July 15, 2025 • 29 mins
Ever wonder why your postpartum clients feel like they're in a fog, forgetful, or just plain different?
It's not just "mom brain" as we know it. In this eye-opening episode, we’re completely shifting the conventional understanding of the postpartum brain and diving deep into the profound neurological rewiring that happens after birth. Forget surface-level fixes; we're talking about real, lasting solutions for postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and maternal burnout by understanding the biological brilliance behind a mother's transformation. This isn't about "fixing" women; it's about seeing their bodies and brains with the reverence they deserve, and equipping postpartum providers with the holistic care practices to truly heal their clients at the root.
Check out this episode on the blog HERE.
Key time stamps:
- 0:48: Postpartum brain is rewiring, not broken.
- 3:23: What happens to the brain in postpartum? Neurological transformation explained.
- 4:25: Increased diligence, heightened emotional sensitivity, disrupted memory & focus, decreased self-prioritization.
- 5:30: Biologically appropriate functions without proper support lead to burnout, anxiety, rage.
- 6:46: The role of stress in brain rewiring – adaptive vs. chronic. Chronic stress creates maladaptive programming.
- 10:40: Mom brains prioritize survival and baby's needs, not broken.
- 11:29: Oxytocin strengthens memory of emotionally charged events.
- 12:24: Understanding intrusive thoughts: protection, not pathology.
- 15:28: How to support postpartum brain recovery: nutrition, nervous system regulation, repletion.
- 16:05: Why holistic approaches are crucial and why single strategies fail.
- 17:44: Body-based trauma release techniques like TRE therapy.
- 18:11: The importance of safe co-regulating relationships.
- 19:59: Consistent nutritional repletion is biochemical reality.
- 20:25: Sleep rhythm and restoration for active brain repair.
- 24:08: Reclaim mom brain: it's a superpower, not a problem. Postpartum rewiring makes mothers more intuitive, protective, efficient.
NEXT STEPS:
🎒Download the free Postpartum Restoration Method™ Assessment Tool & Guide for Providers
🔔Sign up for the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Waitlist
👍Rate, REVIEW & share the podcast
📱Connect on Instagram!
📚Get a Copy of the BOOK: Reclaiming Postpartum Wellness
🧠Perinatal Mental Health Certificate Training & Additional Courses for Providers & Postpartum Professionals
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
The postpartum care system is failing, leaving
countless mothers strugglingwith depression, anxiety and
autoimmune conditions.
I'm Miranda Bauer and I'vehelped thousands of providers
use holistic care practices toheal their clients at the root.
Subscribe now and join us inaddressing what modern medicine
(00:22):
overlooks, so that you can giveyour clients real, lasting
solutions for lifelong wellbeing.
Hey, hey, welcome back to thepodcast, miranda Bauer, here
with Postpartum University andtoday we are diving into
something radicallytransformative, something I
(00:43):
believe is at the core ofrevolutionizing postpartum care.
Let's begin with a truth thatdoesn't get said enough
Postpartum brain is not broken.
It's literally rewiring, andyet we treat it like it's
malfunctioning.
We label mothers as overwhelmed, hormonal or even emotionally
(01:07):
unstable, and we offer surfacelevel support or stop a
diagnosis on what is actually asacred neurological
transformation, and we forgetthat everything she's thinking,
feeling and struggling throughmakes sense when you understand
what's happening biologicallyand neurologically.
(01:30):
And I first started seeing thispattern years ago.
I experienced it myself as amom.
And then mothers in my practicewere saying I don't feel like
myself, I can't think clearly, Isnap so easy.
This isn't me, or I feel likeI'm always in fight or flight,
and I thought this isn't just myown personal emotional struggle
(01:53):
as a mom of four, having gonethrough this.
This is a neuroplasticitymisfiring.
This is a nervous system that'sstuck in overdrive.
This is a rewiring process thatno one is supporting, and I
shared some of this recently inour postpartum provider press
(02:17):
newsletter and the response wasoverwhelming.
Providers wrote in saying thisis finally explaining what I
have been seeing.
Moms replied saying thank.
This is finally explaining whatI have been seeing.
Moms replied saying thank youfor validating what I have been
feeling for years but could notarticulate.
And that's why we are heretoday having this conversation.
