In today's episode we chat with Jane, a Perinatal Mental Health Occupational Therapist working alongside Bec Black at The Mindful Birth Movement in Melbourne, Victoria.
Jane has two beautiful children that are 15 months apart, and she talks about how her postpartum experiences with both of them were challenging for different reasons.
When Jane gave birth to her first child Jemima it was in the thick of covid times and restrictions. After birth, Jane's partner could only stay for 2 hours before leaving Jane alone in the hospital. At this time, Jane struggled to care for her baby due to birth injuries caused by forceps, an episiotomy, and a 2nd-degree tear, and she was bed bound for 12 hours.
Jane felt helpless whilst lying in her hospital bed, unable to pick up her baby because she was in so much pain and felt unsupported at the beginning of her breastfeeding journey due to only receiving basic care from the midwives. This resulted in Jane not having adequate education about how to breastfeed, and she ended up having bouts of mastitis, experiencing a lot of pain both in her breast and her shoulder blade due to incorrect positioning while feeding. Jane's first year of motherhood involved being in and out of lockdowns and a cold winter that kept her indoors with her baby and thoughts. In June, she found out she was pregnant with her son and had to navigate pregnancy whilst caring for Jemima.
Due to her previous experience during her first pregnancy and birth, Jane experienced anxiety around her second postpartum journey with her son Romy, fearing more lockdowns and a lack of partner support due to restrictions. Eventually, she was able to connect with other mums online, which led to in-person catch ups.
Jane's second postpartum was challenging and overstimulating. She noticed serious psychological changes within herself and realised how much a woman's brain changes after a baby. She began to experience brain fog, rage, and intrusive thoughts, all coming to a head one afternoon.
Jane's postpartum experiences inspired her to lean into the industry she is now in. With a background in child and youth psychology and health care, Jane has always been passionate about helping people in the mental health space, and now she gets to do it for mums who are experiencing all kinds sof challenges.
We hope you enjoy this beautiful episode.
Please reach out if you would like to share your story or advice in the postpartum space.
IG: theafterbirth_pod
Email: theafterbirth.pod@gmail.com
Resources/Practitioners Mentioned:
The Mindful Birth Movement Owned by Rebecca Black
IG: @theminfdulbirthmovement
Dr Pam - Infant Care, Possums Program and Neuroprotective Developmental Care
IG: @drpameladouglas
Matrescence Matters by Sarah Aston
IG: matrescencematters
Baby Brain: The surprising neuroscience of how pregnancy and motherhood sculpt our brains and change our minds (for the better) by Dr Sarah McKay
IG: @drsarahmckay