Postpartum University® Podcast

When It's Not Depression - Misdiagnosed Mental Health in Postpartum EP 236

• Maranda Bower, Postpartum Nutrition Specialist

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There is a massive blind spot in perinatal mental health: the failure to investigate root causes. This episode is a fierce wake-up call. 

Postpartum professionals, stop watching new moms get a PPD/PPA label when their body is screaming for help. That crippling fatigue, brain fog, and anxiety is often a symptom of profound physiological imbalance, not just a psychiatric one. We’re exposing the epidemic of undiagnosed medical conditions—like Hashimoto's, severe iron deficiency, and B12 depletion—that mimic PPD. If you want lasting solutions and to quit playing symptom whack-a-mole, you must learn to spot the "Anxious Mother" and "Depleted Mom" patterns and confidently demand the life-saving comprehensive labs that reveal the truth.

Check out the episode on the blog HERE: https://postpartumu.com/podcast/when-its-not-depression-misdiagnosed-mental-health-in-postpartum-ep-236/

Key time stamps: 

  • 0:00The Crisis in Postpartum Care
  •  1:10 Sarah’s Story: Misdiagnosed and Depleted
  • 3:37 Labs No One Ordered
  • 6:58 Maranda’s Postpartum Wake-Up Call
  • 11:42 Stats That Should Make You Angry
  • 15:02 Symptom Whack-a-Mole in Clinics
  • 17:49 Screening Limits and Missed Needs
  • 21: 16 Pattern One: The Anxious Mother
  • 24:32 Pattern Two: The Depleted Mom
  • 27:12 Thyroid Truths Postpartum
  • 31:09 Inflammation as a Driver
  • 33:35 A New Model: Root-Cause Training
  • 37:12 The Cost of Misdiagnosis
  • 40:22 What Moms and Providers Can Do

NEXT STEPS:

SPEAKER_00:

The postpartum care system is failing, leaving countless mothers struggling with depression, anxiety, and autoimmune conditions. I'm Miranda Bauer, and I've helped thousands of providers use holistic care practices to heal their clients at the root. Subscribe now and join us in addressing what modern medicine overlooks so that you can give your clients real lasting solutions for lifelong well-being. Welcome back to the Postpartum University Podcast. I'm your host, Miranda Bauer. And today we are diving deep into something that's been on my heart and mind for years. It's the epidemic of misdiagnosed mental health issues in the postpartum period. And I want to start with a story. About three years ago, I had this client, we're going to call her Sarah, and she came to me after being on three different antidepressants for what her doctors diagnosed as severe postpartum depression. She had been struggling for eight plus months. She was feeling like a complete failure as a mom. She was crying daily, exhausted beyond belief, hardly could get out of bed, losing hair, and having what she described as brain fog that was like so sick that she couldn't even remember her own phone number, right? And her doctor just kept adjusting medications, adding anxiety medication, even suggesting that she might need to stop breastfeeding because, you know, clearly the hormones were making things worse. And she felt absolutely hopeless. But here's what nobody had done. Nobody had run comprehensive labs. No one was looking at her thyroid function beyond the basic TSH. Actually, in her case, I don't think anybody ran any thyroid uh panels whatsoever. Nobody checked her iron levels, her B12, her vitamin D. Nobody had asked about her sleep patterns beyond, are you sleeping when the baby sleeps? No one had evaluated what she was actually eating or if she was eating at all. And when we finally got comprehensive testing done, Sarah had Hashimoto's thyroiditis, right? An autoimmune thyroid condition. Her ferritin levels were practically undetectable. It was the worst thing I have ever seen, still to this day. She was severely depleted in B12 and vitamin D, and her cortisol levels were completely dysregulated. They were non-existent from chronic stress and sleep deprivation. And so when a mom has really high cortisol levels, that's that's still not so great. But when she has non-existent, it means she's beyond the level of burnout. She's so burnt out from having such high cortisol levels that she no longer produces them. It was that bad. So was Sarah depressed? Yeah, she was. But was the root cause what everyone assumed? Not even close. And this is what we're talking about today: how the current approach to postpartum mental health is failing mothers by treating symptoms instead of investigating root causes. And how this failure is literally costing lives. I have been working in this field for over 15 years. I run the postpartum nutrition certification program. I've launched our new parenal mental health training several months ago, which has completely changed so many perspectives. I get so many amazing emails in my inbox saying, wow, this has been such a radical different approach and such a breath of fresh air. And I created that because of what I'm seeing here. And I'm I created that because of my own first story and second story. I've got four, four babies, all of my stories, right? I was an absolute mess after my first. I mean, an absolute mess. I was crying constantly. I had severe anxiety and depression. I couldn't sleep even when the baby was sleeping. I was losing hair and clumps. I had zero