(02:37):
This episode is for theproviders who want to understand
what's really happening in thepostpartum brain.
It's for the mothers who'vebeen told you're just tired,
when what they're experiencingis a total neurological shift.
And let's be honest, we knowthis shift occurs.
Right, we call it mom brain.
Everybody knows mom brain,right?
(02:59):
But let's actually go deeper.
Let's get further into thisconversation.
What is mom brain?
And I want to be really clear.
This is not about fixing women.
This is about finally seeingwhat their bodies and brains are
doing and supporting it withreverence.
(03:20):
All right, let's begin.
So what happens to the brain inpostpartum?
If you've ever heard a mom sayI don't recognize myself anymore
.
Or you know, hey, I just gotmom brain right.
She's not being dramatic.
She's describing an actualneurological transformation,
(03:49):
transformation, the postpartumbrain changes in structure,
function and chemistry.
And we're not talking aboutslight hormonal fluctuations,
we're talking about full-onneurological rewiring.
In fact, research using MRIshave shown that mother's brains
physically shrinks in some areas, particularly the prefrontal
cortex and the areas responsiblefor social cognition, and it's
(04:10):
to make room for an increasedability to bond, protect and
attune to her baby's needs.
And these changes drum rollplease.
They last for years.
So what this means is that wehave an increased diligence.
(04:30):
So moms are more aware ofdanger read anxious and hyper
alert.
They have heightened emotionalsensitivity, so mom might cry
more easily, feel more deeply ateverything.
Have you ever watched acommercial where something just
happens and it's like a regularcommercial, but you find
(04:51):
yourself bawling your eyes outbecause you're just feeling
things so much more intensely,more deeply, disrupted memory
and focus right.
And that's where mom brain camein, where we just forgot where
we put the keys.
Or we're in the middle of aconversation and we forget what
we were saying immediately right, like in the middle of a
(05:14):
sentence or we can't find thewords to go with what we are
saying Decreasedself-prioritization, like her
brain is rewiring for her babyand for her baby over herself.
So oftentimes we tell moms that,oh, they need self-care, you've
(05:34):
got to get out, you've got todo things for you, put yourself
first.
All of that might be true andabsolutely necessary, but that's
not what her brain is tellingher to do, right, and all of
this is biologically appropriate.
It's designed for survival, butwithout proper support, it
(05:56):
becomes burnout, anxiety,intrusive thoughts, rage and
eventually collapse.
Thoughts, rage and eventuallycollapse.
This is not dysfunction.
It's function withoutfoundation, because what's
(06:17):
happening in the brain is abeautiful, brilliant revolution,
but it's demanding resources,nutrients, rest, connection,
calm that our current systemdoes not give her.
And so when the very systemdesigned to help her thrive
becomes a step for breakdown,we've got questions, we got
(06:38):
problems.
How do we support this rewiringprocess instead of ignoring it
and misdiagnosing it?
Let's talk about stress, therole of stress and rewiring, and
I want to be clear in this too,that stress in postpartum is
not inherently bad.
Stress is a biological responsedesigned to help us adapt.
(06:59):
In the postpartum period, amother's brain is actively
restructuring neural pathways tocreate a new identity, to
reprioritize attention andensure her survival and the
survival of her baby.
But here's the catch there's adifference between adaptive
(07:23):
stress and chronic, unresolvedstress.
Adaptive stress promotesresilience, rewiring growth.
Chronic stress hijacks thenervous system, impairs healing
and rewires the brain for fear.
And when a mother is sleep,deprived, nutrient depleted,
alone, isolated, emotionallyunsupported, navigating
(07:44):
unresolved trauma and traumaticbirth, living in an
overstimulated, undernourishedculture, the brain shifts from
adaptive rewiring to maladaptiveprogramming.
And this is where we start tosee persistent brain fog, mood
instability, increased risk ofpostpartum anxiety or depression
(08:08):
, disconnection from self andothers, decision fatigue, rage,
emotional reactivity and, worstof all, this becomes the new
default.
The postpartum brain locks inwhatever environment it's
exposed to and if thatenvironment is stressed,
(08:28):
dysregulation being unsupported,it becomes the blueprint for
her whole entire motherhoodexperience and carries
throughout her entire life.
