Isolation Is a Health Risk: Rebuilding Community for New Moms with Liberty Planck

What if the most powerful thing you could do for your new baby had nothing to do with a product, a schedule, or anything you saw on TikTok,  and everything to do with a room full of other moms who just get it?Today I'm sitting down with Liberty Planck, owner of New Mom School® in Lake Oswego, Oregon and mom of three, who channeled her background in experience design and her own deeply isolating postpartum season into building something truly special for families. New Mom School® is a franchise with locations all over the country. We cover a lot of ground in this one — and honestly, it went places I didn't expect. Liberty is thoughtful, funny, and refreshingly honest about the gap between the village we think we're building and the one we actually have to show up for.We use "mom" and “mother” throughout this conversation because it reflects the language of our guest and her community, but we see and welcome every birthing person, non-binary parent, and family structure here, and so does New Mom School® Lake Oswego! In this episode, we talk about:Why isolation is one of the biggest risk factors for new moms and babies — and how New Mom School® was born out of Liberty's own pandemic postpartum experienceThe "education meets support meets community" model that makes New Mom School® different from just a mom groupHow to give parents real clinical information without undermining their confidence as caregiversWhat actually happens in a room full of postpartum women when a pelvic floor PT, lactation consultant, or infant development specialist walks inWhy the floor is the cheapest baby toy you own (and how Liberty's third baby became her most capable gross motor kid because of it)The hidden gift of the New Mom School® model — and why showing up to class doesn't automatically mean you have a villageWhat it really takes to build friendships as a new mom, and why the pandemic made all of this harderBirth as a great equalizer, and why age, background, and parenting philosophy don't matter as much as being in the same seasonThe beauty of alloparenting — and why your baby doesn't just need you, they need a whole cast of safe, loving adultsThis conversation is for you whether you're currently pregnant, postpartum, a provider who works with families, or just someone who cares deeply about how we support mothers in this culture.Resources mentioned:Find a New Mom School® near you: newmomschool.comLocal to Portland? New Mom School® Lake Oswego is right off the freeway and draws families from Vancouver, Happy Valley, Bethany, and beyond💸 Use code BEWELL50 for $50 off your first cohort🍼 Providers: reach out to Liberty directly to get pamphlets and referral cards for your patientsFollow New Mom School® Lake Oswego on InstagramYour Host: Emily Spaeth is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and founder of Be Well Baby® in Portland, Oregon. bewellbaby.org