Mom and Mind | Pregnancy and Postpartum Depression & Anxiety

Today’s show marks five years of this podcast. It’s been an unbelievable journey speaking to guests who share their stories and experiences so we can all work to raise the volume on these perinatal mental health conditions. Five years, 206 episodes---and we’re still going strong! Heidi McBain shares her story of birth trauma, miscarriage, and anxiety to shed light on the importance of talking abou...

Anxiety and intrusive thoughts can be horrifying experiences for new parents. My guest is making significant contributions to the field of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders in the areas of research and education. Join us to learn more about her work. Today’s guest is Dr. Nichole Fairbrother, a registered psychologist and Clinical Associate Professor with the University of British Columbia's Dep...

As we continue to celebrate Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month, we take a deep dive into the cultural factors that affect perinatal mental health. Today’s guest shares how she’s working to support black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) through the perinatal mental health journey as they transition to parenthood. Divya Kumar is a South Asian-American psychotherapist with a public health...

We can all draw strength and community from the stories of others. Today’s guest uses her talents in acting, producing, and writing to inform and educate people about perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Her overriding messages are that everyone deserves help and support so they don’t feel like she did, isolated and alone. Elizabeth Masucci is an actress, producer, and writer based in NYC. She st...

Whether you are a parent or hope to be a parent someday, we all have assumptions about what pregnancy should be like. What we can’t control is how it will go in reality and how we will feel during the process. Today’s show explores how the journey can be navigated when unexpected circumstances creep in and sabotage our well-crafted plans. Leora Rozin felt blindsided and lost when welcoming her fir...

Are you ready for my big announcement? I wrote a book! I’m so excited to tell you all about it in today’s show. The Pregnancy Workbook: Manage Anxiety and Worry with CBT and Mindfulness Techniques is out on May 4, and it’s available for preorder now! The book is written in a relatable tone that will help you feel supported in your pregnancy journey. It’s full of usable tools to help deal with anxi...

Today’s guest shares her personal story of recurrent pregnancy loss, including early miscarriage and multiple ectopic pregnancies. She shares how her mental and emotional healing journey led to the writing of a book. Kim Hooper is the author of several novels; her latest is No Hiding in Boise, which comes out this June. She and her co-authors wrote All the Love: Healing Your Heart and Finding Mean...

It’s always helpful to hear someone’s personal story because it will resonate with many more people than they might think. My guest today shares her experience with postpartum depression, which was made even more shocking because it occurred several months after the birth of her second child. Join us to hear Emily’s story. Emily Adler Mosqueda has become a fierce advocate for mothers since experie...

Do you identify as a perfectionist? Do you feel like things need to be a certain way and if they aren't, you feel unsettled? How did that affect you when you were trying to conceive, during pregnancy, birthing or postpartum? This is one of those things that really impacts the early stages of motherhood and parenthood (and all stages really). In this episode, I talk about the dynamics that I see wi...

How are you? Sometimes it’s hard to check in with ourselves in the busy-ness of daily life, especially in these pandemic days when our self-care options are limited. High stress, depression, and anxiety tend to feel like personal failure. In today’s show, I want to offer you perspective and encouragement. Show Highlights: How to interpret your feelings during moments of stress How to approach the...

Today’s episode is packed with helpful information about taking medication during pregnancy and the postpartum period. We’ll also take a closer look at COVID-related issues and the vaccine as they relate to perinatal mental health. Join us to learn more. Dr. Sarah Oreck is a Columbia University-trained psychiatrist who focuses on women’s mental wellness. In addition to her expertise in general and...

Today’s topic is important, but it is hugely stigmatized in our culture. You may not have even heard about paternal postpartum depression, but my guest today shares what he experienced with the births of his two children.    Dr. David Levine is a pediatrician in New Jersey. He was blindsided by postpartum depression because, like most of us, he thought it only happens to women. He shares the strug...