energy, and I felt like I was failing at everything, which it feels like almost like the standard conversation. Like this is the thing that women say all the time. It's so classic. And that's what doctors say. They say this is classic postpartum depression. Let's get you on Zolof. Let's get you an antidepressant. There's like zero blood work, no questions about what I was eating, which was basically nothing because I felt nauseous all the time. There was no investigation into why I was having heart palpitations or why my hands were shaking. It was just depression, right? Just hormones, just normal, quote unquote, postpartum stuff. And we gotta, we gotta give that some medicine, right? And here's the thing: like I've I've always been someone who asks questions. Uh, you could probably imagine me as a toddler and as a young child. Um, I actually have a story. I ask so many questions that when my parents took me to church for the first time when I was six, that we were literally kicked out of the pew because I could not stop asking questions. Uh, not the best story, but it's in born in me, right? It's my background and probably a lot of my personality, but something didn't feel right about having that diagnosis. And the symptoms didn't quite fit what I understood as depression. So, you know, going to find functional medicine, going through this whole lineup of research and trying to figure out what was happening within my body, trying to dig deeper. And I discovered something that changed the entire trajectory of my health. And honestly, my life's work. This is what I do here. I had severe nutritional deficiencies. My thyroid was barely functioning, my adrenals were shot from months of sleep deprivation and stress. My blood sugar was all over the place because I was surviving on crackers, uh, not and ramen, honestly. That was my first meal after my my first kid was freaking chicken ramen. Like never. And I don't even have ramen in my my home. We don't, we don't buy that anymore. Like, but that's where I was, right? And we we all have our places, and that's where I was. And so when I addressed these underlying issues, we actually gave my body what it needed to heal. And it wasn't by giving me additional diagnosis, right? It wasn't saying, here, you have a thyroid dysfunction, your hypothyroidism. Let's slap a label on it and give you meds. No, why was that occurring within my body? And those are the questions that need to be answered. And those are hard questions to answer, right? But that experience launched me into what now has been over almost two decades of work in postpartum care. And what I've learned in those years is that Sarah's story and my story are not unique. They're quite literally the norm. I'm gonna give you some statistics and they're probably gonna make you angry. In the US, postpartum depression affects anywhere between uh 20 to 30 percent of mothers, depending on the study. It's very frustrating. Even more alarming is that up to 90% of thyroid disorders are autoimmune, and thyroid dysfunction is incredibly common in the postpartum period. Yet, most standard postpartum checkups don't include comprehensive thyroid testing at all. We know that iron deficiency affects up to 50% of postpartum women, especially those who are breastfeeding. And we know that vitamin B12 deficiency is extremely prevalent in lactating women. And we know that B, uh vitamin D deficiency affects the majority of postpartum moms. And every single one of these deficiencies can cause symptoms that look identical to depression and anxiety. Let's talk about breaking this down a little bit, thyroid dysfunction. That's up to 25% of postpartum women. One in four women. And this has symptoms of depression, anxiety, fatigue, rain fog, hair loss, weight gain or loss, temperature dysregulation, sleep disturbances. Then we have iron deficiency, incredibly common postpartum, especially after blood loss during delivery, right? It causes fatigue, brain fog, depression, anxiety, hair loss, restless leg syndrome, and what we call air hunger, right? The feeling like you just can't take a deep breath. Then we have B12 deficiency, which is very common in moms who are breastfeeding because B12 is sent to the breast milk and is so necessary. It causes depression, anxiety, brain fog, memory issues, and even symptoms that look like psychosis in severe, severe cases. We have uh vitamin D deficiency, which affects the majority of people in general, but postpartum women are at even a higher risk. And it's directly linked to depression, anxiety, immune dysfunction, poor sleep quality. And then we cannot forget about magnesium deficiency, which is almost universal, and pregnancy and postpartum, due to its increased needs, causes anxiety, muscle tension, poor sleep, headaches, mood instability. And here's the kicker. How many mothers listening right now were screened for any of those before being diagnosed with postpartum depression or anxiety? I'm willing to bet it's less than 10%. The current approach to postpartum mental health is what I call like a symptom whack-a-mole. Moms are presented with symptoms that look like depression, fatigue, mood change, crying anxiety, right? And then we immediately jump to psychiatric intervention without investigating what might be causing those symptoms