But here's the most importanttakeaway the brain is plastic,
okay, meaning not like plastic,as in like your water bottle or
(08:49):
you know bad dishes, right, itcan heal Plastic, meaning that
it transforms, it can move, itcan rewire again.
And this is where we asproviders come in right.
So I wanna add some reallyincredible mom brain science to
here before we come in and talkabout what we can do about this.
(09:12):
So we have the structural brainchanges that are long-term,
even permanent.
There was a study in 2016published by Nature Neuroscience
that found that gray mattervolume decreases in specific
brain regions during postpartum,but not in a bad way.
Right.
These reductions are linked toincreased efficiency in the
(09:34):
maternal brain, especially inareas tied to social cognition,
empathy and decision-making.
And the brain is becoming morespecialized, not less capable
More specialized, not lesscapable.
So the maternal brain isdesigned for attachment brain
(09:56):
and imaging shows that when amother sees her baby's face or
hears her baby cry, certainareas of the brain light up,
especially the amygdala,prefrontal cortex and reward
centers.
So this rewiring creates abiological drive toward
protection, empathy and bondingand explains why so many mothers
(10:18):
feel on edge, hyper alert orlike they just can't relax.
This is not anxiety, this is abiology.
Until it becomes dysregulatedby depletion or lack of support,
your brain literallyreorganizes and prioritizes
(10:39):
other things.
So research shows that mombrains help moms tune out
irrelevant information and focusintensely on the baby and the
environment, and this is why youmight forget your own birthday,
but you know your baby's poopschedule for the hour right, or
you know exactly what happenedfor your baby and when, and this
(10:59):
is adaptive behavior.
The brain is prioritizingsurvival.
It's not broken, it's laserfocused.
And then we also have oxytocin,which strengthens memory tied
to emotional connection.
Oxytocin, which strengthensmemory tied to emotional
connection, so oxytocin, alsocalled the love hormone, is high
during breastfeeding andbonding moments, and this
(11:21):
hormone helps strengthen memorycircuits related to emotional
learning and meaning meaning.
Moms tend to rememberemotionally charged events more
vividly, both positive andtraumatic, and that's why birth
traumatic or emotionallyheightened postpartum
experiences are often verydeeply embedded.
(11:44):
It's something that a mothernever forgets.
You always hear that right.
A mom will never forget howshe's cared for in postpartum.
This right here.
This is why Mom brain alsomakes you a better problem
solver.
So studies show that postpartumwomen score higher on tests of
emotional intelligence andmultitasking and creative
(12:05):
problem solving compared tonon-mothers, even with little
sleep, like it is due toenhanced connectivity in the
default mode network of thebrain.
So the brain system links toself-reflection and empathy and
planning and all of that juicyfun stuff.
Okay, and I want to take asidestep here and talk about
(12:28):
intrusive thoughts for a moment.
This is something that weabsolutely need to talk about
because it's so tied to thebrain changes.
Up to 80% of postpartum womenexperience intrusive thoughts,
and yet no one talks about whythey're actually happening and
what that means.
We instead typically relate itto depression or anxiety, and we
(12:52):
need to clear this up, relateit to depression or anxiety, and
we need to clear this up.
Intrusive thoughts are not asign of insanity or mood
disorder.
They are a sign of a braindoing exactly what it's wired to
do, which is protect.
In the postpartum period, amother's brain is hyper attuned
to threat.
This is again, not by a brokenbiology, it is primal biology
(13:16):
big difference.
So her brain is scanning fordanger.
And when there's chronic stressin the system lack of sleep,
nutrient depletion, depletion,trauma, dysregulation the brain
can't filter and signal from allof that noise.
So it overfires, it overwarns,it plays out worst case
(13:39):
scenarios on repeat.
So what if I drop the baby downthe stairs?
What if I fall asleep andsomething happens?
What if I lose control?
What if I get in this vehicleand it crashes right?
These are all automatic,unwanted, terrifying thoughts
and so many of us experience it.
This is like a real human,emotional, mother-like thing
(14:02):
that happens.
And here's the kicker themoment a mother has that thought
, it oftentimes creates shameand fear and a more stressed
response.
And that response, that stressresponse, fuels the stress loop
(14:22):
which amplifies the veryrewiring that created the
thought in the first place.
So the cycle deepens intrusivethought, fear, shame, stress,
stress, more intrusive thoughts.
