Postpartum University® Podcast

Does Breastfeeding Cause Postpartum Depression? EP 227

Send us a textLet's get real about a conversation that's been making waves and honestly, stirring up a lot of confusion: Does breastfeeding cause postpartum depression (PPD)?If you've been working with new mothers or navigating the postpartum journey yourself, you've probably heard this claim, and it's time to dig into why blaming breastfeeding is not only inaccurate but also a massive distraction from the real issues impacting maternal mental health. This episode isn't just a discussion; it's a powerful call to action for every perinatal professional dedicated to truly supporting postpartum wellness and understanding the root causes of postnatal depression. Check out the episode on the blog HERE. Key time stamps: 00:00: Does breastfeeding cause postpartum depression?02:31: maternal mental health struggles beyond just breastfeeding.03:26: Research confirms breastfeeding's protective role in postpartum mental health.05:00: Deconstructing systemic failures + breastfeeding mothers.06:08: The critical role of breastfeeding support for preventing PPD.07:10: Understanding pressure and shame in infant feeding decisions.09:19: Nutrient depletion  & postpartum depression symptoms.10:43: How early return to work & maternity leave affect breastfeeding12:06: Why isolation in postpartum care impacts mental health.14:21: The issue with misinformation and poor lactation education.15:49: Debunking myths about breastfeeding and sleep for new parents.17:21: Key exceptions: D-MER and breast trauma in breastfeeding18:51: Prioritizing trauma-informed care in postpartum support.21:05: How postpartum providers can support breastfeeding & mental health.22:15: Focus on the environment of care for new mothers.24:52: Rebuilding a postpartum care system for nourished mothers. NEXT STEPS: 🎒Download the free Postpartum Restoration Method™ Assessment Tool & Guide for Providers 🔔Sign up for the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Waitlist 👍Rate, REVIEW & share the podcast📱Connect on Instagram!📚Get a Copy of the BOOK: Reclaiming Postpartum Wellness 🧠Perinatal Mental Health Certificate Training & Additional Courses for Providers & Postpartum Professionals

The Link Between Labor & Birth Medications and Postpartum Depression EP 226

Send us a textThis episode cuts straight to the core, revealing how common birth medications—Pitocin, epidurals, and antibiotics—are directly connected to this surge in postpartum mental health crises. Postpartum providers and advocates: You know the reality. More new moms are struggling with postpartum depression (PPD), anxiety, and autoimmune conditions. This isn't just "normal." The evidence is undeniable: these birth medications and interventions disrupt hormonal feedback loops, alter the nervous system, and damage the crucial gut-brain axis. For any professional dedicated to maternal wellness, this is critical. Understand these links to offer holistic care practices and deliver lasting solutions in postpartum recovery.Check out this episode on the blog HERE. Key time stamps: 0:02 Birth Meds & PPD: Unpacking the undeniable link.2:19 Informed Consent: Why this conversation is crucial, not about blame.3:26 Overlooked Impacts: How labor meds affect mood, hormones, and healing.6:03 Compelling Research: The science behind interventions and postpartum mental health.8:54 Epidurals & Gut-Brain: Understanding nervous system and gut disruption.10:16 Pitocin's Risks: Synthetic oxytocin's impact on emotional well-being.11:19 Antibiotics & Microbiome: How gut disruption contributes to PPD.12:27 The "Trifecta": Compounded effects of multiple interventions.18:32 Routine Recovery: The urgent need for post-intervention healing protocols.19:49 Healing Protocol: Key strategies for nervous system, gut, nutrients, and rest.28:03 Empowering Moms: Community support, education, and sovereignty in postpartum care.29:38 Call to Action: Your role as a provider in leading change. NEXT STEPS: 🎒Download the free Postpartum Restoration Method™ Assessment Tool & Guide for Providers 🔔Sign up for the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Waitlist 👍Rate, REVIEW & share the podcast📱Connect on Instagram!📚Get a Copy of the BOOK: Reclaiming Postpartum Wellness 🧠Perinatal Mental Health Certificate Training & Additional Courses for Providers & Postpartum Professionals

Postpartum Truths: Transforming Care When Modern Medicine Fails Moms | Janelle Lara EP 225

Send us a textAs postpartum providers, we're seeing it: new moms are struggling with postpartum depression and anxiety at epidemic rates—now affecting 1 in 3 women. This isn't normal; it's the number one complication of childbirth, and our current postpartum care system is clearly failing. If you're a healthcare professional, perinatal mental health specialist, or functional health practitioner seeking holistic postpartum care solutions and evidence-based strategies to truly help clients heal at the root, you need to understand why this is happening and what we can do about it.Check out this episode on the blog HERE. Key time stamps: 00:00: The failing postpartum care system and the rise of maternal mental health issues. 01:57: Postpartum depression is NOT normal but a sign of un-met needs. 03:53: The inadequacy of postpartum checkups & normalization of suffering. 06:05: Historical exclusion of women from medical studies 08:50: Gender-specific health research & maternal brain changes. 12:20: Complex physiological postpartum changes beyond the obvious. 13:53: Gut health and nervous system regulation in postpartum healing. 20:12: Learning from cultural postpartum traditions around the world. 22:03: The importance of herbs  & nutrient-dense postpartum foods. 23:59: The shift away from traditional support & struggle for modern moms. 25:43: Postpartum retreats aren't the answer – healing happens at home. 27:39: Postpartum care appointments and the need for in-home support. 28:44: The transformative power of 40 days of deep postpartum support.Connect with Janelle: Janelle Lara is a Theologian who focuses primarily on the intersection between Alternative Spirituality and Christian Theology in her research. She enjoys sharing her studies and presenting her findings on her Youtube channel, @janellemlara. She lives in Southeast Georgia with her husband and young children. Youtube NEXT STEPS: 🎒Download the free Postpartum Restoration Method™ Assessment Tool & Guide for Providers 🔔Sign up for the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Waitlist 👍Rate, REVIEW & share the podcast📱Connect on Instagram!📚Get a Copy of the BOOK: Reclaiming Postpartum Wellness 🧠Perinatal Mental Health Certificate Training & Additional Courses for Providers & Postpartum Professionals