physiologically. And I know so many of the providers listening in are like, yep, yep, I do all of that. I do all of the testing, which is why you're here, because we love you. And we know that. And if you don't do that, like how many of you were never trained to? Like we have to, we have to shift when we grow and learn new things. Like, this is not something that I was ever taught. And almost everyone who comes into postpartum university will tell you the exact same thing. So don't ever feel bad for not having had this information because it's like it's like a secret club. It's like buried deep. And that is so incredibly frustrating. That is a massive problem that we are experiencing. And first off, I am not anti-medication. There are absolutely times when medication is appropriate and life says life-saving, but medication should be a part of a comprehensive approach that addresses root cause, not the first and only intervention. And there needs to be some sort of system in place that helps moms wean off that medication when those root causes are beginning to be addressed. That's not what happens. And what does happen is a mom goes to her six-week checkup for postpartum, which is, by the way, the only postpartum visit covered by most insurance. And she's handed a screening questionnaire, usually the Edenberg postnatal depression scale or the PHQ9. And these screenings ask questions like Have you ever felt sad or miserable? Have you had trouble sleeping? Have you felt anxious or worried for no good reason? Well, of course she has. She just had a baby. Her entire world has been turned upside down. She is sleep deprived. Her hormones are in upheaval. Her body is recovering from a major physiological event. She has very little support. She might be breastfeeding around the clock and she's trying to figure out how to keep a tiny human alive. And instead of investigating, like, why is she feeling this way? What is her body actually needing to heal and recover? Because we we don't have preventative care. If we had preventative care and we address this first, we wouldn't have women coming to these checkups with these symptoms in the first place. But we we do because we're not her needs are never being addressed. That's not normalized. We're not telling her how to support her body and recovery. We're not talking about nutrition. We're not talking about what it is that she needs. And we're certainly not giving her that hands-on support that she so desperately needs during this time. And so she comes in feeling awful, not getting what her body actually needs to heal and recover from childbirth. And then she's slapped with a psychiatric label and prescribed medication. And don't get me wrong, the emotional and psychological aspects of postpartum are real and important. The identity shift, the role transition, the grief of your former life, the overwhelm, the metrescence of all of this is valid and deserves support. But when we ignore the physiological foundations of mental health, we're doing a massive disservice to moms. This is some of the patterns that I see consistently in my practice and in the providers that I train. This is what I call the anxious mother pattern. She comes in with severe anxiety, she can't sleep, her heart racing, intrusive thoughts about something that's happening to the baby or will happen that she will likely cause. Constantly checking in on baby can't relax, even when baby is sleeping peacefully with someone else. In traditional mental health care, this gets labeled as postpartum anxiety disorder and treated with anti-anxiety medication. But when we dig deeper, we often find that her blood sugar is completely unstable. She's not eating regularly because she's focused entirely on the baby. And when she does eat, it's usually quick carbs, right? Crackers, toast, granola bars. It's all she has time for. And her blood sugar spikes and crashes, creating these physiological anxiety symptoms that her brain interprets as danger. And we also find that her adrenal system is completely dysregulated from chronic stress and sleep deprivation. Her cortisol levels are either sky high or completely depleted. And that creates a state of hyperviligence that manifests as anxiety. And in some magnesium deficiency, which affects muscle tension and nervous system regulation, and some B vitamin deficiencies that affect neurotransmitter production, have this perfect storm of physiological imbalances that create psychiatric symptoms. When we stabilize her blood sugar, we support her adrenals, replenish her with nutrient nutrients that she needs to cover her deficiencies and more, and then help her nervous system regulate, the anxiety disorder, quote unquote, often resolves completely. And then there's the depleted mom pattern. She's exhausted beyond belief, has zero motivation, cries at the drop of a hat, feels like she's failing at everything, zero appetite, can barely get through a day. And the traditional approach is postpartum depression, antidepressants. But when we look deeper, we find that she's been giving everything to everyone else and nothing for herself. She's been pregnant or breastfeeding oftentimes for years. Maybe she's got multiple kids close in age, or she's breastfed her first child for two years and got pregnant again immediately. Her nutrient