Recovery

Somatic Experiencing Can Build Attachment Between Parent And Child

by: Sarah TrottPosted on:

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.

Mental Health , Recovery

Postpartum Recovery Plan

by: Sarah TrottPosted on:

Jane Honikman gave her first baby up for adoption because she felt pressure to “do things in order”. She later finished college, married the father and had additional babies with the same man who is now her husband. Jane described her experience of giving up her first baby as a trauma. Compounding that trauma was the feeling that her second baby, another girl, was severely jaundiced as a kind of karmic punishment for what she’d done with her first baby. The experience triggered tremendous grief and guilt. Jane was not able to recover from her traumas until decades later through therapy. She waited until she was in her fifties to get the help she needed, having felt waves of anxiety and depression throughout her life. Jane encourages women to seek out the help they need as soon as they are able, and not to postpone healing. In our latest episode, we share an outline to help address postpartum anxiety and depression issues. This is relevant for EVERYONE, not just people who are “depressed”.

Recovery

Lessons of Labor

by: Sarah TrottPosted on:

Imagine that you’ve just had your baby, and you can’t sleep because you’re so excited. What do you do? Do you grab a pencil and paper and write down every last detail about the labor and birth experience?
That’s what Julia Aziz did. Three times, in fact: once for each baby.
Years later, Julia compiled her writing alongside learnings she gathered from 20+ years working with parents as a social worker and teacher. The result was a book of four-page chapters that each include a birth story, a lesson, and guidance on applying the lesson in daily life.