexia, and binge eating. Doing work with eating disorders in the postpartum field is her true labor of love, especially since she has recovered from an eating disorder 20 years ago. She will tell us about her new book, The Recovery Mama Guide to Maintaining Your Eating Disorder Recovery in Pregnancy and Postpartum, which is coming out in February, 2019, and available for pre-order now!

Show Highlights:

What we should know about relapses and shame around eating disorders in the perinatal period
The culture of “fat chat” in perinatal circles
The societal myths and pressure around thinness
Common body image struggles in the perinatal period
Eating-related stress and body image problems that exist even in those not officially diagnosed with an eating disorder
How hormone shifts and sleep changes set new moms up for difficulties
The disruption of hunger and satiety clues for new moms
How former eating disorders are triggered
How Linda’s own journey has led to connection and understanding for others
“You can’t keep it unless you give it away, and you can’t give it away unless you have it.”
Common triggers for those with eating disorders include body image changes, relapse into mood disorders, past abuse triggers, lack of sleep, food cravings, nausea, and new hunger cues
The myth that eating disorders are limited to straight, white, adolescent women
The truth: eating disorders affect people of all genders, sexual orientations, and ages
Eating disorders are usually the result of trying to work throught some sort of trauma
Why people don’t realize that talking about their struggle will be what gets them through the struggle
What an eating disorder really is and the different types
How perfectionism and rejection play into eating disorders
An overview of chapter topics in Linda’s new book
More information about the telesummit next year
Hopeful messages about recovery (Are you an orchid or a dandelion?)
Action steps: get support, decrease isolation, and lower the bar on your expectations

Resources:

www.drlindashanti.com

Find her on Instagram: @Dr.LindaShanti

Find her on Facebook: “Recovery Mama”

The Recovery Mama Guide to Maintaining Your Eating Disorder Recovery in Pregnancy and Postpartum by Linda Shanti McCabe--available in February and pre-order now!

www.ellynsatterinstitute.org Helpful resource for parents!

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120: Preeclampsia, NICU and a Healing Journey Oct 08, 2018

Show notes

If you’ve gone through a trying experience and NOT had the support or services that you needed, then you become distinctly passionate about helping others find those services. If those services don’t exist, then you may be determined to help provide for others exactly what YOU needed and didn’t have. This is precisely the story of today’s guest, who turned her lemons into lemonade after her own experiences and lack of support inspired her to fill the need in her area.

Meisha Shockley is the owner and executive director of Shore Grace, a family wellness center providing wrap-around services to support families on the eastern shore of Maryland who are welcoming a new baby to their home. Meisha is a doula, speaker, and coach with a specialty in maternal mental health for women of color, high risk pregnancies, prematurity, and pre-eclampsia awareness. She holds a BA in Rehabilitation Counseling and is currently pursuing her MA in Marriage and Family Counseling with a specialty in Sex Education. It was her own experience with pre-eclampsia and the premature birth of her daughter that led to the opening of Shore Grace.

Show Highlights:

After college, Meisha worked full-time in case management with moms who just needed support
When she was 24 weeks pregnant with her second child, she went to a walk-in clinic with a headache and swollen feet, not realizing her blood pressure was dangerously high and she would be admitted to the hospital
After tests showed pre-eclampsia, she was stabilized and discharged
She saw her Ob the next day, was readmitted to a different hospital, educated about pre-eclampsia, and put on meds to go home on bed rest
At 25 weeks, she was told she would have to deliver the baby soon and was put in ICU on bed rest
At 27 weeks, an ultrasound showed obstructed blood flow to the baby and a C-section was scheduled, but then rushed up as an immediate life or death situation
When her daughter was born, weighing 1 lb. 6.9 oz., she remembers them saying, “It’s a girl!”
Why she didn’t want to see her baby because she thought she would be burying this baby soon
The baby went to NICU and she didn’t see her for two days
A pivotal moment when her husband said, “Our daughter is in there fighting, and I need you to fight with her.”
Even though the baby had bleeding on the brain and a hole in her heart, she was not in critical condition and had stabilized
How Meisha started spending more and more time with the baby
70 days in NICU and then the scariest part: bringing her home at 3 lbs.
With no one to turn to, Meisha battled postpartum depression
After bringing her daughter home in August, she found out she was pregnant again in November
As she started worrying and knew she was not ready for another pregnancy, she started seeing a therapist
As she started journaling and using Facebook as an outlet to share, she developed a following
She felt frustrated about the lack of education about pre-eclampsia
How she became interested in becoming a doula, because it is the kind of support that SHE needed
She started Mothering Mother Postpartum Doula Services, but knew families in her area needed more than just birth support
Shore Grace Family Wellness was born, providing doulas and counselors whose goal is “to touch families wherever they are in their walk”
Why Shore Grace builds lifelong relationships with families and not just provides short-term help
Meisha’s efforts to break the stigma and generational habits with black women about not going to therapy or talking about the hard things
Why she takes very good care of her mental health and pays attention to her triggers
How she and her husband teach a Postpartum Recovery and Infant Care class together

