Beyond Postpartum

In this episode Jasmine and I talk about her journey with postpartum depression and anxiety, the difference in having babies before and during the Covid-19 pandemic, and support she found being part of one of our groups - even when she was skeptical at first. We talk about what it is like to be part of our support groups, and I give details at the end of the episode that hopefully answer all your burning questions about group. You can find more information about our support groups and all of our other services at postpartum.org.

We are finally back for Season 2 of Beyond Postpartum! In this episode, Clare joins me to talk about where the podcast went for so many months, how we have both weathered the Covid-19 pandemic (so far), and what is new for Pacific Post Partum. We also talk about the latest in perinatal mental health news, and ponder the question: does walking cure postpartum depression? 

In this episode I talk to Heather, who is a mom of 4, a twin mom, an RN, and one of the newer staff members here at Pacific Post Partum! Heathers shares her 3 different experiences with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, her birth stories, what helped in recovery, and the healing journey she has been on since then. CW: Heather shares her experiences with pregnancy loss, and she shares some intrusive thoughts that might be upsetting to some listeners. 

For this episode of Beyond Postpartum I had the honour of having the lovely Robin Gale as my guest. Robin is a mom of 2, a full spectrum doula, a breastfeeding counsellor, and a staff member here at PPPSS. She shares her journey with PPD and PPA, her experience having a newborn with a heart condition, what helped in her recovery, and the skills and tools that she has carried with her from that experience.

In this episode of Beyond Postpartum my guest is A.J. Lowik (they/them/theirs), who is a researcher and PhD candidate with the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice, at the University of British Columbia. Their dissertation research explores and documents how trans people strategically navigate reproductive health care spaces that weren't built with them in mind, and how trans peoples gender identities and reproductive lives intersect. In our conversation we talk about the mental health impacts this has, and why gender affirming reproductive mental health care is so important. A.J. also shares about their own mental health journey, and how they found recovery from severe OCD, and the influence this experience has had on their life.

CW: miscarriage and pregnancy loss.In this episode of Beyond Postpartum we hear from Myriam Steinberg who is a single parent by choice, who went through over 4 years of infertility and losses before conceiving and giving birth to her now two-year-old twins. She documented her journey along the way, and then turned her journey into an amazing memoir in the form of a graphic novel. And luckily for us, she also shares her story here with us!

In this episode we hear from the lovely Christine Ou, who is a registered nurse, a researcher, and a PhD candidate and Public Scholar in the School of Nursing at UBC. She is also a parent with lived experience with PPD and postpartum anger, and one of our amazing volunteers! In in this episode she shares her own postpartum story with us, and also outlines some evidence based strategies for getting a better nights sleep.

My guest in this episode of Beyond Postpartum is Georgie. Georgie first came to PPPSS as a volunteer, over 23 years ago, and has been an integral part of PPPSS since! In this interview she shares her journey with postpartum anxiety and depression, and how a single conversation was the turning point for her healing. Georgie also shares about the importance of self-compassion, and how meaningful it has been in her life, and how things were different (and what was similar!) for her when her own children had children and she became a grandmother.

In this episode, Clare returns, and we talk about all things self care - what it is, what it isn't, why it's important, and why it is not enough. Self care is one of those loaded terms that many of us don't fully understand. I know it took me a long time to figure out what self care means to me, and how to do it in the midst of the chaos of life. And right now, during the holidays, and through the Covid-19 pandemic, and those two things combined - self care has become a bit more complicated.

My guest for this episode of Beyond Postpartum is Dr. Walker Ladd, Ph.D., who has just released the 2nd edition of her book Transformed by Postpartum Depression: Women's Stories of Trauma and Growth, which is based on her groundbreaking research about how untreated perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) impact new parents and families in deep and significant ways. In addition to being a researcher and an author, Dr. Ladd is also a mom of two and a full-time faculty member at Saybrook University, among, of course, many other things. Her own lived experience with birth trauma, postpartum depression, breast cancer, and major depressive disorder has deeply informed her work.

In this episode Clare returns to interview me! In it I share my journey of becoming a mom, living through a severe perinatal anxiety disorder, and what the long process of recovery was like.

In this episode I was honoured to have the lovely Janelle Hanchett as my guest. Janelle is a mom of four beautiful kiddos, the creator of the blog Renegade Mothering, and in 2018 she published a memoir, ‘I’m Just Happy to Be Here,’ which is a beautifully written and powerful book about her journey through addiction and recovery. She is also a writing teacher and editor, and hosts the most amazing writing retreats and workshops. Her blog and her writing courses have been a big piece of my own journey, and I am so grateful to be able to share this conversation with all of you.

