When Motherhood is Relentless with Heather

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.