100:: You're not failing! A pregnancy & postpartum mental health deep dive with Dr. Abigail Powell

Dr. Kelsy Vick interviews Dr. Abigail about pregnancy and postpartum mental health. They discuss common struggles like first-trimester fatigue while trying to function normally, body comments, and the sudden shift from “not pregnant” to pregnant—often kept secret early on—which fuels comparison and self-doubt. Dr. Abigail explains how she helps moms challenge comparison by questioning its purpose and identifying needs for external versus internal validation, emphasizing motherhood as delayed gratification. They cover parenting and mom guilt, reframing kids’ mistakes as not reflecting a parent’s worth, and the need to parent each child differently. Postpartum, they stress flexible planning and adjusting expectations. Dr. Abigail describes brain changes in early motherhood (“mom brain”) as adaptive, and shares calming tools like paced breathing, the “parental pause,” co-regulation, and postpartum nutrition basics (broth-based foods, balanced meals, protein-first, and snacks for breastfeeding).Links/Research Articles:Dr. Abigail’s Website: https://www.villagepsychllc.com/ , https://theaviationtherapist.comDr. Abigail’s Booking Link: https://book.carepatron.com/Village-Psychology/Dr--Abigail?p=gZVWZTPfSt6PI3UhjLIQjg&s=r8XMQN4zDr. Abigail’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/villagepsychllc , https://www.instagram.com/theaviationtherapistloving the pod? click the follow button, & we'd love if you could leave a review! thank you x 1000 :)sign up for the free Smart Girl Newspaper!insta:: @dr.kelsyvickdpt & @wellnessbigsispodyoutube:: @dr.kelsyvickdpttiktok:: @dr.kelsyvickdpt & @wellnessbigsispod