My guest for this episode of Beyond Postpartum is the lovely Olivia Scobie, who is a mom of two, a Registered Social Worker who supports individuals and families in her private counselling practice, the founder of Postpartum Support Toronto (PPSTO), and the author of an amazing and soon-to-be released book called 'Impossible Parenting: Creating a New Culture of Mental Health for Parents.' And of course, so much more! I absolutely loved her book and am so incredibly honoured to share this conversation with you.

I'm so excited to share this episode of Beyond Postpartum with all of you. Our guest for this episode is Allie Brite-Hamel who's journey through postpartum anxiety and depression inspired her to write her first book 'If Mommy's Being Honest.' It's a children's book about perinatal mental health, but it's just as much for parents, as she explains in our conversation. She also shares about her own story, grieving the recent loss of her younger brother, and the role her faith played in her healing.CW: Discussion of suicidal thoughts and ideation

In this episode of Beyond Postpartum I had the honor of speaking with Jennifer Norris-Hale who is (among so many other things) a mom of 3, TEDx speaker, and the founder of Mission: Motherhood. It was such a joy to talk with Jennifer, and we touched on so many important topics including birth trauma, being true to your own needs, and the importance of social support. She also tells us all about about Mission: Motherhood and why she took on this important project.

Have you ever had upsetting thoughts or images jump into your head seemingly out of nowhere? Those are called intrusive thoughts! If you have had these random unwanted thoughts before (and most of us have!) this episode is for you. In this episode of Beyond Postpartum, I chat with Dr. Nichole Fairbrother, who is a psychologist, clinical associate professor with the UBC Island Medical Program, and the director of the Perinatal Anxiety Research Lab. Included in her many different areas of expertise are intrusive thoughts and postpartum Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

In this episode Janessa shares her story and journey through postpartum depression, and how sharing that story has helped her feel less alone on her parenting journey. This experience led her to start her own postpartum support group and pursue training as a postpartum and infant care doula so she can support other local families in her small, rural, community. It was a supper fun conversation and I hope you enjoy listening!

In this episode of Beyond Postpartum I had the opportunity to chat with Mary Gillis. Mary is a Registered Clinical Counsellor who works with families experiencing infertility, pregnancy loss, infant loss, and birth trauma. In this episode she shares about her own journey through 9 years of infertility, the things that were integral to her healing journey, and the common struggles and emotions that come up for those experiencing infertility and loss.

In this episode we hear from Marlas, who is a Queer parent who experienced multiple losses, and she shares her journey from her lowest point through to recovery from perinatal mental illness. We do talk briefly about suicide, so if this is a hard subject for you to listen too, please take care of yourself in whatever way you need to, and reach out for support if it's hitting hard for you. At the end I share an exciting announcement that you won't want to miss!

In this episode of Beyond Postpartum, I have the privilege and honour of sharing a conversation I had with an amazing woman who's Instagram I chanced upon a few weeks ago. Katie Jameson is a mom of 4, a photographer, an advocate, a blogger, and a bereaved mother. She tragically lost her first son, Lochlan, at just a few weeks of age. In this episode, she tells us her story of navigating an unimaginable loss, parenting through grief, and why she is so outspoken about her journey.

In this episode Dr. Allyson Shrikhande chats with me about chronic pelvic pain and pelvic floor dysfunction, and how it can affect (and be affected by) mental health. Dr. Shrikhande is a board certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist, and the Chair of the Medical Education Committee for the International Pelvic Pain Society. Motivated by her own experience with chronic pain and pelvic floor dysfunction, she has developed a holistic protocol to treat her patients, and in this episode she gives some great tips and ideas of where to start if you are suffering from pain or a pelvic floor that just isn't the same as it used to be!

In this episode I chat with Melanie, who is is not only one of our incredible volunteers, she is also a mom of two, doula, student-midwife, and ultra-marathon runner (yes, seriously!). In this episode, she shares about working through infertility, depression, and chronic pain, and how having supportive prenatal care from Midwives helped her avoid PPD/A despite her history.

In this episode I chat with Patricia Tomasi and Jaime Charlebois who are the co-founders of the Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative. They share their own stories of resilience and recovery from perinatal mental illness, and why Canada needs a national perinatal mental health strategy, right now.

In this bonus episode, Celina takes us through a guided Nidra meditation.

