The Fourth Trimester Podcast is honored to have guest Miriam Zoila Pérez on our program. She and Esther discuss issues around birth support work as it relates to racism, politics, gender roles, anthropology and yes, even chemistry.
First-time Parents
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Living Into The Parent You Are
Part of what’s difficult about becoming a parent is deciding the parent we want to be.
And once we’ve decided, sometimes the parent we are and the parent we imagined we would be are different.
Mental Health , Postpartum Support
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Pinpoint Where You Are on the Spectrum of Mental Health
This is our second and brief interview with Jane Honikman, a founding member of the Postpartum Education for Parents resource (www.sbpep.org) as well as Postpartum Support International (postpartum.net) that includes a telephone support line and partner with Dr Shoshana Bennett in Postpartum Action Institute.
Jane gives us an overview and outline for finding ourselves on the spectrum of mental health. Listen to the episode to find out how to identify different parts of the continuum and better understand where you yourself might fall on that spectrum.
She talks about her time studying with Dr. James Hamilton who was interested in maternal mental health at a time when it might have seemed as if no one cared or understood, much like today in many women’s experience!
First-time Parents
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The Myths Of Motherhood
Our latest episode’s guest is Dr Shoshana Bennett. She helps us bust up some “myths of motherhood.”
Often, when we acknowledge that all those myths are indeed false ideas, the pressure to be perfect is alleviated and some of the feelings of depression dissipate.
Mental Health
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Why Women Are Slipping Through The Cracks
The number one complication of pregnancy is a form of postpartum depression or anxiety. Despite how common it is for women to experience a degree of anxiety or depression associated during pregnancy or post-natally, there are still cases where women aren’t receiving the care they need.
To help crack the issue wide open, Maureen Fura and her co-producer Jennifer Silliman created a documentary film entitled, The Dark Side Of The Full Moon.
Childcare
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Sara Mauskopf CEO and Co-founder of Winnie Talks About Her Fourth Trimester Experience
Sara Mauskopf came home from the hospital with a healthy baby. She herself on the other hand, while healthy otherwise, struggled with postpartum depression. With help from her family, friends and professionals, she came out the other side fully recovered. Her experience as a new mom, both because of the depression and in general, helped inspire her to create parenting app Winnie.
Be it Winnie or another app or online resource, we encourage parents of all types to seek the information and support they need. And there’s no need to wait until after baby is born. While you’re expecting is a great time to explore the resources around you for everything from parenting meetups to breastfeeding support to local kid-friendly restaurants and everything else.
Recovery
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Bodies Change And That’s A Good Thing – Love Your Body For The Body It Is
Love your body. Love your body for so many reasons. Your body created new life. Your body gave you a baby you love. Your body works hard every day. Your body isn’t a girl’s body, it is a woman’s body. Bodies change after having a baby, and that’s okay. By loving your body, you are setting an example for your child that worth comes from who you are, not what you look like.
As Jennifer Garner puts it, “From now on ladies, I will have a bump. And it will be my baby bump. And let’s just all settle in and get used to it. It’s not going anywhere.”
Recovery
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Post-Birth Libido, Birth Injury & How Past Trauma Affects Birth
Ever wonder about when you’ll be able to have sex again after having a baby? Or how your body will feel and heal after giving birth? Curious about how having a baby affects intimacy, sensation and your body in general?
Answering these questions for us is Kimberly Johnson. She is a bodyworker, doula, post-partum women’s health specialist, and single mom. Having had a difficult postpartum experience herself, she set out to understand what exactly was going on with her, and to heal herself naturally.
Recovery
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Somatic Experiencing Can Build Attachment Between Parent And Child
Not all births are “easy births”. When there is a traumatic birth experience, where too much happens too fast, a sense of connection between parent and baby can be weakened.
Chanti Smith is an expert at human connection. She has worked with people of all ages to strengthen their parental attachment relationships. In particular, the work she does through Somatic Experiencing has helped parents develop a strong sense of connection and attachment with their babies. Any person feeling a “lacking” sensation related to their own birth or the birth of a child is a good candidate for developing stronger attachment and connection. Listen to Episode 26 to learn how.