#ThisisTrauma

137: The Power of You - The Final Episode

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

136: What Women Need to Know About Pregnancy Anxiety

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 It’s a topic that’s close to my heart because I see a lot of outdated tools and techniques tout

135: Parenting After Loss: How to Honor Your Grief While Caring For Your Living Children

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

134: Why Nervous System Regulation is Essential for Optimal Prenatal & Postpartum Health

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..

133: This is Trauma Live Event

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 (

132: The Biggest Problem of Prenatal & Postpartum Care

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

129: Listener Q and A

I love to hear from you! I love to address your questions and concerns with Listener Q & A episodes, like today’s show. Join us as we cover several topics that are relevant to birth trauma, preemie development, postpartum depression, and the work of healing. In this episode... Dealing with the uncertainty of the development of a preemie when you aren’t sure what to expect [2:24] Experiencing postpartum depression with stillbirth, miscarriage, or ectopic pregnancy [15:48] Gett

This is Trauma: When It's Hard to Stick to a Healthy Diet

Most of us know generally how to eat healthy. We can even look at the last 72 hours of our life and find moments when we could have chosen healthier food options but didn't. When you're trying to conceive or are pregnant, you're inundated with advice on what to eat and what to avoid. So many women feel the pressure to get it "just right", worrying if what they're putting in their mouths is affecting baby negatively. When you're postpartum or into motherhood and want to reclai

128: Healing After Pregnancy & Infant Loss

There are many nuances to grief. The loss of a child is extremely painful grief, but you have to trust that your body knows how to heal itself. It’s important that you reach out for support when you need professional guidance. Let’s jump into this difficult topic together. In this episode... #1 We don’t speak accurately enough about the experience of pregnancy loss and saying goodbye to a life lost too soon. [9:28] #2 Grief hurts and feels awful. [11:00] #3 Our body has a bui

127: When You Feel Lost After Having a Baby in the NICU

One of the most interesting aspects of my work in working with a wide variety of people is that every experience is so different, even if they share the same starting point. Having a baby in the NICU is a different type of trauma that shifts what you understand to be normal. It shifts everything you know to be normal and everything you expect to encounter in the way you enter parenthood. The good news is that you CAN find yourself again and return to “normal”! Let’s talk abou

Fertility Challenges: Who's To Blame?

When we're experiencing fertility challenges - whether they were known or unexpected - it's easy to point our finger to ourselves and say, "It's me." "It's my fault." "I'm broken." But you and I know that's not true. You're not experiencing infertility because you're too negative, you're broken, you're unlucky, you were a terrible person in your past life, because you ate too many fries in your 20s, because you waited too long, because you don't deserve to be a mother, becaus

126: How to Prepare for Pregnancy after Preemie

September is NICU Awareness Month. If you aren’t familiar with what NICU stands for, it’s where sick or pre-term babies go for specialized care until they are well enough to (hopefully) go home. One of the most common questions I get from parents is about facing another pregnancy after going through a NICU experience. Just the thought of a repeat situation is terrifying for a parent. Today’s show dives into four important steps to take before trying to conceive again after a

125: The Truth About Fertility Trauma When You're Trying to Conceive

Fertility trauma is happening all around us. It’s a huge part of the journey when you’re trying to conceive. Today’s show discusses why we have to address this issue and why trauma resolution should be part of fertility treatment for everyone. Listen on iTunes | Listen on Stitcher | Listen on iHeartRadio Episode highlights... What is fertility trauma? Why trauma is NOT always based on a single event Examples of when and how fertility trauma may occur Why fertility t

This is Trauma: Micromanaging & Difficulty Trusting Others to Do What You Could Do

Being on top of your healthcare is tremendously important. I work with my private clients closely on how to prepare for appointments, track traveling embryos, and make sure all people are on the same page with regards to your care (and your child's medical care). It's crucial to be vigilant with childcare and to hire the right people you trust, to help you at home or at work. Control is not a bad thing. In fact, it's a good thing and I did an entire podcast episode on why

This is Trauma: When You Feel Down and Like You Live in a Fog

This is a surprising one for a lot of people. Most of the time, when we think of trauma, we think hyperarousal, overwhelm, amped-upness. And for many it is. But for many it it is not. For many, after birth trauma, pregnancy trauma or fertility trauma, the system shuts down and stays down. To be honest, it's harder to notice because so much of this flies under the radar of women, their loved ones and even theri care providers! When your trauma reaction is to go low, blood pr

This is Trauma: When Mourning Your Loss(es) Brings No Relief

Let's start with this truth: we tend to overpathologize grief. Our culture, our community and health professionals, we all do it. We want it to get better, we want to be "over it" and we want it to stop hurting. But the truth is, grief hurts. It sucks. It feels awful. That's how it is designed to be. The pain of grief is not the problem. When grief becomes stuck Grief is meant to be like a flowing ocean, waves crashing over us that become smaller and less intense with each on

This is Trauma: Feeling Broken and Ashamed of Your Body on the Family-Building Journey

Almost every client I work with comes to me with this underlying feeling of brokenness. Whether they have experienced (or are currently experiencing) infertility, a high-risk pregnancy, preterm delivery, or time in the NICU, it's the backdrop against which most of my clients live their lives when they reach out to work with me. I remember one client, who was experiencing multiple pregnancy complications at the time, lamented to me, "Who else is there to blame? I'm the one c

This Is Trauma - When You Feel Indecisive

Two days after my son was born, my husband was making lunch before our NICU visit. He asked me what I wanted. "I don't know." He gave me some options of things I might like. "I don't know!" He even narrowed down the options. But I still had no idea and I was getting frustrated. It was such a simple choice that had zero consequences if I chose the wrong one, other than I'd eat something I didn't like. No big deal. Given the heavy, potentially life-threatening decisions we'd

This Is Trauma: When You Need to Stay Busy & Slowing Down Feels Impossible

I once worked with a client after her micropreemie came home from the NICU. Her OBGYN referred her to me thinking she had postpartum anxiety. My client could not slow down. She would run from taking care of baby, to pumping, to washing dishes, to laundry, to cooking, to replying to emails, convinced this is just new mom life. Busy. Crazy. Nonstop. Her OB & husband were concerned so she tried mindfulness exercises, deep breathing or yoga. But every time she felt panicky & sc

This Is Trauma: When Joy Feels Scary

One of the hardest lessons I learned after a long road of infertility, loss , high-risk pregnancy, preterm delivery and months in the NICU is that it's not over when baby comes home. I wanted to believe it so badly. Anything had to be better than fighting for his life. And yes, having him home was indescribably wonderful! But it didn't cure the anxiety, trauma, worries, guilt and grief I was still carrying. Having a baby at home never does. Time does not heal, resolution