And here's the truth.
Providers need to know this isnot pathological unless it
impairs function.
Right, that's a whole notherconversation.
(14:44):
This is not something tomedicate right away without
understanding the root.
What mothers need is validation.
You're not alone in this, youare not education.
Your brain is trying to protectyou and it's on high alert.
It's trying to protect yourbaby.
(15:06):
It's a biological normal.
And then we also need to knowregulation tools to help calm
the nervous system and create anew pathway of safety.
When we can explain what'shappening and offer tools that
calm and rewire, we stop thespiral before it cements into
something traumatic or mentalhealth issues.
(15:28):
Okay, so what do we do?
How do we support postpartumbrain recovery and where do we
go from here?
You cannot quote, unquote, fixrewiring brain with surface
level advice.
Most programs, whether they'retherapy or nutrition or
postpartum recovery, miss thisentirely.
(15:49):
They focus on isolatedstrategies like sleep when baby
sleeps, take this one supplement, try this medication right, and
while those things can help,they don't address the
foundational rewiring that'shappening in the postpartum
brain.
So we have to break this downand what this looks like.
So first, nutrition is firstand foremost.
(16:12):
You cannot create a calmnervous system if your body is
in a state of absolute depletion, because when you're in a state
of depletion, your body issending out warning signs saying
I can't function well and yournervous system cannot function
(16:32):
without the nutrients that arerequired to run it first and
foremost.
Second is nervous systemregulation.
Second is nervous systemregulation after nutrition.
We must calm the system, andusually this is something that
goes hand in hand, because ifyour nervous system is not calm,
you're not digesting your foodswell and vice versa.
(16:54):
Right, and it's.
It's such a catch-22.
So I always recommend, likethese things have to be done
together.
That that's why oftentimes,like if somebody focuses on one
area of healing and not theother, then everything kind of
crumbles or doesn't feel like itworks, because they all are
necessary together.
Healing takes time.
(17:15):
It doesn't operate in a vacuumin each of these pieces.
So nervous system regulationcomes with eating well and they
go hand in hand.
The brain cannot rewire forsafety when it's in survival
mode, right, and so regulationfor the nervous system might
(17:35):
look like eating well, vagaltoning, breath work, and not
just deep breathing butintentional patterned breath.
Body-based trauma releasetechniques.
I love TRE therapy I talk aboutit in my book and show you
exactly how to do it.
And reclaiming postpartumwellness.
(17:56):
If you don't have my book, goto Amazon.
Type in reclaiming postpartumwellness, add it to your cart,
get it.
It is amazing, and I talk aboutthese very techniques and show
you exactly how to use them inthere.
And then, of course, safeco-regulating relationships.
We often miss this piece, butif we're not feeling safe in our
(18:17):
home, with our relationships,with our partners, if we're
always feeling on edge, thenwe're not going to ever feel
good in our bodies.
Okay, and this is not justspeaking to those who might have
abusive relationships or verydifficult relationships, I'm
just talking about in generallike someone you love, you're
married to it's not an abusiverelationship, but you feel like
(18:40):
you're walking on eggshells.
Maybe you're both sleepdeprived, like you both need
this kind of support, andnobody's going to get regulated
and feel good and feel safewithin the body.
If we're not safe in our home?
Okay, then we also need to haveconsistent nutritional
(19:01):
repletion, right?
I already mentioned thisomega-3s, b vitamins, iron and
magnesium protein daily, becausethose amino acids they build
neurotransmitters.
It's not optional, this is notoptional stuff, this is
biochemical reality.
Without repletion, the brainsimply cannot function at full
(19:21):
capacity.
And then, of course, we havesleep Rhythm and restoration.
The postpartum brain isincredibly sensitive to
circadian rhythm.
That doesn't mean that you needeight hours of uninterrupted
sleep, right?
This is where we laugh, ha haha, lol.
But it does mean creatingconsistent sleep cues like
(19:45):
darkness, quiet, calm before bed, no phones, catching sleep
early in the night so that thebrain cleanses itself during
this time.
Supporting naps, co-sleepingsetups, partner support.
And sleep is not just rest,it's like active brain repair.
(20:05):
And then there's gentlecognitive rebuilding, instead of
bypassing symptoms withpositive thinking, which does
make a difference.
