Fourth Trimester Postpartum Stories

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 postpartum came with a lot of the same issues with ties and oversupply, but she was ready to deal with them, and was proactive about pelvic floor therapy. This time, she was diagnosed with postpartum depression at 5 months, and she discusses the treatment she chose.

Resources she mentioned:

Elvie Curve: https://www.elvie.com

Dairy Ladder: https://dilanandme.com/milk-ladder-guide/

https://www.instagram.com/mommy.labornurse

https://www.instagram.com/Karrie_locher

Rachel’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doula.rachel.clt

Join us on the Facebook group to talk more about this episode and all things postpartum: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fourthtrimesterpostpartumstories/

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, taking care of a four year old, no longer living with her parents, and her husband returning to work at 2 weeks postpartum made this postpartum period very different. She shares her experience, including taking, and then weaning, from Zoloft.

Resources she mentioned:

Instagram accounts she follows:

https://www.instagram.com/Homesweethomebirth

https://www.instagram.com/Thelittlemilkbar

https://www.instagram.com/biliblanketbaby

https://www.instagram.com/Takingcarababies

https://www.instagram.com/ebbirth

Here is Evidence Based Birth's view on the ARRIVE study: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/arrive/

Brianna’s Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/Brianna_volkinit
Join us on the Facebook group to talk more about this episode and all things postpartum: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fourthtrimesterpostpartumstories/

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 postpartum journey.

Parvati wrote this music while she was pregnant and postpartum:
https://parvatimani.hearnow.com/
Her instagram is: https://www.instagram.com/parvati_mani/
Or you can reach her via email: parumani (at) gmail (dot) com
Join us on the Facebook group to talk more about this episode and all things postpartum (and to hear about Parvati's app when it goes live!): https://www.facebook.com/groups/fourthtrimesterpostpartumstories/

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 cancer. She describes her daughter’s treatment journey through the first 17 months of her life.
To follow Josie's journey, join her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/josiesbutterflies/
For more information on LFS: https://livinglfs.org/
The Living LFS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LivingLFS/
Turner Syndrome information: https://www.turnersyndrome.org/
Lauren's email address is: laurenhiddleson (at) gmail (dot) com
Join us on the Facebook group to talk more about this episode and all things postpartum: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fourthtrimesterpostpartumstories/

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/fourthtrimesterpostpartumstories/