339 episodes

Posptartum Depression is real. And it's only part of the story. We dig in to ALL of the stuff that no one tells you about, but you NEED to know. Dr. Kat, Psychologist and specialist in perinatal mental health, interviews moms, dads, experts and advocates about how to cope, manage and recover from perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. We talk about postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety and SO MUCH MORE! We get real. We get honest. We put on our stigma crushing boots and address the realities of the transition to motherhood and parenthood. Learn about it before you find out about it the hard way! You don't have to suffer! www.momandmind.com

Mom and Mind Katayune Kaeni, Psy.D., PMH-C

    • Health & Fitness

Posptartum Depression is real. And it's only part of the story. We dig in to ALL of the stuff that no one tells you about, but you NEED to know. Dr. Kat, Psychologist and specialist in perinatal mental health, interviews moms, dads, experts and advocates about how to cope, manage and recover from perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. We talk about postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety and SO MUCH MORE! We get real. We get honest. We put on our stigma crushing boots and address the realities of the transition to motherhood and parenthood. Learn about it before you find out about it the hard way! You don't have to suffer! www.momandmind.com

    337: Evidence Based Birth®️ with Dr. Rebecca Dekker

    337: Evidence Based Birth®️ with Dr. Rebecca Dekker

    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
    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 megaphone.fm/adchoices

    • 51 min
    336: In Conversation with Alanis Morissette and Postpartum Support International

    336: In Conversation with Alanis Morissette and Postpartum Support International

    We have a very special episode to share with you today. I’m deeply honored to host Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, thought leader, and wholeness advocate, Alanis Morissette! She is joined by the president and CEO of Postpartum Support International, Dr. Wendy Davis! 
    Alanis found PSI as a resource when she was dealing with perinatal mental health challenges, and she has openly shared about the value of PSI resources while on tour. In addition to being a long-time, powerful presence in the music world, she has become an equally influential advocate for mental health. She has been vocal about experiencing postpartum depression, or “postpartum activity,” as she has referred to it. In our conversation, she shares like never before what her experience was like, how it impacted her life, and how she has found her way to healing. Being in the public eye as a well-known performer has brought a whole other level of pressure and scrutiny to Alanis’ life experiences under the bright–and sometimes stinging–light of celebrity. 
    Dr. Wendy Davis began as a volunteer with PSI in 1997, became the executive director in 2009, and later became the president and CEO. She was drawn to this work after healing from postpartum depression and has become a passionate advocate and leader in the world of perinatal mental health. I’ve been privileged to see Wendy in action at PSI and work closely with her in my role as the Board Chair. Her heart-centered and help-centered approach to leadership has grown PSI into the leading perinatal mental health non-profit in the world today. 

    Show Highlights:

    Alanis’ struggle to balance the people-pleasing life of a celebrity with “the dark swamp of depression” that nobody wanted to see or hear

    Being a high-achieving perfectionist who is self-reliant and autonomous puts a person at a greater risk for postpartum depression.

    Figuring out the archetype of “mom” is a lifelong journey.

    Motherhood brings profound vulnerability–and ALL the past traumas.

    Alanis’ perspective: What does a struggling mother need the most? To be nurtured

    Understanding how the 90s rock and roll scene was a strongly patriarchal environment that left Alanis feeling more isolated and less connected

    Alanis’ role today as the champion of a sisterhood that protects and micromanages on behalf of women

    The immense value of someone saying, “I see you.”

    Alanis’ experience with anger, rage, panic attacks, and a loss of identity

    Tenderness, love, and empowerment in motherhood

    The elements of support that were most helpful for Alanis: the appropriate medications, finding community, strong relationships, and finding a space of safety to be “broken” (What didn’t help was someone saying, “You’re not alone.”)

    What we all want: to make postpartum challenges more visible and to normalize the conversations around them

    “Wholeness over wellness”

    Alanis’ thoughts on the beauty and purity of being a mother to her children

    Our immense gratitude for Alanis’ impact as a fierce advocate and champion of PSI’s work and helpful resources


    Resources:
    Connect with Alanis Morissette: Find out more about Alanis’ music and events on her Website; follow Alanis on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
    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 abo

    • 1 hr 27 min
    335: Behind The Sessions: Communication Challenges After Baby Comes Home with Dr. Kat

    335: Behind The Sessions: Communication Challenges After Baby Comes Home with Dr. Kat

    It’s no secret that a new baby brings many nuances to a couple’s relationship and family life. The couple relationship dynamics shift and change as new responsibilities have to be prioritized. Planning ahead with open communication can make things easier in every way. Let’s take a closer look in today’s behind-the-sessions episode.
    Show Highlights:

    The first few weeks with a new baby: patterns, plans, and problems

    Sleep issues complicate everything!

    The communication challenges around different parenting styles, cultural differences, and incorrect assumptions

    Understanding how resentment builds and creates a rift in the relationship

    The value of setting aside time for regular daily or weekly check-ins to stay connected

    The importance of asking for help and giving each other space

    Planning ahead is the key!

    Resources:
    Visit www.postpartum.net for resources and support! 
    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 megaphone.fm/adchoices

    • 24 min
    334: A Therapist’s Postpartum OCD and How Shame Prevents Seeking Help with Ellen Chance, Ph.D.