The Postpartum "Mom" Brain: Understanding & Supporting The Rewiring Process EP 224

Send us a textEver wonder why your postpartum clients feel like they're in a fog, forgetful, or just plain different? It's not just "mom brain" as we know it. In this eye-opening episode, we’re completely shifting the conventional understanding of the postpartum brain and diving deep into the profound neurological rewiring that happens after birth. Forget surface-level fixes; we're talking about real, lasting solutions for postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and maternal burnout by understanding the biological brilliance behind a mother's transformation. This isn't about "fixing" women; it's about seeing their bodies and brains with the reverence they deserve, and equipping postpartum providers with the holistic care practices to truly heal their clients at the root.Check out this episode on the blog HERE. Key time stamps: 0:48: Postpartum brain is rewiring, not broken. 3:23: What happens to the brain in postpartum? Neurological transformation explained. 4:25: Increased diligence, heightened emotional sensitivity, disrupted memory & focus, decreased self-prioritization.5:30: Biologically appropriate functions without proper support lead to burnout, anxiety, rage. 6:46: The role of stress in brain rewiring – adaptive vs. chronic. Chronic stress creates maladaptive programming. 10:40: Mom brains prioritize survival and baby's needs, not broken. 11:29: Oxytocin strengthens memory of emotionally charged events. 12:24: Understanding intrusive thoughts: protection, not pathology. 15:28: How to support postpartum brain recovery: nutrition, nervous system regulation, repletion. 16:05: Why holistic approaches are crucial and why single strategies fail. 17:44: Body-based trauma release techniques like TRE therapy. 18:11: The importance of safe co-regulating relationships. 19:59: Consistent nutritional repletion is biochemical reality. 20:25: Sleep rhythm and restoration for active brain repair. 24:08: Reclaim mom brain: it's a superpower, not a problem. Postpartum rewiring makes mothers more intuitive, protective, efficient.  NEXT STEPS: 🎒Download the free Postpartum Restoration Method™ Assessment Tool & Guide for Providers 🔔Sign up for the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Waitlist 👍Rate, REVIEW & share the podcast📱Connect on Instagram!📚Get a Copy of the BOOK: Reclaiming Postpartum Wellness 🧠Perinatal Mental Health Certificate Training & Additional Courses for Providers & Postpartum Professionals

Healing the Healers: Stories of Motherhood, Burnout & Postpartum Mental Health | Corina Fitch EP 223

Send us a textIf you're a postpartum provider, you know the juggle: supporting new moms while often navigating your own intense motherhood journey, battling burnout, and feeling stretched thin. This episode gets real with midwife Corina Fitch & Maranda who share their deeply personal struggles with postpartum mental health – from depression to bipolar disorder – and how those experiences completely shifted their approach to holistic postpartum care. If you're a doula, midwife, or any birth worker focused on maternal wellness and improving our current system, you'll want to hear this. They explore how understanding and embracing matrescence is crucial not just for your clients to thrive, but for you as well.Check out this episode on the blog HERE. Key time stamps: 0:43 Postpartum recovery is a multi-year transformation, not just weeks2:13 Corina's own postpartum depression fueled her passion for maternal wellness4:00 Even birth professionals face their own postpartum struggles10:48 Personal healing ignited innovative holistic maternal support programs17:05 Postpartum University grew from provider demand for root-cause healing for moms19:58 Many moms turn to alternative support after traditional healthcare fails them22:43 Postpartum University addresses the gap in provider education27:19 New laws push for extended, comprehensive postpartum care plans31:33 Pregnancy causes immediate brain changes & motherhood's lifelong impact.Connect with Corina: Corina Fitch is a Certified Professional Midwife and Neonatal Intensive Care nurse with over 27 years of experience in the field of maternal health.  She is also a Certified Feminine Power Transformational Facilitator and has been leading women’s circles and ceremonies for over 2 decades.  Corina has three daughters, each one bringing deeper meaning to her work. In 2017, after experiencing postpartum depression following the birth of her third daughter, Corina founded MotherFly, an organization dedicated to supporting maternal wellness and thriving.  Website | IG  NEXT STEPS: 🎒Download the free Postpartum Restoration Method™ Assessment Tool & Guide for Providers 🔔Sign up for the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Waitlist 👍Rate, REVIEW & share the podcast📱Connect on Instagram!📚Get a Copy of the BOOK: Reclaiming Postpartum Wellness 🧠Perinatal Mental Health Certificate Training & Additional Courses for Providers & Postpartum Professionals