PPSM Baby Brain; Emotional Wellness in Pregnancy, Postpartum and Parenting

Sandra Maurer, BA, E-RYT, CD YACEP and Stefanie Kuhnmuench LICSW join us to talk about what movement in therapy is and how it helps emotional healing long term.
Sandra is a Registered, Experienced Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance (E-RYT) through the Yoga Life Institute in Pennsylvania, Certified Birth Doula (Birth Arts International), BA in Art Therapy (Arcadia University), Trauma-Informed Yoga Trained through Center for Yoga and Trauma Recovery and Firefly Yoga International. Sandra has completed the Advanced Provider training through Postpartum Support International. Additionally, Sandra is currently completing her MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Adler Graduate School and is a therapist working with individuals and families at Mindful Families.

She has over 10 years teaching experience as a yoga instructor, working in various clinical and public settings including Hennepin County Health Care’s Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorder program and the Emily Program, a comprehensive eating disorder treatment facility.

Sandra specializes in Perinatal Mental Health is committed to creating an inclusive and supportive space where participants can deeply and authentically connect with the messages and wisdom of their bodies—a space free from competition, comparison, or emphasis on external measures of success or progress. Whether in recovery from an eating disorder, or perinatal mood and anxiety disorder, dealing with grief, loss, or stress, or recuperating from a traumatic event, our bodies are integral to our psychological and emotional healing.

Sandra has 3 tiny people at home, including one set of twins and lives with them and her husband near a big spruce tree in St. Paul, MN. She believes that laughter, sleep, and water can solve most daily problems and is not afraid to use her New Jersey background to get real and honest with people. She loves hiking and fireplaces and reading long books.
Terra Firma

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Listen to the PrairieCare Perinatal Intensive Outpatient's staff talk about their personal connection to perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and their roles in the IOP. Hear first hand a story of recovery of perinatal OCD as Lisa walks us through her journey.
PrairieCare 612-274-7494
prairie-care.com/services/perinatal-mental-health-clinic/
Lisa Cross, LMFT, PMH-C
Lisa is the program therapist for the Prairie-Care Perinatal Mental Health Program in Brooklyn Park. She served for 5 years as the Co-Director of PPSM and fought for legislative awareness of PMADs in our state. She also served as one of the MN PSI State Coordinators for 4 years. Her sole practice is focused on Perinatal Mental Health.
Rena Sugarbaker, MD
Dr. Sugarbaker is an Adult Psychiatrist specializing in Perinatal Psychiatry at PrairieCare.
Sogand Ghasshemi, MD

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This episode gives an inside view of what to expect as a NICU family and some ideas on how to support loved ones who are involved.
Mandy Wannarka LICSW, PMH-C RYT-200
Mandy is the owner of a group psychotherapy practice (Mindful Wellbeing) located in Coon Rapids, Minnesota. The practice is dedicated to supporting individuals and families into their transition into parenthood. Together with the other clinicians at her practice, they have over 15 years of experience supporting families with NICU hospital stays, complex medical concerns, birth trauma and pregnancy, infant and child loss. Mandy became the Director of the Helpline for Pregnancy and Postpartum Support International in 2019 after serving as a mental health professional on the Helpline. She is certified in Perinatal Mental Health and EMDR (a type of therapy that focuses on helping people health from trauma or other significant life experiences). Her practice is working on expanding into other holistic methods of supporting individuals including yoga, reiki and more.
One thing you'd like our community to know about pregnancy, postpartum or parenting (could be something about your personal story, facts/figures, inspiration for others, etc.) *

You are not alone and your story matters. Mandy believes that by sharing our stories with others, we can not only get the support we deserve for our own journey, but strengthen our connection to one another and provide support to others.
There are some great local organizations that are offering direct and indirect support to the NICU community. They include:
Minnesota Neonatal Foundation: https://www.neonatalfoundation.org/
The Potato Head Project: https://www.thepotatoheadproject.org/
Fiona's Hope Totes: http://www.fionashope.org/
Some great national organizations that support NICU families include:
Hand To Hold: https://handtohold.org/
March of Dimes: https://www.marchofdimes.org/baby/the-nicu-family-support-program.aspx
National Organization for Rare Diseases (NORD): https://rarediseases.org/
Graham's Foundation: https://grahamsfoundation.org/
Postpartum Support International NICU Parents group: https://www.postpartum.net/get-help/psi-online-support-meetings/

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In this episode, Lindsey and Jenna discuss the road to postpartum anxiety recovery, Jenna shares her work as a Occupational Therapist in the NICU and offers great insight on how to support families who have a child in the NICU.
Jenna is a mom of 3 and suffered from postpartum anxiety and depression. Throughout Jenna's recovery she attended virtual support groups through PPSM and utilized the peer support program.
Jenna works full time in the NICU as an occupational therapist. She is certified in neonatal touch and massage, is a feeding specialist and specialized in developmental care. She has a specific interest in supporting families to bond with and become a strong advocate for their baby and family in the NICU. She loves supporting the mental health of parents and helping them feel more competent in caring for their baby and celebrate all the small and big wins in the NICU. Jenna can be found on instagram at @theanxioushobbyist and @thenicutherapist
From Jenna:"Taking the first step, to get help and access resources available to your during your mental health journey, is the hardest part but it is so worth it. I never thought I'd attend a support group, utilize a peer support person or openly share my story but it ended up being some of the best things I've ever done in my life. I am so thankful I had the courage to take that first hard step but it has been so worth it."

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In this episode, Lindsey connects with Maya Wolkowicz, MA, LGSW - Psychotherapist at Postpartum Counseling Center about acknowleging and destigmatizing PMADs and how PMADs impact not only the birthing person, but others within the familial structure. Maya authentically shares her insight and best practices to help others in the community who are experiencing PMADs. To learn more about the services discussed in this episode, check out https://phawellness.com/

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