stores are completely depleted. Her iron levels are non-existent, are extremely low, her ferritin in particular. Her B12 is low. Her vitamin D is low. Her body is literally running on empty. Of course, she is depressed. Her brain doesn't have the raw materials it needs to produce mood-regulating neurotransmitters. So when we focus on aggressive nutritional repletion, I mean aggressive. I'm not talking gently like eat more vegetables. I am talking about getting uh, you know, 120 plus grams of protein. I'm talking about eating liver and bone broth and organ meats. I am talking about like lots of soups and stews and and teas that are super nutrient dense, right? That is combined like with support for her to actually prioritize her own basic needs. And then the symptoms of depression often improve dramatically. And I want to spend a few minutes specifically on thyroid function because this is one of the most common misdiagnoses in postpartum women. The thyroid gland is so sensitive to stress, especially of that of pregnancy, birth, postpartum. And it's also highly susceptible to autoimmune dysfunction, which can be triggered or exacerbated by the immune system changes that happen during pregnancy and postpartum. We have entire podcast episodes dedicated to the immune system and autoimmune for that. So I highly recommend going to take a look into those. But here's what most people don't know, right? Up to 25% of postpartum women will develop some form of thyroid dysfunction in their first year after having a birth. One in four. One in four moms. And here's the problem: the standard postpartum care usually only checks TSH if they check thyroid function at all, right? TSH is like the foreman on the construction site. It tells the thyroid what to do, but it doesn't tell you what the thyroid is actually doing, right? Or how well it's working. So you can have normal TSH and still have significant thyroid dysfunction. You can have thyroid antibodies attacking your thyroid gland and an autoimmune condition like Hashimoto's thyroiditis and still have normal TSH. I had a client who had been struggling with what everyone assumed was postpartum depression for over a year. She was on two different medications. She was seeing a therapist. She was doing, you know, quote unquote everything right, but she wasn't getting better. And so we had her run a comprehensive thyroid test. Her TSH normal, her free T3, the active form of thyroid hormone, was extremely low. Her reverse T3 was high. So indicating that her body was basically putting on the brakes of her metabolism and her thyroid antibodies were through the roof. Her immune system was attacking her thyroid gland. And so once we addressed the autoimmune component and supported her thyroid function properly, her energy returned, her mood stabilized, her hair stopped falling out, and she felt like herself again for the first time in over a year. And then once that stabilized, then we can go in and be like, okay, now why did that happen to your thyroid? Right? Because it's not normal for a thyroid to be overworked. It's not normal for a thyroid to be out of balance and be in a state of dysfunction. And so there's always this next step. Now that you are stable, even if it's with, you know, uh thyroid medication, whatever the case may be, now that you're feeling better, let's get you set up to figure out what's happening in your body that caused that in the first place. Let's look at your nutritional levels. Let's look at your toxic imbalances. Because a thyroid is very much one of those, those uh things that happen in our in our bodies that require so much care and attention and is very much reactive to toxins in the body. Okay. And that's another episode. So this all of this is not uncommon. It's happening every single day to mothers who are being told they have psychiatric disorders when they actually have undiagnosed medical conditions. There's another piece to this puzzle that we absolutely need to talk about. Inflammation. Pregnancy and birth are inherently inflammatory processes. This is normal. It's necessary, but in our modern world, that inflammation often doesn't resolve properly in postpartum. And then we have chronic inflammation, which is one of the most significant drivers of depression and anxiety. And think about it like what happens when you have the flu? You feel depressed, anxious, fatigued, and achy, unmotivated. It's not because the flu virus is a psychiatric issue. It's because the inflammation affects brain function and neurotransmitter production. We know the same thing that happens for people who go get dental work, right? You go get dental work, oh, my tooth hurts, but it causes inflammation right next to your brain. And many people will feel depressed. They report depressed symptoms, right? And it's not because getting teeth work was the root cause. It's not a psychiatric condition, but it causes those because of the inflammation. Now, imagine that instead of having the flu or having some sort of dental work done, you have chronic low-grade inflammation for months or years. Like that's what's happening for many postpartum moms. And what drives this chronic inflammation? Poor nutrition, lack of sleep, chronic stress, gut dysfunction, unresolved birth trauma, environmental toxins, and the lack