Okay, let's, let's just talkabout that for a second.
Positive thinking does make ahuge difference, but it doesn't
mean ignoring the realities,right?
We need moms to be able to nameher feelings, refrain fear as
(20:31):
protection.
Sometimes it's a matter, and Iused to tell moms this all the
time when I was coaching, and Idid this myself as a mother who
had intrusive thoughts, as we,so many of us do.
Right, I had to tell my brainthat it's okay, that my body is
working really good, my brain isworking so hard to protect my
baby, and that this is just amessage that says, hey, there's
(20:55):
danger and there is right,there's danger walking down the
steps, just as there's dangergetting into a vehicle.
All of those have moments andyour brain is recognizing those
moments.
Just living right Can bedangerous sometimes and our
brains recognize it, our bodiesrecognize it.
So I'd be like, oh, thank you,thank you for that information.
I understand that this might bea dangerous situation and I
(21:20):
also trust that I'm going to beperfectly safe.
And amazingly, it had such aprofound effect.
And I see it with my clientstoo.
They understand that refrainand it feels really good to them
.
Practice pattern interruptionwith compassion.
This is one of the things thatwe do.
(21:41):
It's refraining fear asprotection and then interrupting
that pattern with love andcompassion rather than fear.
And oh my gosh, I can't believe.
I just thought that uglythought.
And what am I and who am I?
This is terrible and I don'twanna think this.
And then you get yourself throwninto a spiral and anchor into
real life wins okay, notaffirmations that feel fake, but
(22:05):
just like I woke up thismorning and I grabbed a cup of
coffee and I was able to take afew sips while it was still warm
.
That is incredible, right?
Just recognize those littlemoments of like I got dressed
today or I, you know, I took ashower or I got to shave my
(22:26):
armpits.
Like I don't care, whatever itis, that feels good.
It just picks something smallthat feels good, like those were
the things that felt good forme in the moment.
Or like I got to, you know,sleep in an extra 15 minutes,
whatever it is.
Just pick something tiny thatyou could go on that says, ah, I
did, I had a win, right, I hada win and it doesn't need to
(22:51):
feel big, right, we just needlittle tools that help her meet
her brain where it is andtransition and defense and
growth, and stop treatingpostpartum like it's a checklist
to bounce back from right.
The postpartum brain is beingrebuilt from the ground up and
(23:12):
then we need to treat it likesacred living architecture that
gives its and then and then herewe are giving it the materials
that actually needs to growduring this time.
Okay, so we've got to reclaimthat mom brain.
It is a superpower, not aproblem, right?
(23:32):
We all have heard it the mombrain, and usually it's said
with frustration orembarrassment or shame, like
we've been, you know, forgetfuland scattered or somehow broken
and we don't have it alltogether.
But what if being in a place ofhaving mom brain is where it's
(23:52):
all at, where we are actuallyrecognizing that we are one of
the most powerful evolutionaryupgrades and our experiences are
about to skyrocket?
Because the truth is, thematernal brain changes more
after birth than at any othertime in a woman's life, even
more than puberty.
(24:13):
Okay, put that in your pocketfor a second.
This rewiring doesn't make usweaker.
It makes us more intuitive,more emotionally attuned, more
protective, morecommunity-minded, more efficient
with decision-making skills and, in fact, the postpartum brain
(24:34):
prunes what's unnecessary andstrengthens neural pathways that
prioritize survival, attachmentand problem solving.
So the mom brain is not theproblem, it's the system that
fails to support thetransformation.
We call it forgetfulness, butreally it's hyper-focused on the
things that matter most thebaby's needs, your safety, the
(24:58):
rhythms of the home, theemotional temperature of your
family.
The rhythms of the home, theemotional temperature of your
family.
If you feel like you havechanged after having a baby,
it's because you literally haveyour brain is working
differently, not worse, justdifferent, deeper, wiser, and
this is what we all go throughas moms.
(25:21):
Okay, so I will leave you withthis let's not pathologize a
transformation.
Stop apologizing for yourpostpartum brain.
Stop labeling the symptomswithout addressing the roots.
If you're listening into this,y'all don't do this.
I understand, and we have toshare this with others so that
(25:43):
they know not to do this too.
We have a new standard now, andthat standard is supporting,
nourishing, regulating and doingall of this with reverence.