Resources:

www.shoregracefamily.org

Find Shore Grace on Instagram and Facebook: @ShoreGraceFam and Shore Grace Fam

Find Meisha on Instagram: @MeishaShockley

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119: Healing Mother Wounds Oct 01, 2018

Show notes

Did you have a difficult relationship with your mother? If so, then those issues may have an impact on your own mothering process. Today’s show address this topic and gives information that can be valuable in the healing process and applicable to the experiences held in this vital relationship between mother and child.

Crystal Clancy, LMFT, has a private practice specializing in perinatal mental health. She is one of the founding members of Pregnancy and Postpartum Support MN, which is the Minnesota State Chapter of PSI. She has been a PSI State Coordinator for 5 years. She is married and the mother of a son and a daughter.

Show Highlights:

How Crystal had a difficult relationship with her mother that intensified when her daughter was born and she encountered postpartum depression
Crystal noticed the common theme in her clients of a difficult mother relationship, which can also apply to a father
Factors to consider when examining a difficult relationship with a parent
The problems when a parent is centered and focused on their own needs over those of their child
The difficulty in mothering when you had a difficult relationship with your mother usually manifests itself after your baby is born
Sometimes a healthy level of attachment hasn’t been realized and the mother goes to one extreme or the other, either detaching or going overboard with care and control
A big step a new mom can take: find someone in your “village” or a professional who validates your feelings
Why new moms can feel ungrounded and unsettled
Depression and anxiety may be more common for these women due to shame, guilt, and lack of quality support
How Crystal helps women and teaches them to find the goal in the parent/child relationship
Scripted responses to use to say to a mom that can rewire self-talk
The grief that never ends, over the fact that you didn’t get the kind of mom you wanted and deserved
Accept that your parent is not capable of giving what you needed and not because of who you are
What Crystal has seen with moms reclaiming themselves
The intricacies of the healing process to empower and come through with resilience
Tools and resources that can help:

Will I Ever Be Good Enough? By Karyl McBride

Children of the Self-Absorbed by Nina Brown

The value of writing therapeutic letters

The Little Shaman Healing (youTube.com)

Other Resources:

www.irisrepro.com

Find Crystal on Facebook: @irisrepro or @ppsupportmn

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118: Latina Mothers and Perinatal Mental Health Sep 24, 2018

Show notes

Susana Marquez, LMFT, is the founder of Me Myself N Mommy Therapeutic Services, a private practice in Long Beach, CA. The practice focuses on Latina maternal mental health. Due to her personal struggles with postpartum depression and anxiety, Susana opened up a practice that specializes in providing education, support, and resources to Latina mothers and their families on what maternal mental health is and the importance of a mother’s mental and emotional wellbeing. Her mission is to bridge the gap between Latina mothers and mental health support while bringing awareness to the real issues they face both culturally and socially.

Show Highlights:

The hard adjustment and loneliness she felt while she experienced postpartum depression and anxiety following the birth of her son in 2014
How her culture expects mothers to deal with motherhood issues and not need extra support
Why she couldn’t share her dark and negative feelings and shut down from everyone
How the sudden, tragic loss of her father sent her spiraling out of control
How she put herself on the back burner and didn’t care for herself or process her grief and anxiety
Living with the myth that “time heals all wounds”
Dealing with grief, triggers, and having no one to connect with
How a colleague insisted that she see a therapist for help and how he changed everything for her
The pressure on Latina moms as they are compared and held to the highest standard of motherhood in the Virgin Mary
How Susana wanted to put her clinical skills and education to use to help other Latina moms
Realizing what is missing in services and resources for Latina moms
How she reached out to provide classes and education in her area
Offering something for free and still being turned down
Raising awareness and erasing the stigmas
“Latinx”---the new gender-neutral term
Feeling like what you’re doing is “not enough”
Cultural specifics that make postpartum a challenging time for Latinx moms
In Latina culture, there is not room for setting healthy boundaries and limits
How Susana is reaching out to moms and spreading the word about available resources
Working with doulas to provide info to pregnant moms and not waiting for postpartum problems to appear
Why maternal mental health is not a “one size fits all” issue
What Susana wants Latina/Latinx moms and the providers who support them to know
Susana’s biggest takeaway for Latina moms: Ask for help
Susana’s biggest takeaway for providers: Ask how cultural traditions may play into a lack of support for Latina moms

Resources:

www.memyselfnmommy.com

Find Susana on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter: Me Myself N Mommy

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