of adequate recovery time. But instead of addressing these inflammatory triggers, we're giving mothers antidepressants and telling them that they have a psychiatric disorder. This is why I created our perinatal mental health certificate training with a completely different approach than traditional mental health education. Most perinatal mental health training focuses exclusively on identifying psychiatric disorders and referring for medication or therapy. And those things have their place. And we talk about that extensively in the training as well, like such a necessary conversation. But we don't completely ignore the physiological foundations of mental health either. So our training teaches providers how to recognize when psychiatric symptoms might actually be rooted in physiological imbalances. So we teach them how to identify the patterns that I've been talking about today, like the anxious mother with the blood sugar dysregulation, or the depleted mom with nutrient deficiencies, or the mother with undiagnosed thyroid dysfunction. And we also teach them how to use the postpartum restoration method. So this is the assessment tool that we have. It's totally free. I will include the link here for you as well. And it helps you identify these underlying imbalances and create comprehensive support plans that address root causes, not just symptoms. Because that's the thing, right? You can be the most skilled therapist in the world. But if your client's depression is being driven by severe iron deficiency, right, then all the therapy in the world is not going to resolve the underlying problem. Similarly, you can prescribe the most appropriate antidepressant. But if the root cause is autoimmune thyroid dysfunction, the medication is just masking symptoms, while the underlying condition continues to worsen and cause long-term problems on her health. Like that is a very serious condition that needs support, or it's going to cause long-term issues. The postpartum restoration method assessment tool that we use in our training is based in over 15 years of clinical experience, thousands of mothers. It goes far beyond the standard depression and anxiety screenings that, and it looks at five key areas that determine postpartum recovery: nutritional foundation, right? Neurological regulation, rhythmic recovery, support systems, and identity integration. And so by evaluating all five of these areas, we can identify patterns that point to specific underlying imbalances rather than just identifying someone who's feeling depressed or anxious. So, for example, if a mom who scores high on fatigue and hair loss and cold intolerance, and we combine that with mood changes of brain fog, it fits the pattern of thyroid dysfunction. It tells us she needs comprehensive thyroid evaluation and support, not just antidepressants. Or a mom who scores high on anxiety, sleep disruption, digestive issues, and then combine that with irregular eating patterns. That fits the pattern of blood sugar dysregulation and nervous system stress. And that tells us she needs to be looked at for all the things related to food, blood sugar stabilization, and nervous system support. So, this assessment, a tool, it allows providers to see the bigger picture and create targeted interventions that address root causes. I want to go back to my story for a minute because I think it illustrates something really important about the long-term consequences of misdiagnosis. I was initially diagnosed with postpartum depression and anxiety in my second. And I was offered antidepressants. I was told this is probably something I deal with long-term because I had a history of it with my first, and that the postpartum depression, it just becomes chronic depression, like especially if you have more children. And then you're just going to need medication indefinitely. And that narrative was so devastating for me. Here I was, you know, a new mom again. And I was being told that I had a chronic psychiatric disorder that would require lifelong medication management. But when we addressed the underlying nutritional deficiencies and the physiological imbalances, I didn't just feel better. I felt better than I had ever felt in my life. I had more energy, better mood stability, clear thinking, and better stress resilience than I had ever had before pregnancy. Because we weren't just treating symptoms. We were actually giving my body what it needed to like function optimally. And now I have four kids, right? And since then, with each pregnancy and postpartum period, I've used the knowledge I've gained to support my body's needs proactively. And by the time I hit my fourth, it took me a long time to really recover and figure out some nuances. There were some things that happened uh situationally in my third. And then by my fourth, like I felt so incredible. And still to this day, my my fourth child is six years old. Can you believe? My youngest is six. I just absolutely crazy to think that. And I like to think that I do not have baby fever, but I don't know if that's honest. It's probably not very honest. But here I am, not needing medication, feeling really good in my life, and not having a psychiatric disorder. And it's not because I got lucky or because I have better genes, quote unquote, right? It's because I understand