So Glad You Asked with Dr. Ruta Nonacs and Allie Hales

Postpartum psychosis affects approximately 1-2 per 1,000 people after childbirth and is the most severe perinatal mental health condition. It is a medical emergency that often requires hospitalization, but with prompt treatment, recovery is possible. Dr. Ruta and Allie are joined by postpartum psychosis survivors and advocates Meghan Cliffel and Kriti Lodha. Together, they discuss what postpartum...

Raising a child takes a village and affects the health and wellbeing of everyone involved. Most resources for new parents, understandably, focus on moms, often leaving out fathers, grandparents, friends, and other caregivers who may need support, too. Dr. Ruta and Allie sit down with Dr. Sheehan Fisher, PhD—Associate Professor and perinatal clinical psychologist at Northwestern University—to talk...

Mental health during pregnancy plays a critical role in postpartum well-being, yet many people aren’t sure what’s safe or where to start. If you’ve ever wondered how to get help or how to support someone you love, you’re not alone. It’s important that pregnant people have access to safe, effective mental health care. That’s why reproductive psychiatrists and OB-GYNs often work together to provide...

Stigma is, unfortunately, a common thread across So Glad You Asked . In this episode, we explore the silence, stigma, and shame that can surround miscarriage. Even though 1 in 4 pregnancies ends in miscarriage, much of the grief and recovery still happens in private. Dr. Jessica Zucker, a Los Angeles–based psychologist specializing in reproductive health and author of the award-winning books NORMA...

50% of pregnancies involve some type of complication, yet we often don’t know why they happen or how to prevent them. Pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting come with so much uncertainty, and that can be incredibly hard to navigate. Our expert guest today is someone who, like Dr. Ruta, has dedicated her career to helping people understand what the data actually says. Dr. Emily Oster, PhD—Professor o...

Welcome back to So Glad You Asked with Dr. Ruta Nonacs and Allie Hales ! We’re starting off this season with such an important episode. We talk all the time about postpartum depression but what about postpartum anxiety? In this advice-packed episode, Dr. Ruta and Allie sit down with Nicole Amoyal Pensak, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, and Author of the book RATTLED, How to Calm New Mom Anxiety with t...

So Glad You Asked   returns April 29 with Season 2. Hosted by psychiatrist Dr. Ruta Nonacs and Allie Hales, So Glad You Asked is the maternal mental health podcast that tackles the questions keeping moms up at night clearly, compassionately, and with expert guidance you can trust. This season, we’re featuring more expert voices, covering the topics listeners have been asking for, and sharing new r...

Welcome to the season 1 finale of So Glad You Asked ! In this powerful episode, we’re unpacking some of the most essential questions about maternal mental health — including one that many moms quietly struggle with: Do I have postpartum depression or anxiety? To help us understand this important topic, we’re joined by Dr. Lee Cohen and Dr. Marlene Freeman , Director and Associate Director of the A...

Infant feeding looks different for every family. Whether you’re exclusively breastfeeding, formula feeding, or somewhere in between, feeding your baby can come with challenges — and plenty of stigma. In this episode of So Glad You Asked , Allie sits down with three amazing moms who’ve tried it all: Susie, a stay-at-home mom; Kriti, a marketing executive and maternal mental health advocate; and Des...

Welcome back to So Glad You Asked with Dr. Ruta Nonacs ! In this episode, we’re holding space for the often overlooked experience of grief during pregnancy and the postpartum period . We hear from a mother who navigated the loss of her own mom while pregnant with her second child — and how that profound loss shaped her postpartum experience, including her struggle with postpartum depression. Later...

Welcome back to So Glad You Asked with Dr. Ruta Nonacs ! Birth is a journey that can bring incredible joy—but for many, it can also come with unexpected challenges. This week, we hear from Kara about a topic that hits home for so many parents: healing from a traumatic birth and deciding whether to have another child . Then, our host Allie Hales speaks to her own birth experiences—the highs, the lo...

Welcome back to So Glad you Asked ! In this episode, we’re diving into a crucial but often overlooked topic: the safe use of psychiatric medications during pregnancy . You'll hear from a listener with bipolar disorder who asks Dr. Ruta if it’s safe to stay on her medications while planning for pregnancy. Plus, author and advocate Michelle Yang shares her personal journey navigating pregnancy...

Welcome to the very first episode of So Glad you Asked! We’re kicking off with the #1 most requested topic — sleep — based on input from hundreds of providers and parents we surveyed for this show . You'll hear from Emily, a newly postpartum mom as she shares the real questions that literally keep her up at night: struggling with sleep while juggling both a toddler and newborn at home! We’re...

Today, our hosts dive even deeper into a conversation with Dr. Jade Wu - a leading sleep expert and psychologist - on a topic that literally keeps moms up at night - Sleep . From understanding the science of how sleep changes during pregnancy and the postpartum period, to practical tips you can use right away, this is a must-listen: what every mom should know about sleep . Recommended Resources: C...

Introducing: Motherhood comes with a million questions. So why is it so hard to get real answers? Why does society tell moms to just “push through” - like it’s just part of the job? And when moms do ask for help, why is the first place we turn to Google? Why are we left scrolling social media or scouring the internet for answers? That's why we created So Glad You Asked with Dr. Ruta Nonacs -...