28: How to Prepare Mentally for Postpartum Challenges (Sleep, Identity & Mental Health)

Preparing for postpartum isn’t just about baby gear and birth plans - it’s also about preparing mentally for one of the biggest identity shifts of your life.In this episode of the Postpartum Prep Podcast, Ceridwen is joined by maternal mental health therapist and neuroscience-based infant sleep specialist Gabrielle Ferrara for a deeply grounding conversation on how to prepare emotionally and mentally for life after birth.Together, they explore what expecting mothers really need to know about postpartum mental health - including identity changes, sleep deprivation, and postpartum depression - through a compassionate, non-pathologizing lens that centers support, connection, and biologically normal infant behavior.This episode is especially for pregnant mothers who feel excited about motherhood and nervous about losing themselves, struggling with sleep, or worrying about their mental health after birth.In this episode, we cover:How to mentally prepare for the identity shift into motherhoodWhy “losing yourself” isn’t the full story - and how to bring your core values into motherhoodHow to cope with newborn sleep deprivation without changing your baby’s sleepPractical, nervous-system-supportive strategies to protect maternal sleepThe relationship between postpartum depression and lack of supportWhat actually helps prevent postpartum mood disordersWhy support, boundaries, and being vocal about your needs matter - before baby arrivesGabrielle brings both professional expertise and lived experience as a mother, offering reassurance that postpartum mental health struggles are not a personal failure - and that meaningful support can make all the difference.✨ If you’re pregnant and preparing for postpartum, this episode will help you feel more grounded, informed, and supported as you step into motherhood.🎧 Be sure to also listen to Gabrielle's full episode, where we dive deeper into biologically normal infant sleep.Listen to Episode 27: Why Babies Want to Sleep Close | Baby Sleep & Bedsharing ExplainedGabrielle's links⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠Website⁠Postpartum Prep Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Postpartum Prep Checklist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pinterest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tip Jar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://motherbabywellbeing.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 10% off nursing bras, breastfeeding clothes, and more from The Little Milk Bar with code MOTHERBABYWELLBEING⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SHOW NOTES⁠