Ep. 41 - Motherhood and Mental Health with Dr. Jennifer Okwerekwu: How to Stop "White Knuckling" Through Motherhood

Moms, making a baby is not for the faint of heart! Conceiving, carrying, and delivering a baby is so difficult...and it's just the beginning of finding health for a baby and for US. This episode is an encore presentation that, truly, is lifesaving for moms. Do I have baby blues or postpartum depression?Do I need medication to ease my anxiety and is it safe during pregnancy?Questions like these are completely normal-and the exact reason why motherhood and mental health should always be in the same sentence.Dr. Jennifer Okwerekwu has dedicated her career to this synergy!Dr. O, as patients affectionately call her, is a Harvard-trained reproductive psychiatrist who sees patients from before they conceive to long after they become moms. She is most passionate about erasing the “white-knuckling” that can sometimes define motherhood.As a mom of two young girls herself, she knows the stress and expectations we carry from both society and ourselves.In this incredible conversation, Dr. O brings agency and tranquility to our evolution. She reframes some of the most common concerns, like anxiety and judgment, and erases any possible stigma about reaching out for professional help. Whether you’re struggling or not, Dr. Okwerekwu is the boost that moms need as she - teaches us the definition of matrescence and the emotional stages of becoming a mother - validates the notion of birth trauma and birth disappointment and how to move forward with the stress that it leaves behind- nudges us to step out of the “stress soup” that is dangerous to ourselves and our children, both inside and outside of the womb- explains the changes in our brain that persist for years after having a baby, negating the idea of the “snap back” after deliveringYou can find Dr. O on IG @drjennifer_o or at her website coralpsych.comFind us at thelocalmomsnetwork.comFollow us on IG @thelocalmomsnetworkSend us your ideas for our next podcast!Email [email protected]