Why "At Least You Have a Healthy Baby" Isn't Enough with Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett
Your birth doesn't have to look dramatic from the outside for it to have affected you deeply.
You can have a "textbook" birth and healthy baby and still walk away replaying it at 2am, feeling like something wasn't right, like nobody was really listening to you.
And if that's you, you are not being dramatic, and you are not ungrateful. You're human.
I sat down with Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett — a health psychologist and board-certified lactation consultant who has spent her entire career researching birth trauma, postpartum depression, and breastfeeding.
And this conversation is one I think every pregnant mama AND new mama needs to hear, because she gives words to things so many of us have felt but never knew how to name.
This one is tender, validating, and SO full of practical help.
Here's What You'll Learn in This Episode:
[2:30] How a birth that looks completely "normal" from the outside can still leave a mama traumatized.
[6:00] Why "at least you have a healthy baby" shuts moms down, and what to say (or not say) instead. 👀
[9:30] The story of a mama who asked for help in labor and nobody heard her, and how that birth followed her into her next pregnancy.
[14:00] Why your lizard brain detects "threat" differently than your rational brain and what that means for how birth lands emotionally.
[18:00] What moms actually need in those first few weeks postpartum.
[24:00] The real signs of postpartum mood disorders and why it's bigger than just "the baby blues." 👀
[30:00] Why isolation is one of the biggest struggles of new motherhood.
[34:00] The simple, doable things that help (Most don't involve medication.) 💪
[38:00] The fascinating research on how breastfeeding down-regulates your stress response.
[42:00] Dr. Kendall-Tackett's one message for every mama about asking for support, and why it will get better. ❤️
🎁 Dr. Kendall-Tackett made a free download for all of you called "Making Peace with Your Birth Experience." Whether or not you've experienced trauma, I think every mama should have it tucked in her back pocket. Grab it at myessentialbirth.com/trauma
One important note: This episode is for information and education, not medical advice. If you are struggling, please reach out to a trusted provider. You are not alone. 💛
Connect with Dr. Kendall-Tackett:
Links Mentioned:
- Free Download: Making Peace with Your Birth Experience
- My Essential Birth Course
- 3 Free Exercises
- My Essential Birth Instagram
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ALL my love,