We all know that the challenges of new motherhood can be many--and overwhelming. If you are an HSP (highly sensitive person), then those challenges may be magnified---and you probably aren’t focusing on any self-care. This topic resonates deeply with me and intrigues me in the way the trait interacts with motherhood and its challenges. Julie Bjelland is an LMFT, an HSP psychotherapist, and the aut...

Welcome to Mom and Mind, I’m your host, Dr. Kat. Anxiety is at an all time high with covid, political stress, social justice stress, holidays and collective stress. So we are re releasing this episode from 2 years ago, as it is one of the most commonly downloaded episodes. We are talking about Postpartum Anxiety today and more specifically,  We touch on the ever present guilt and shame that runs i...

Today’s show covers a topic of great concern and high stress for many parents. Many of us don’t understand colic and how to soothe a colicky baby. Today’s guest shares how her experience raising her colicky newborn daughter affected her life and her mental health. Jacqueline DelVecchio is a licensed mental health counselor in Salem, MA. She works in a private practice setting and specializes in pe...

Even though there is much variation in the stories that women share here on the podcast, it’s amazing how many similarities they share. In today’s conversation, like so many others, we see a commonality in both the suffering, the isolation, and the path to healing. Leila Tualla is an author and poet. She journaled her bouts with pregnancy anxiety, postpartum depression, and preeclampsia in a memoi...

Weight-loss struggles, eating disorders, endless dieting shame--we all know what it feels like to be stuck with these issues. None of these contribute to mental wellness, joy, and contentment. The problems are compounded for women during pregnancy and the postpartum period. If you’re stuck in the shame cycle about your body shape and dieting failures, join us for today’s show. Catie Lynch is a lic...

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. Having a high-risk pregnancy and being put on bed rest brings many challenges to a woman already in a heightened emotional state. These emotions carry a lot of anxiety and worry about the health of the mother and the baby. Join us to hear Shenee’s personal story.  Shenee Bend experienced a high-risk pregnancy that required her to be on hospital...

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month. Mom & Mind honors all of the loss families who are grieving the loss of a child. There is no timeline and no right way to grieve, so we hold your loss with tenderness and love. In this episode, Sarah Arcotta talks about the loss of one of her twins from Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome, a condition we haven’t yet covered on the show. Sarah sha...

Hearing personal stories gives us a unique insight into the nuances of the journey into parenthood, which differ from one person to the next. Today’s guest details her experience in ambivalence about whether having kids would be part of her life story. She shares how her journey into parenthood has shaped and grown her into the person she is today. Dr. Elise Sanchez is a Licensed Clinical Psycholo...

The journey into motherhood can be filled with many challenges. The situation is worsened if one grew up with a difficult relationship with one or both parents. Such is the personal story you’ll hear in today’s show. Join us. Jaimi Martin came from a very difficult childhood with a mother who suffered from mental illness. Jaimi shares some of the dynamics that played out with her and her mother, c...

Today’s show is about an important topic that isn’t talked about very often. We’ve all heard of morning sickness, but there is a much more severe condition called hyperemesis gravidarum. It brings all-day nausea and vomiting and can result in significant physical and emotional effects. Lauren Harris is a married mother of three kids who lives in western Massachusetts. She’s a licensed mental healt...

In many ways, our life experiences around reproduction impact us and our mental health significantly. Today’s show focuses on the story of adult sexual trauma and how our guest was affected as she became a mother. **The nature of this topic of sexual trauma and differing birth experiences prompt a sensitivity warning for some listeners. Use your judgment in listening now or at a later time. Emily...

Perinatal mood and anxiety disorder can leave you feeling lost, alone, and confused by the symptoms. This is why it’s so important that we hear personal stories of others that show us we are not alone. Alisa Pastecki is a Sales Executive for a network equipment and services provider that works with telecommunications companies all over the US and Canada. She lives in Batavia, NY--just outside of B...

We are constantly learning more about the importance of mental health and its impact on the overall health of parents, children, and the entire family. More and more clinicians are getting trained in perinatal mental health, which is exactly what is needed. In today’s show, we get a pediatrician’s perspective of stepping in to help new moms, even though their primary role is to support and care fo...