Taboo Postpartum Truths - Marissa Zwetow

10/29/2020

Taboo Postpartum Truths
Marissa Zwetow

This episode was sponsored by:

Please donate HERE

We are a 501 3c Non-Profit. Our aim is to prevent and heal birth trauma through education. Women need to understand their options and rights in childbirth so that they can have a safe and healthy birth.

In today’s episode, we talk with Marissa Zwetow, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and owner of Postpartum Happiness (http://www.postpartumhappiness.com/about-postpartum-depression), through which she provides postpartum coaching and therapy. She is also the author of Postpartum Happiness: What to do when you love the kids, but hate the job (http://www.postpartumhappiness.com/book).

Marissa tells us about her own experience with postpartum depression and all of the challenges she faced, and how that fueled her purpose and passion to validate, support, and help moms who face regret and other negative emotions after birth. We talk about the pressure and anxiety that can be imposed upon mothers by cultural and societal expectations of how they should feel about birth and motherhood. We discuss the dangers of comparison and the value of understanding.

Marissa goes over some “taboo postpartum truths,” such as the birth may not go the way you want yet and it’s okay to feel disappointed, as well as there might be grief for your past life. Another is that it’s okay to not feel happy with the role of the mother, and how struggling mothers should seek the support they need without shame. We talk about working with your partner, and how you can reach mutual understanding. Marissa reminds moms that they are not alone, and how looking through support groups on social media can help you find your “tribe” of like-minded women with similar struggles.

We talk more about diagnosing and dealing with more serious cases of postpartum depression and cases of psychosis. We give advice for fathers who are struggling with depression after birth.

We recommend getting your free copy of the guide, 12 Taboo Postpartum Truths here: http://www.postpartumhappiness.com/free-postpartum-article.

• 1:40 Marissa’s Story
• 10:34 “Situational” Postpartum Depression; Dealing With Expectations
• 21:02 Taboo Postpartum Truths
• 32:11 Dealing With More Serious Cases

http://www.postpartumhappiness.com/
Check Out Her Book Here

Connect with our guest!
https://www.instagram.com/postpartumhappiness/
https://www.facebook.com/postpartumhappiness

Podcasts are sponsored in part by Empowering Fearless Birth
donate@empoweringfearlessbirth.com

The postpartum period is a time of massive adjustment in every aspect of a new parent's life. There tends to be an expectation that once the baby arrives, hormones will immediately make anyone into a natural mother. That idea creates a lot of stigma and guilt against new mothers speaking about the problems they're having adjusting.

Marissa and Sarah get honest about the postpartum period and motherhood in general. They talk about difficulties with early bonding, let us know that it's okay to grieve your old life after birth, and discuss the importance of moms being allowed to say "this sucks" sometimes.

Marissa Zwetow is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and owner of Postpartum Happiness. Marissa became passionate about helping mothers to both prepare and adjust to a new baby after experiencing postpartum depression firsthand and realizing there was a pretty big gap for new mothers. Marissa understands what it takes to be on a healing journey to find acceptance, meaning, and happiness in the role of motherhood and knew she needed to share this with others by writing her book; Postpartum Happiness: What to do when you love the kids, but hate the job.  

This episode was sponsored by:

Please donate HERE

We are a 501 3c Non-Profit. Our aim is to prevent and heal birth trauma through education. Women need to understand their options and rights in childbirth so that they can have a safe and healthy birth.