Mom and Mind Katayune Kaeni, Psy.D., PMH-C
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- Health & Fitness
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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
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327: Mothering Without a Mother with Dr. Olivia Wedel, LPC, NCC, PMH-C
The grief process can be messy and unpredictable, and it can vary widely from person to person and through the different phases of life. Grief comes up in multiple, unexpected ways in the motherhood journey when you have already lost your mother. Join us to hear a personal story of motherhood and mother loss from today’s guest.
Dr. Olivia Wedel is a licensed professional counselor in Texas. After almost 17 years working in the mental health field, Dr. Olivia started her private practice in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, and she enjoys working with students as a permanent adjunct faculty member in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at TCU. In addition to postpartum and maternal mental health counseling, she offers non-clinical perinatal support services and postpartum planning for families, psychoeducation and support for parents with children ages 1-3, and community and provider education on perinatal mental health. She is a trained facilitator for the Circle of Security Parenting Intervention Program and is a certified provider for Mother Loss Grief Training.
Show Highlights:
Dr. Olivia’s personal experience of motherhood later in life after losing her mom while in her 20s
Blindsided at her son’s birth by joy, love, and grief for the loss of her mother
Feeling the paradox of motherhood joy and disorienting grief at the same time
Common feelings that come up in mothering without a mother
“Disenfranchised grief”--what it is and how it manifests itself
Feelings that can lead to postpartum anxiety and depression
Validating values through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Managing the motherhood journey without a loving, supportive mother
Dr. Olivia’s approach with clients whose mother is still alive–but there is not a healthy, supportive relationship
The importance of education and supportive resources for parents
The goal is to reduce the stigma and encourage parents and providers to reach out for support.
Resources:
Connect with Dr. Olivia Wedel: Website, Instagram, and LinkedIn
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!
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326: Behind The Sessions: Why Are We So Hard On Ourselves?
There is more to the story than postpartum depression. There are many complexities to the ways we talk to ourselves. I see perinatal folks give in frequently to thoughts of self-judgment and even self-hatred, which is not at all a healthy scenario for the transition to parenthood. It’s a time when there are many new things to learn and adjustments to make as we become parents. In today’s session, we answer the important question: “Why are we so hard on ourselves?”
Show Highlights:
Thoughts of shame, guilt, and not being “good enough”
Don’t we deserve the objectivity, compassion, and understanding that we would give to a friend? The answer is YES!
Our internalized belief systems come from the pressures we experienced early in life in our families.
Having a child to care for brings up a lot of feelings about the past and how we were cared for (or not cared for).
Therapy support can help develop necessary coping strategies like self-compassion, softness, understanding, validation, and forgiveness.
You CAN move forward without the pressure of perfection!
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!
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325: A Free Birth After Birth Trauma with Alexa Ericson
Today’s episode is about a topic that may be unfamiliar to many. My guest shares her journey through her first pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, along with why she chose a very different scenario called free birth to welcome her second child into the world. Join us to learn more!
Alexa Ericson shares why she chose a free birth for her second child, what that is, and how that choice worked out for her. She explains how she found comfort through writing and decided to put her experiences into a book–with the hopes of helping other women. Her book of poetry, Motherhood, Disenchanted, covers “adventures into the nitty-gritty, sleep-deprived, chaotic, and sometimes dark thoughts that come fluttering through the early years of mothering.” After back-to-back pregnancies and years of isolated mothering due to her location and lockdowns, she felt a major gap in the discussion around the raw and tough, intimate moments of motherhood. Alexa used her writing as a form of catharsis and a way to work through difficulties. In this conversation, she discusses her marriage, body changes, breastfeeding, anxiety, exhaustion, loss of self, and more. Alexa lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, with her farmer husband and two kids.
Show Highlights:
Alexa’s story: how she, as someone with doula training, made her birth plan for her first child (born in 2019) with midwives, a doula, and a home birth
The reality of birth in the middle of a big storm, power outage, and a situation that felt out of control
Alexa’s overall account of her midwife experience
A downhill slide after her baby was born—and she was left with very few options and very little information
Alexa’s very difficult intro to motherhood with anxiety and overwhelm
Writing: the best lifeline for Alexa
Motherhood messaging in our society and on social media–and why real-life experiences don’t usually measure up
Alexa’s second pregnancy, when her first son was only 5 months old
Free birth–a birth with no medical professionals present
Alexa’s second birth story: a healing and peaceful experience with no rules, regulations, regimented prenatal care, or manipulation by medical providers
Hear Alexa share two poems from her book!
Alexa’s advice to other women: “If you aren’t feeling strong, try writing about it and get those thoughts out. It can help to put them on paper.”
Resources:
Connect with Alexa Ericson: Website, Instagram, and Motherhood, Disenchanted book
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!
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324: Postpartum Psychosis: A Couple’s Experience with Dr. Rowena and Derek Winkler
Postpartum psychosis is often misunderstood and mischaracterized. It is important to humanize this condition, remove the stigma around it, and let people know that treatment is available and healing is possible. In today’s show, we get a rare glimpse into the life of a family through the eyes of both a husband and wife about their journey through postpartum psychosis. Join us to learn more!
Derek Winkler is a software engineering manager, father of two (Kerri-almost 4, and Robbie-6 months), and husband to Rowena. Derek shares his perspective of what he experienced as a husband and father and what kind of support he needed.
