Fourth Trimester Postpartum Stories artwork

Fourth Trimester Postpartum Stories

14 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 5 ratings

Holding space for parents to share their postpartum journeys.

Parenting Kids & Family
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Episodes

14. Redeemed: A Difficult Recovery From a Third Degree Tear, Lip and Tongue Ties, PPA, PTSD, and Then Navigating Postpartum a Second Time – Rachel Campbell

February 01, 2022 16:00 - 40 minutes - 27.7 MB

Rachel had her first baby via a forceps delivery.  A few days later, the resulting third degree tear became infected.  After months of unsuccessful treatment, she finally had surgery, and was medically cleared at 6 months postpartum.  That experience left her with postpartum anxiety and PTSD.  She discusses how both talk therapy and EMDR helped her process and heal. She talks about breastfeeding a baby with severe lip and tongue ties, as well as how her oversupply affected her. Her second ...

13. It Takes a Village: Postpartum Experiences With and Without Extended Family – Brianna Volk

January 25, 2022 16:00 - 34 minutes - 24.1 MB

Brianna’s first baby had jaundice, and she describes her challenges feeding in the hospital while having to keep him under the lights.  She and her husband were living with her parents after her first birth, and she describes her postpartum experience as blissful.   Her second postpartum experience started similarly with jaundice, but she was prepared for that.  However, her son failed the 24 hour cardiac test and needed to come home with an oxygen tank.  Going home with a baby on oxygen, t...

12. Recovery After Bedrest and Healing From Postpartum Anxiety – Parvati Mani

January 18, 2022 16:00 - 31 minutes - 21.3 MB

Parvati was diagnosed with placenta previa 20 weeks into her pregnancy.  She was put on bedrest at 26 weeks, and then had a C-section at 36 weeks.  She describes how her physical recovery was affected by her weeks of bedrest.  She also discusses how the judgement she experienced when she stopped pumping contributed to the anxiety she felt about all of her postpartum choices.  She talks about an app she’s creating to help women find local resources to help them wherever they are in their own ...

11. A Postpartum Journey With Her Miracle Baby: Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, Turner Syndrome, and Adrenocortical Carcinoma – Lauren Hiddleson

January 11, 2022 16:00 - 1 hour - 45.3 MB

Lauren found out that she had LFS just days before finding out that she was pregnant with her daughter Josie.  After a planned home birth turned hospital induction due to IUGR, she describes her early weeks postpartum, including latch issues with her tiny baby, trying to get fasting blood sugar readings, and her own hospital visits for high blood pressure and retained placenta.  At 5 months postpartum, she found out that her daughter also had LFS, as well as Turner Syndrome, and already had ...

10. Surgical Repair Immediately Postpartum, IGT, and a Very Different Experience With Her Second Baby - Elizabeth Shinko

January 04, 2022 16:00 - 32 minutes - 22.2 MB

After a non-medicated birth, Elizabeth had to go to the OR and have a spinal placed to have her “3.75” degree tear repaired.  She dealt with low supply, likely due to IGT, and describes her journey of triple feeding and power pumping and trying all the galactagogues before starting to supplement with formula.  She also had pain while nursing that ended up being a lymph backup, which was finally diagnosed and treated by her chiropractor.  She shares her very different experience with her daug...

9. Her Fourth Postpartum Experience in Five Years, Gallstone Surgery, the Grief of Knowing She Was Done Having Kids, and a Surprise Pregnancy – Part 2 of 2 - Miranda McCarty

December 28, 2021 16:00 - 41 minutes - 28.6 MB

In part two of her episodes, Miranda shares her fourth postpartum experience.  She talks about going through the grieving process of knowing she just had her last baby, only to get pregnant with number 5 around 7 months postpartum (just a month after gallstone surgery). You can find her on instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/randipaige_peace/ Join us on the Facebook group to talk more about this episode and all things postpartum: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fourthtrimesterpostpartu...

8. Having Kids Close Together, Postpartum Anxiety and the Value of a Good Therapist – Part 1 of 2 - Miranda McCarty

December 22, 2021 04:00 - 42 minutes - 29.5 MB

Miranda has four kids (and is 14 weeks pregnant with her fifth).  Having kids close together meant that her early postpartum experiences happened alongside her subsequent pregnancies.  She needed surgery 5 months postpartum after her first baby to repair the damage from her 3rd degree episiotomy. After having her second baby, she went to counseling for postpartum anxiety, but the group she saw was not equipped to help her.  She got pregnant with her third about 8 months postpartum, before sh...