what my body needed and I provided it. And my body's needs change all the time. And I do my absolute best to check in with myself regularly. And sometimes I fall flat. Sometimes I it doesn't work. And sometimes I find myself, you know, crawling for the exit. And then I'm able to step in and really look at okay, what's going on? Where am I not showing up for myself like I was before? What's going to make the difference? And I can make those changes. And the effects of those changes feel so, so good and they're immediate. So the consequences of misdiagnosis in postpartum mental health, they extend far beyond just the mother's immediate symptoms. When we treat symptoms without addressing root causes, mothers often don't fully recover. They may feel somewhat better on medication, but they don't feel like themselves. They don't have the energy and the vitality that they really want and deserve to thrive as moms. And this affects their relationship with their children, their partners, their sense of identity and capability. It affects their willingness to have more children. And I can't tell you how many women I've told, you know, and have told me over the years that they've decided to not have children because. Couldn't imagine going through postpartum depression again. It also creates a cycle where these underlying imbalances often worsen over time because undiagnosed thyroid dysfunction doesn't stay stable. It usually progresses, it gets worse. Same with nutritional deficiencies. They compound with subsequent pregnancies. Or if somebody just gets sick, right? Like, which we all know happens often. I have four kids, right? Like they bring home all sorts of germs. And so just a simple, you know, cold or even the flu or COVID or whatever it is that's going around, the stomach bug, right? Just that in itself, on top of already existing nutrient deficiencies, that compounds, it causes long-term issues. If you've ever had an illness and you've gotten sick, and I think this is probably more applicable outside of COVID, and then it just like takes you out, it's because something was already in existence and that that issue or that that illness just brought that issue to light. And so these moms are struggling with their health, usually for years or even decades. They are never understanding why they don't feel like themselves anymore. And they're never able to get the support that they truly, deeply need. Right. And from a provider perspective, like when we're talking about, you know, creating better outcomes and more sustainable practices, this is the goal. This is the dream. And when we're only treating symptoms, oftentimes we feel like we're constantly putting out fires and never really solving the problems. And then mothers come back month after month without significant improvement or they're improved temporarily, but then they relapse, right? And then they go find somebody else because they are desperate for help. And then when you address the root causes, like you see such more dramatic and sustained improvements. Mothers get their lives back, they refer their friends and family, they become advocates for this type of comprehensive care. And as providers, we went into this field to help people heal, not just manage symptoms. So this approach allows us to actually fulfill that mission. Okay. So what can you do with this information, whether you're a mom or provider? Always, always want to address the mamas listening in here. I know this podcast is more so geared toward providers, but you deserve a seat at that table too. So if you're struggling with mental health symptoms, I want you to know that you deserve comprehensive evaluation before being labeled with a psychiatric disorder. Ask for complete blood work, including your comprehensive thyroid testing, not just TSH, but free T3, free T4, reverse T3, thyroid antibodies. Ask for iron and ferritin levels, B12, vitamin D, a comprehensive metabolic panel. If your provider refuses or says it's not necessary, find a different provider. We have a huge list of people who have been trained with postpartum university on our website. Go to our directory, find somebody who you can work with that is trained in this information because this is your health and your life. And that is so incredibly important. Second, pay attention to patterns and your symptoms. Are they worse when you haven't eaten? Do they improve when you get adequate sleep? Are they connected to your menstrual cycle? Like these patterns can give you clues about underlying physiological imbalances. And third, never, ever, ever accept normal quote unquote results if you do not feel normal. Lab ranges are based on averages of people who come in for testing. They are not optimal function. So you can have results that are technically normal but still experiencing symptoms. Okay. And if you're a provider, I encourage you to expand your assessment beyond psychiatric screening tools. Look at the whole picture. Ask about nutrition, sleep, stress, support systems, birth experience, medical history, all of the above, right? Consider getting trained in approaches that address root cause, not just symptom management. Go download our assessment guide. Take our perinatal mental health certificate training. It's an option. And it's only one option. There's others