Dr. Rowena Winkler is a career and empowerment coach who helps high achievers unlock their academic genius and gain clarity in their jobs, businesses, and lives through the power of communication. Using her Ph.D. in Communications, along with mystical modalities such as astrology, human design, and Tarot, Dr. Rowena’s coaching method enables clients to tap into self-love and bold confidence to get unstuck and make a change. Rowena shares what postpartum psychosis was like for her from the start, through her hospitalization, and integrating back home.
Show Highlights:
How postpartum psychosis occurred after Rowena’s second pregnancy with their son in 2023 after a completely normal postpartum experience in 2020 (when their daughter was born)
How Derek noticed Rowena’s anxiety issues when their son was born, along with sleep deprivation and hypervigilance
How Rowena’s condition escalated, Derek noticed several red flags that were concerning and called 911 when their son was 2-3 weeks old
How Rowena felt herself slipping from reality–like she didn’t “have full ownership” of her body
How things progressed until Derek contacted 911 through a text, police officers and a mental health professional (from Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center) arrived, and Rowena went to the ER
What Rowena remembers about her paranoia in arriving and being admitted to the hospital (one day in the ER and 10 days in a psychiatric unit)
Why she needed a second hospitalization after her initial discharge and return home
How the healing process takes time after a severe mental health crisis
How an outpatient hospital program helped Rowena learn helpful coping strategies
Why our medical care system isn’t set up for sufficient family support after a psychiatric hospitalization
How PSI, therapy, and medications helped Derek in his caregiving role in being a supportive and understanding partner
How Rowena is coping today with new tools to use in starting a new job and being a wife and mother
Rowena’s takeaways: “Those of us who have been through this and have made it to the other side are here to help, support, and share that you are not alone. You can get through this.”
Derek’s takeaways: “It is the silver lining around a very dark cloud that we are able to share our story and help people learn about this condition. It is very difficult, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Postpartum psychosis is very treatable. If you are going through this, please reach out for 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!
Connect with Dr. Rowena Winkler: Website, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube
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323: Behind The Sessions: Feeling Loss in the Transition to Parenthood
We can all agree that the transition to parenthood is huge and multi-faceted. For many parents, that transition feels like not just a big change but a monumental loss. It’s a loss of what once was and the life you had grown accustomed to in your pre-baby world. There are a lot of changes around the freedom and flexibility you once enjoyed, and essentially every area of life is affected. Things are different in your world regarding your attention and energy, as well. Join me in today’s Behind the Sessions look at why this transition feels like a loss–and what you can do about it.
Show Highlights:
Why it is perfectly acceptable to experience a mixed bag of feelings about parenthood—and each of those feelings should be acknowledged and validated
How acknowledging the huge changes within the context of life is an important step (Yes, things change, but exciting things are happening, also!)
How to handle outside pressure and negative parenthood experiences from others
Why people see a therapist for support and validation when they experience these kinds of identity shifts
Dr. Kat’s takeaways: “Whatever mixture of feelings and experiences play into your transition into parenting, it’s okay. It might not always feel good, and it might be confusing, but it’s totally part of the process as you are shifting and changing. Life is changing, and it’s normal to have feelings about that.”
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!
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322: From Business Owner to Survivor: Overcoming Postpartum Depression with Emma Hopkins
I’m joined today by Emma Hopkins, a mom and business owner in the UK. At age 39, Emma became a first-time mother and experienced postpartum depression to the point that her entire life, identity, and livelihood changed. She walks us through the tough decision to give up the business that was her heart and soul to prioritize her basic survival. She finally found healing, reconnected with herself, embraced her new role as a mother, and built a new business based on her experience and education. Today she coaches other women who feel a lost sense of identity by helping them rediscover themselves, and she works as a champion advocate with the Maternal Mental Health Alliance in the UK.
Show Highlights:
Emma’s story of business ownership in the health and wellness space in Spain and the UK until motherhood at age 39 changed everything
Emma’s rude introduction to motherhood, which included severe sleeplessness, complete burnout, and full-blown postpartum depression
How she was forced to sell her beloved business–and lose her sense of identity in the process
What Emma wishes she had done differently
How the UK’s “health visitors” system left Emma feeling judged, tested, and failing
How Emma grieved for the person she was and the success and identity she lost
How she finally realized and admitted that she had postpartum depression
How the COVID-19 lockdown actually helped Emma connect and communicate with people again and gave her what she was missing
How Emma’s supportive husband and her daily walks helped her immensely
Why Emma began working with the Maternal Mental Health Alliance in the UK and has become a passionate champion to build awareness around maternal mental health
Resources:
Connect with Emma Hopkins: Website, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Maternal Mental Health Alliance (for UK listeners)
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!
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Customer Reviews
Empowering advice
Doctor Kat provides a platform where serious conversations about postpartum depression are talked about. It’s so healing to have these discussions had in the open without shame, but rather with empowerment.
LET’S ALL HELP EACH OTHER OUT!
I have found this particular podcast to be one of the best and most accessible ones out there for new or second time around moms and parents. Why? Because the speakers that Dr. Kat chooses come from a multitood of backgrounds and experiences in this concentration. You will inevitably come across yourself in one of these speakers OR hear some sound advice or experience from a professional in the field. I have played this podcast for my clients as well as some of my pre and postnatal students and they always comment of how authentic the subject matters and people are. You are NOT alone, and you certainly donlt need to feel like you are after listening to one of these.
thought-provoking
Hearing Dr. Kat dig into the details of perinatal mental health with her guests always generates deeper thinking and greater understanding. ❤️