7. Postpartum Hormone Crash and Preparing the Second Time – Alaina Goss

December 18, 2021 23:00 - 53 minutes - 36.8 MB

Despite feeling a wave of exhaustion when she got home from the hospital, Alaina was unable to sleep.  Once she got over the initial hormone crash, she started splitting nights with her husband to care for their baby, who didn’t sleep more than a few minutes if he wasn’t held.  She used a lactation consultant to help with the unexpected challenges of breastfeeding, until it became easier a few months in.  The physical recovery of (an uncomplicated vaginal) birth surprised her. She talks abo...

6. Enjoying Postpartum After Breastfeeding and How She Reclaimed Herself - Amy Tecosky

December 07, 2021 16:00 - 37 minutes - 25.7 MB

Amy struggled to produce enough milk for her daughter and ultimately stopped breastfeeding, which she says really helped her to be present in her postpartum experience.  She describes some postpartum anxiety, and how she went about finding herself again. Resources and links she mentioned: Bekah Martinez: https://www.instagram.com/bekah/ Expecting Better by Emily Oster : https://emilyoster.net/ Her own Insta pages: https://www.instagram.com/sweatyesthi/ https://www.instagram.com/kindredst...

5. The Highs and Lows of Postpartum: Breastfeeding Challenges, Sleep, and Family Loss - Morgan Lanzel

November 30, 2021 16:00 - 37 minutes - 25.9 MB

Morgan had some initial breastfeeding issues with the baby not transferring enough milk, as well as developing mastitis only days after the birth, and went on to have long term supply issues.  She was also surprised that her baby only wanted to sleep on her chest for the first 11 weeks.  She discusses the evolution of her daughter’s sleep, her return to work, and her dad’s cancer diagnosis just six weeks after her daughter was born. Some resources she mentioned: The Birth Hour Podcast: htt...

4. Advocating for Herself, Processing Her Birth, and Rebuilding Her Core After a C-Section - Aelwen Wetherby

November 23, 2021 16:00 - 40 minutes - 27.7 MB

Aelwen began her postpartum experience on the operating table after an unexpected c-section.  She was surprised at what she felt was a “vacuum of postpartum care” after leaving the hospital, especially regarding regaining her core strength.  She loved having a doula every step of the way, including for processing her birth and for assistance during her first few weeks postpartum.  Here are links to some of the resources she mentions:    Nikki Bergan, a Pilates instructor with a focus on pel...

3. CHD and Owning Her Birth, and an Easy Pandemic Baby – Mindy Rossetto

November 16, 2021 16:00 - 1 hour - 41.6 MB

Mindy shares her two postpartum experiences.  Going into her first birth, she was hoping for a natural labor, but ended up being induced and getting an epidural.  She felt present and in control, but still had to overcome feeling like this wasn’t a “real” birth experience.  Her postpartum bliss was interrupted when doctors heard a murmur in the baby’s heart, and he was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect, specifically VSD (ventricular septal defect), PFO (patent foramen ovale), and mitr...

2. Low Milk Supply, Sleep Deprivation, Postpartum Rage, and Finding Her Way – Madison Enns

November 09, 2021 16:00 - 57 minutes - 39.6 MB

Madison felt prepared for postpartum, but had a few unexpected challenges to overcome along the way.  After a precipitous birth, her baby wasn’t getting the milk he needed, and she soon realized that she had low milk supply.  The sleep deprivation she experienced for the first six months was detrimental to her mental health, and she developed postpartum rage.  Once she was able to get some sleep, she felt like she was back to herself.  She also shares the sweet moments of the first 8 months ...

1. PPD & PPA, Hip Dysplasia, Breastfeeding Challenges, and Falling in Love – Kayla George

November 02, 2021 15:00 - 26 minutes - 18.1 MB

Kayla was planning an unmedicated hospital birth and ended up having a c-section when her baby was breech.  She describes the physical recovery from the surgery as intense.  She had difficulty with breastfeeding and began triple feeding and supplementing in the hospital.  She chose to exclusively pump during the day starting at 3 weeks postpartum and started weaning from the pump around 4 months.  She was diagnosed with postpartum anxiety and postpartum depression 10 days after the birth, an...