out there that you can go take, right? But most importantly, be willing to say, I don't know, let's investigate this further. Uh, get the training that you so, so need and deserve. And you deserved when you were in in school doing this work. Um, and oftentimes, especially in postpartum, we just we just don't get this information. Okay. What we're really talking about today is a fundamental shift in how we approach postpartum care. Instead of accepting that mothers should suffer and struggle, we're saying that thriving in motherhood is not possible. And and it is possible. It is we want moms to thrive. That should be the norm. So instead of treating postpartum as a period of inevitable, inevitable, like I have a hard time saying that word, inevitable depletion and struggle. Look, y'all, I'm I'm showing that I'm human. We are recognizing it as a profound opportunity for healing and transformation. And when we give mothers' bodies what they actually need, proper nutrition, adequate rest, support for physiological recovery, an acknowledgement of the magnitude of what they've just been through. Amazing things happen. You not only see them feel better, but they become more resilient, more capable, more competent. They model healthy behaviors for their children. They create healthier families and communities. This is bigger than just individual mothers. It's about changing the trajectory of maternal health for generations to come. I want to make sure that you have practical next steps from this episode. First, we have a free assessment tool available that goes beyond standard depression screening. It's based on the postpartum restoration method that I've been developing and refining for over 15 years. So you can find that at postpartum you, the letter U.com slash assessment. And of course, we'll have it in the show notes as well. This tool will help you identify patterns that might point to underlying physiological imbalances rather than just psychiatric disorders. And second, if you're a provider interested in learning this comprehensive approach, we have our parinatal mental health certificate training. It's starting right now. It's open. It is a completely different approach than traditional parinatal mental health education. So we focus on identifying and addressing root causes of mental health symptoms. And you can find more information about that in our show notes as well. Postpartum U, the letter U.com slash mental health. We also have our weekly newsletter and I share case studies, I share new research, I share practical tips and extra bonus downloads uh that go along with the podcast episodes. So you absolutely want to get that. And I want to leave you with this thought. What if feeling amazing in motherhood wasn't the exception, but the rule? What if instead of telling moms that suffering is normal and they should just cope better, that we actually gave them what they needed to thrive? What if we stopped accepting that becoming a mother means becoming a shadow of who you used to be? The work we are doing at postpartum university, through our trainings, our assessment tools, our research and advocacy, it is all aimed at making that vision a reality. Because here's what I know after being in the field for so long. When mothers thrive, families thrive. When families thrive, communities thrive. And when communities thrive, we literally change the world. Sarah, the client that I told you about at the beginning of the episode, she is now a thriving mom of two who refers every pregnant and postpartum woman she meets to providers who understand this comprehensive approach. Her story didn't have to include years of suffering and medication. And neither does yours, neither does your clients. And if you're struggling right now, please know there are providers out there who understand this approach. They are there's answers beyond psychiatric labels and medication management. You deserve to feel amazing in your body and in your life. And if you're a provider, I invite you to be a part of the solution, to be one of the providers who looks deeper, who asks better questions, who refuses to accept that mothers should suffer. And if you're listening into this, I know, I know that's you. The future of postpartum care depends on providers who are willing to change and challenge the status quo and demand better for the mothers that they serve. So thank you so much for listening to this episode. If it resonated with you, please share it with other moms and providers who need to hear this message. And remember, when we heal mothers, we heal the world. We'll see you in the next episode. Thanks so much for being a part of this crucial conversation. I know you're dedicated to advancing postpartum care. And if you're ready to dig deeper, come join us on our newsletter where I share exclusive insights, resources, and the latest tools to help you make a lasting impact on postpartum health. Sign up at postpartum you the letter you.com, which is in the show notes. And if you found today's episode valuable, please leave a review to help us reach more providers like you. Together, we're building a future where mothers are fully supported and thriving.

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Maranda Bower

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