The unique challenge with traumatic events on the family-building journey (my shorthand for Trying To Conceive, are pregnant , healing postpartum or parenting your child[ren]) is that there are 2 layers to the trauma. 1 is the real/perceived danger to yourself and 2nd is the real/perceived danger to your child. Traumatic events include loss of embryos when you're doing IVF to pregnancy complications to neonatal loss and anything in between. The triggers are often internal, bo

REMEMBERING // I don't teach stress management for women to "feel calmer". Yes that's a wonderful side effect, but it goes so much deeper than that. When our physiological stress response is deactivated, we're able to do so much more, including be more present during doctors' visits and actually remember what they say. One study found that on average people remember only 49% of decisions and recommendations provided during their appointment! Can you imagine all the wrong info

The death & non-death losses we experience on the family-building journey are uniquely painful. From the loss of fertility to the loss of a healthy pregnancy or baby. The loss of how you thought you'd become a parent, to the loss of choice. Of course, also, the loss of a life. There is also much misunderstanding about what grieving "should be". We hear messages of "moving on" as if talking about the death or non-death loss is a sign of being stuck in the past. (It's not!) We

For many, being part of conversations about infertility, loss and miscarriage , high risk pregnancy, preterm delivery, life in the NICU, or parenting a child with medical needs can be uncomfortable. It's hard to hear about our favorite people struggling to grow their family. It's heartbreaking to hear about an innocent child's life threatened or gone too soon. So, we fill our discomfort with words. Advice, encouragement or stories we think will help. Sometimes they do. But mo

With the technology boom, patients and clients now have access to the same information as medical professionals. As beneficial as technology can be, the drawback is that we find conflicting messages that don’t help us when we are scared and overwhelmed with caring for our child. Join me for this final episode of the Delivering Miracles podcast as we discuss stress, the nervous system, and the necessity of rest and repair. In this episode... A quote on social media about stres

Statistics show that approximately 6% of women experience anxiety during pregnancy, but I suspect that the percentage is actually much higher than that. This episode covers pregnancy anxiety, which is something I see a lot in my practice. Many women have questions about this topic, especially since it’s something that is frequently waved off and disregarded by healthcare providers. It’s a topic that’s close to my heart because I see a lot of outdated tools and techniques tout

Parenting after loss is a topic that comes up frequently in the Delivering Miracles community. People ask what they should do and how they should go on loving the child they have while still feeling the previous loss. This unique kind of grief presents a conundrum in how to handle the intricacies of parenting, and societal pressure certainly plays into how we THINK we should feel. There is most definitely not just ONE right way to navigate this grief into your role as a paren

I’m asked frequently why I like to focus on bodywork and nervous system regulation. The simple answer is that I want to know (and I want you to know) not just how to cope, but how to not be affected by the anxiety that comes with life. When you’re affected by trauma, the truth is that it does not get better with time. Many people misunderstand nervous system regulation, so let’s talk about how this works and how this information can help you in the long run. In this episode..

The topic of trauma has hit home for me and our DM community. Stress, anxiety, and maternal mental health issues all have their roots in unresolved trauma. Trauma is simply a nervous system frozen in a state of danger, and it’s not tied to a specific event, but in how that event is encoded in your body. Let’s dive deeper! In this episode... Why it’s easy to minimize trauma, which has nothing to do with what you went through; it’s a nervous system frozen in a state of danger (

This is the episode I didn’t want to do. I tried to avoid it, but I can’t. My feelings are prompted by what I’ve seen on social media posts and articles--and those have left an awful taste in my mouth. We have an epidemic in the US of healthcare providers not listening to women when they complain about their pain and what’s going on in their lives. People don’t listen, and they don’t trust what women say, but then they wonder why all these women’s health issues keep cropping

Do you feel that you deserve to heal and feel better on your fertility journey? Do you feel like you deserve to be a mother and experience a healthier pregnancy? Do you feel like you deserve to grieve your losses and bring a baby home from the hospital? Of course, we say that we deserve these things, but the problem is that we battle an underlying feeling of unworthiness. In this episode... The qualifications we use to call ourselves “infertile” [3:20] How we, as women, allow

November is Prematurity Awareness Month, so it’s a good time for us to discuss the basics. In today’s show, we’re talking about risk factors for preterm delivery and other information you need to know about this frightening experience. In this episode... Prematurity is the leading cause of death for children under five across the world---and the rate in the US keeps rising. [1:47] A history of preterm delivery is the #1 risk factor for another preterm delivery. [6:51] Many me

I alluded to this in my stories yesterday but this week was a phenomenal week for so many of my clients. Every single one of them shared some version of, "I didn't think this was possible" as they reflected on the health and life changes that they've experienced on their fertility journey and through their pregnancy. Each and every one of my clients has experienced devastating moments on their family building journey. Some of them even found themselves at the edge of life the

I’ve talked to many women from many backgrounds with many complications. These women are all tied together by experiencing trauma on their family-building journey. The fact that unresolved trauma is a stress trigger fascinates me, and it led to my pursuit of training as a trauma specialist. Today’s show explores the question: What if the issues we see in maternal mental health are just results of unresolved trauma? We’re talking about common myths we hear regarding trauma hea

Some time ago, I came across a video on Facebook in which a pediatrician was showing a hold that soothes a crying newborn. One time when my daughter was crying, and nothing seemed to help, I remembered the instructional video and gave it a try. I was amazed at the results and became an instant believer in “The Hamilton Hold.” I wondered how I could spread this message that I believe every parent needs to hear, so I’m thrilled to introduce you to today’s guest! Dr. Robert Hami

The Strength of Hope Series is a collection of interviews sharing the strength and hope of women who have experienced infertility, loss, high-risk pregnancy, preterm birth and other similar situations. We aim to inspire and uplift you with their real life experiences and wisdom from their own journey of growing their family. Jennie Mo Early Childhood Specialist @momommies @unionsquareplay Tell us about the children in your arms and in your heart. I have a daughter, Tess, who

After having gone through infertility, a life-threatening loss, a very high-risk pregnancy, an extremely preterm delivery & months in the NICU, we were finally home. I remember one day I was watching the first episode of Quantico (is that show still on?) & I saw the lead character disoriented & confused looking at the rubble all around her from a massive explosion. That visual was the perfect representation of how I felt. I didn't know where I was or who I was anymore after

Why does saying NO feel so hard to do sometimes? The reason is that we want to be people-pleasers, well-liked, and the one who says YES to everything, but that’s just not possible in every situation. When I was on bed rest, I had to learn to say NO to many events and activities, and I felt like a terrible person. Maybe this is a lesson you’ve had to learn the hard way, too. Let’s dive into the subject with today’s guest! Brigid Dineen is here to teach us about her superpower:

Body image issues are common for girls during the adolescent and teen years, but do things improve at all for women in the postpartum? It’s exhausting and demoralizing to compare yourself to what you see on TV and in magazines--and know that your body does NOT look like what you see. It’s time for us to have real conversations about what our bodies look like after giving birth. Rebecca Scritchfield is an award-winning “health at every size” dietitian and exercise physiologist

Yesterday I saw a post by my friend and colleague that resonated so much, I knew I had to say something. We are getting maternal mental health wrong. I'll admit, that's scary to say, but I cannot sit by in silence anymore. Had it not been for my personal experience with infertility, a very high-risk pregnancy & extremely preterm delivery , I wouldn't have known to question the many years I'd spent training in clinical psychology, learning how to diagnose & treat mood/anxiety