In this episode, I chat with Celina who is one of our amazing volunteers and who is also a meditation instructor. Celina and I talk about how and when she began to develop a meditation practice, what she noticed when she did 5 minutes a day of meditation for 30 days, and the benefits of meditation. At the end of the episode she takes us through a 20 minute guided nidra meditation that is suitable for all levels of experience with meditation.

In this episode I chat with Veronica Harris who is a Registered Clinical Counsellor in Nanaimo, BC. She shares her journey with postpartum anxiety and how when she made peace with not being ok she was able to be ok. We also talk about how expectations - our own, our partners, and societies - can negatively impact our parenting experience. And of course, we also talk about so much more. At the end, I introduce the concepts of radical acceptance and self-compassion, and talk about how and where you can find a counsellor of your own.

In this episode, Andrea share's her journey with postpartum depression and anxiety, how she made peace with the idea of having a 2nd child, and how different her 2nd postpartum experience was and why. She also shares about a program/module she developed for our in-person support groups, called 'The Art of Self-Care.'

CW: Pregnancy loss/miscarriage.In this Episode of Beyond Postpartum I interview Shealagh, who shares her postpartum story, how and where she finally found a group of other mothers she could relate to, and how and why CBT can help (and what it is).

In this episode I talk with Danette Jubinville (she/her/hers), who belongs to the Cyr family from the Pasqua First Nation. Her ancestry is Cree, Saulteaux, and mixed European. She is an Indigenous doula, one of the founding members of the Ekw’í7tl Doula Collective, a PhD student, and a health researcher. She shares about her pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journey, her experience with a condition called D-MER, how important it was (and is) to have culturally safe health care, and many other things. Our conversation was really awesome and I hope you enjoy listening to it!

In this episode, Juno Rinaldi shares her story of recovery from Postpartum Anxiety and Depression, and we talk about how going through PPD/A has influenced her work as an actor, writer, and creative. You might know Juno from her role as Frankie Coyne on the CBC show Workin' Moms. Thank you Juno for sharing your story with us!

CW: Intimate partner violence and abuse. In this episode, Anna and I talk about her journey through postpartum anxiety, and leaving an abusive relationship. One in four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime, and over half of folks who are trans, two-spirit, or non-binary will as well. It is a topic we need to talk about and bring out of the shadows as it likely touches us all in one way or another. 40% of cases of domestic violence and abuse begin during pregnancy. If this is something you are experiencing, you are not alone.

In this episode, Evan and I talk about his struggle as a new dad, why he didn't reach out for support, the internal struggle when societal norms conflict with our personal choices and circumstances, the stigma and shame surrounding mental illness, and other fun things.1 in 10 partners will experience depression after the birth of their child (and up to 1 in 2 partners will experience depression or anxiety when the birthing parent is also experiencing perinatal mental illness), so if you are struggling, please know you are not alone. At the end of the episode I go over some of the common signs and symptoms of perinatal mental health challenges in partners, and share some ideas of where to go to get support.

In this episode, Brandy shares her story about losing herself in motherhood, and how this led her to the ask the question 'is motherhood broken, or am I?' Luckily for us she answers that question in this podcast AND in her brand new book, a darkly comedic novel about modern motherhood called 'Adult Conversation: a Novel.' In addition to her book, we also talk about burnout, birth trauma, and how rigid parenting beliefs can be problematic.

In this episode Zoe and I talk about her postpartum journey, the dangers of over-researching, the harm that can come from having unreasonably high expectations, the difference between postpartum depression and regular depression, how choices around how you feed your baby can impact your mental health, and many other things - including how she is handling the current covid-19 pandemic. This is an episode that you won't want to miss!

In this episode Miranda and I talk about how weaning can affect mental health, her journey to becoming an Indigenous Doula, and the importance of spiritual and cultural practices in her healing journey. You can find show notes and the links to the resources she shared at http://postpartum.org/beyond-postpartum-ep-3.

Our first episode of Beyond Postpartum! Woot! Listen to me stretch my 'wobbly-brand-new-baby-podcast-host-legs' (it can only get better from here, right?) as I interview Sheila, who is the fabulous director of the Pacific Post Partum Support Society. Sheila shares her story and we talk about intrusive thinking - what it is, who gets it, and what do about it. Check out http://postpartum.org/beyond-postpartum-ep-1/ for the show notes and more resources and info.

In this episode Clare shares her story and we talk about postpartum RAGE. RAGE! We also talk about how to tell the difference between intrusive thoughts and psychosis, and how extreme sleep deprivation negatively impacted her mental health. Clare shares how she is coping with the current global pandemic - and it might not be what you would expect. You can find the show notes for this episode at: http://postpartum.org/beyond-postpartum-ep-2.