282. Beyond the 6-week checkup: A realistic look at postpartum and early parenthood with Dr. Jessica Vernon

Do you know the signs of postpartum depression? Many parents (and even medical professionals) often miss diagnosing new mothers with a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder. Here to help shed light on this important topic is Board-Certified OB/GYN and author of the upcoming book, Then Comes Baby, Dr. Jessica Vernon.

In this episode we explore:

- Why postpartum mental health conditions are so often overlooked—even in medical training.

- The types of questions Dr. Jessica started asking her prenatal and postpartum patients that allowed them the space to open up and reveal the struggles they were experiencing. 

- How the 6-week check-in after birth become the standard practice and what birthing people can expect of their bodies and minds at the 6-week mark.

- Why women experiencing mental health struggles in postpartum are so prone to feelings of guilt and shame - even though there is no difference between medical risks and mental health risks, as a society we tend to attach more shame to mental health challenges.

- What is matrescence and how is it revolutionizing the way we view early motherhood.

- Managing our expectations with the realization that reality and our fantasies often don’t match up and how that can cause struggles - from birth, to feeding, postpartum, and early parenthood.

- Free moms groups, books, and other resources for expecting and new parents.

Whether you’re pregnant, newly postpartum, or a professional working with new parents, this episode offers essential insights into how we can improve postpartum care and support maternal mental health.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DR. JESSICA:

https://www.drjessicavernon.com/ 

PRE-ORDER DR. JESSICA'S BOOK:

📚 Then Comes Baby: An Honest Conversation about Birth, Postpartum, and the Complex Transition to Parenthood

ARE YOU A MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL?

Go to upshurbren.com/IFSTraining to register for The Good Mom/Bad Mom Loop, a 3-hour workshop on 2/27 designed to teach professionals how to integrate Internal Family Systems concepts into maternal mental health services to provide improved support for moms.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

📱 @drsarahbren

📱 @dr.jessicavernon, Jessica Vernon, Jessica Vernon, MD, FACOG, PMH-C

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

📚 Ordinary Insanity: Fear and the Silent Crisis of Motherhood in America

📚 Matrescence: On Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood

✨ Postpartum Support International

CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Going back to work after baby: Maintaining a healthy and secure attachment bond

🎧 How to lighten the load in pregnancy and postpartum with Dr. Sterling

🎧 A breakdown of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs)

🎧 Sex after baby - Part I and Part II