    334: A Therapist’s Postpartum OCD and How Shame Prevents Seeking Help with Ellen Chance, Ph.D.

    Through the sharing of our stories, we educate ourselves and others about perinatal mental health challenges, and we normalize the fact that we should not feel shame for needing professional help and support. For so many people, shame over what they are experiencing keeps them from admitting the truth of their struggles and reaching out for help and support. We want to change that scenario! Join us for a candid conversation with today’s guest. 
    Dr. Ellen Chance is a counselor educator and the founder of Whole Counseling and Wellness, a mental health private practice based in Florida. Her practice specializes in women’s and maternal mental health and support through all stages of motherhood, from trying to conceive to beyond the empty nest. Dr. Chance has advanced training in perinatal mental health and is passionate about empowering women and mothers to prioritize their whole wellness, and she works from the belief that all individuals deserve to feel whole: complete, fulfilled, grounded, and connected. Her motivation to serve the perinatal population came from her lived experience with postpartum anxiety and OCD and the shame that kept her from getting the help she needed and deserved. 
    Show Highlights:

    Shame drives and perpetuates the symptoms of anxiety and OCD.

    Ellen’s story of fear and worry dominating her emotions during pregnancy–and dealing with breastfeeding struggles with her newborn

    Ellen’s experience with concealing how she felt and where her thoughts were going

    OCD, for Ellen, manifested itself through excessive worry and prevention of every bad thing that could possibly happen to her child—and the shame she felt as a trained mental health professional who could not admit that she needed help

    Ellen’s fears of opening up, being judged for her compulsive behavior, and burdening someone else with her mental health struggle

    Is it still intrusive thoughts if they aren’t about harming myself or my baby?

    Steps that helped Ellen “clear the fog” and start to be herself again

    Being open, transparent, and vulnerable about postpartum OCD didn’t happen until Ellen volunteered with PSI and started leading support groups.

    Things that were helpful to Ellen on her healing journey

    Resources:
    Connect with Dr. Ellen Chance and Whole Counseling and Wellness: Website, Instagram (Ellen), Instagram (counseling practice), and Facebook
    Visit www.postpartum.net for resources and support! 
    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 megaphone.fm/adchoices

    • 36 min
    333: Understanding Why You Feel Rage with Bianca Sprague

    333: Understanding Why You Feel Rage with Bianca Sprague

    It is more common than you might think to experience both anger and rage in the transition to parenthood, and those emotions happen for a variety of reasons and are caused by a multitude of factors. In today’s episode, we are covering all aspects of rage: why it happens, how it happens, what contributes to it, and what to do about it. Join us to learn more!
    Bianca Sprague, founder of Bebo Mia, has been a dedicated educator, author, activist, and doula since 2007. Passionate about accessible prenatal and postnatal care for marginalized communities, she advocates for mental wellness in families, drawing from her struggle with postpartum depression and family-life experiences. Bianca champions reproductive health and justice, focusing on breaking barriers for female and queer entrepreneurs and restoring joy, equity, and safety in family care through her expertise and innovative approaches. In this episode, we discuss the complex emotions that arise during the transition to parenthood, particularly for those who are under-resourced or experience domestic violence. Bianca explains how societal expectations and gender roles can lead to suppressed anger and rage for many, along with the importance of expressing anger and rage in healthy and productive ways.  

    Show Highlights:

    Bianca’s story of rage being the “fuel” for her work over the past 20 years

    Common issues in new parenthood are anger, frustration, and carrying a heavy emotional load.

    Bianca’s birth and doula work–and how she saw anger in other families

    The sources of much rage are a lack of equity at home and the lack of autonomy in the reproductive health journey.

    Societal pressures to only express “good” emotions

    Big expressions of anger come from a buildup of ignored emotions.

    Truth Telling is key!

    The unhealthy results of suppressing our intuition and emotions

    Unlearning societal conditioning and finding inner peace

    Ways to address anger and rage as a result of systemic oppression

    Using anger and rage to drive activism and create change

    The importance of acknowledging and processing anger in healthy ways

    Check out the special resource package available exclusively for Mom & Mind listeners in the Bebo Mia community!


    Resources:
    Connect with Bianca Sprague and Bebo Mia: Website, Exclusive resource link for M & M Listeners, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube
    Visit www.postpartum.net for resources and support! 
    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 megaphone.fm/adchoices

    • 42 min
    332: Behind The Sessions: Emotional Impacts of Infertility and Treatments

    332: Behind The Sessions: Emotional Impacts of Infertility and Treatments

    In today’s Behind the Sessions episode, we focus on the pain and grief that people experience in the infertility and loss journey while trying to become a parent or add another child to their family. While it’s impossible to cover every aspect of this topic in one episode, I want to take a closer look and assure anyone in this situation that they are not alone. Join me for more!
    Show Highlights:

    Grief can take many forms, including anger, resentment, and jealousy.

    The emotional toll (from hormones, the waiting process, etc.) of infertility treatments

    The layers of complications that come with various reproductive technologies

    Feeling “partner pressure” is a very real thing, even if it’s self-imposed. 

    The importance of setting and keeping boundaries with other people

    The person struggling with infertility needs compassion, support, and a listening ear.

    A good therapist and support network can help!

    Resources:
    Visit www.postpartum.net for resources and support! 
    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 megaphone.fm/adchoices

    • 27 min

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