What 24 hours postpartum looks like

Erica Andrews describes what postpartum feels like through a selfie. "Baby in sling. Skin to skin. Adult diapers. And a rosy glow."

She described the emotional changes felt in the moment:

"My body feels like it ran a marathon and my heart is wide open from yesterday's travels. Birth opens us like an earthquake opens the earth and I am still in the intimate, fragile throes of that opening. I feel raw. Emotional. Different. 23 hours ago I held life within and 24 hours ago I surged and transformed allowing life to flow through me, into my waiting hands. The emptiness in my womb brings a heavy feeling crashing into reality but then this new little life whimpers, searching for the breast with soft rooting, and I feel whole again."

Click here for full article. 

"Stressed, Tired, Rushed: A Portrait of the Modern Family"

The New York Times --- 

Children are much more likely than not to grow up in a household in which their parents work, and in nearly half of all two-parent families today, both parents work full time, a sharp increase from previous decades. What hasn’t changed: the difficulty of balancing it all. Working parents say they feel stressed, tired, rushed and short on quality time with their children, friends, partners or hobbies, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

Click here for full NYT article. 

Mindfulness for Moms

Mindfulness for Moms is a 6 week training workshop to learn mindfulness skills that will help you to be present, compassionate, and aware, despite the challenges of parenting a new baby.

Mindfulness skills have been shown to contribute to increased positive emotion and healthy stress management and relationship skills. Training goals are to increase the pleasant and joyful parts of becoming a mom and connect you more with your new baby.

Part I: 6 one hour sessions

$50 per session

Moms and babies (newborn to pre-crawling) attend the training together in small groups of 4-6 moms.

If you are interested in hosting a training series in your home with other moms please contact me to discuss details.

If you would like to be invited to join a training series please email me privately.

"The Secret Sadness of Pregnancy With Depression"

Pregnant women often fear taking the antidepressants they rely on. But not treating their mental illness can be just as dangerous.      

by Andrew Solomon

New York Times article . 

Climb Out of the Darkness

Postpartum Progress’ Climb Out of the Darkness® is the world’s largest event raising awareness of maternal mental illnesses like postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety & OCD, postpartum PTSD, postpartum psychosis, postpartum bipolar disorder, and pregnancy depression and anxiety.

To join Postpartum Progress’ NYC Climb, go to their registration page.  

Rally For Family Friendly Brooklyn

In support of Brooklyn families, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams is supporting a comprehensive platform advocating for paid family leave, safe sleep practices, breastfeeding, and maternal postpartum depression screening. 

Rally on the steps of Borough Hall in support of this initiative: 

https://www.facebook.com/events/1579619518987452/

Prenatal and Postpartum Fitness and Nutrition

Aynsley Kirshenbaum is a fitness instructor, nutritionist, and local mom who understands the difficulties and importance of good health during pregnancy and postpartum. Balanced diet and fitness can have a strong impact on our mental health and Aynsley is a wonderful resource to have in the neighborhood. 

www.aynsleykirshenbaum.com