And as providers, it's our jobto be the guides who help
mothers reclaim this rite ofpassage, not provide just a
diagnosis.
This rite of passage, notprovide just a diagnosis.
(26:07):
If you loved this episode andwant to go deeper into the
science and support andstrategies that actually help
moms recover and mental healthand all the things postpartum,
join us and over 10,000providers inside our weekly
newsletter, inside our weeklynewsletter, the Postpartum
Provider Press, go topostpartumu, the letter, ucom,
slash press and get the clinicaltools and the truth bombs and
(26:29):
all of the science and links toall of that and we deliver that
every Wednesday.
Let's rewire the way we care forpostpartum one brain at a time.
Thanks for being here.
Postpartum one brain at a time.
Thanks for being here.
Thanks so much for being a partof this crucial conversation.
(26:54):
I know you're dedicated toadvancing postpartum care and if
you're ready to dig deeper,come and join us on our
newsletter, where I shareexclusive insights, resources
and the latest tools to help youmake a lasting impact on
postpartum health.
Sign up at postpartumu theletter ucom which is in the show
notes, and if you found today'sepisode valuable, please leave
(27:15):
a review to help us reach moreproviders like you.
Together, we're building afuture where mothers are fully
supported and thriving.
The postpartum care system is failing, leaving
countless mothers strugglingwith depression, anxiety and
autoimmune conditions.
I'm Miranda Bauer and I'vehelped thousands of providers
use holistic care practices toheal their clients at the root.
Subscribe now and join us inaddressing what modern medicine
(00:22):
overlooks, so that you can giveyour clients real, lasting
solutions for lifelong wellbeing.
Hey, hey, welcome back to thepodcast, miranda Bauer, here
with Postpartum University andtoday we are diving into
something radicallytransformative, something I
(00:43):
believe is at the core ofrevolutionizing postpartum care.
Let's begin with a truth thatdoesn't get said enough
Postpartum brain is not broken.
It's literally rewiring, andyet we treat it like it's
malfunctioning.
We label mothers as overwhelmed, hormonal or even emotionally
(01:07):
unstable, and we offer surfacelevel support or stop a
diagnosis on what is actually asacred neurological
transformation, and we forgetthat everything she's thinking,
feeling and struggling throughmakes sense when you understand
what's happening biologicallyand neurologically.
(01:30):
And I first started seeing thispattern years ago.
I experienced it myself as amom.
And then mothers in my practicewere saying I don't feel like
myself, I can't think clearly, Isnap so easy.
This isn't me, or I feel likeI'm always in fight or flight,
and I thought this isn't just myown personal emotional struggle
(01:53):
as a mom of four, having gonethrough this.
This is a neuroplasticitymisfiring.
This is a nervous system that'sstuck in overdrive.
This is a rewiring process thatno one is supporting, and I
shared some of this recently inour postpartum provider press
(02:17):
newsletter and the response wasoverwhelming.
Providers wrote in saying thisis finally explaining what I
have been seeing.
Moms replied saying thank.
This is finally explaining whatI have been seeing.
Moms replied saying thank youfor validating what I have been
feeling for years but could notarticulate.
And that's why we are heretoday having this conversation.
(02:37):
This episode is for theproviders who want to understand
what's really happening in thepostpartum brain.
It's for the mothers who'vebeen told you're just tired,
when what they're experiencingis a total neurological shift.
And let's be honest, we knowthis shift occurs.
Right, we call it mom brain.
Everybody knows mom brain,right?
(02:59):
But let's actually go deeper.
Let's get further into thisconversation.
What is mom brain?
And I want to be really clear.
This is not about fixing women.
This is about finally seeingwhat their bodies and brains are
doing and supporting it withreverence.
(03:20):
All right, let's begin.
So what happens to the brain inpostpartum?
If you've ever heard a mom sayI don't recognize myself anymore
.
Or you know, hey, I just gotmom brain right.
She's not being dramatic.
She's describing an actualneurological transformation,
(03:49):
transformation, the postpartumbrain changes in structure,
function and chemistry.
And we're not talking aboutslight hormonal fluctuations,
we're talking about full-onneurological rewiring.
In fact, research using MRIshave shown that mother's brains
physically shrinks in some areas, particularly the prefrontal
cortex and the areas responsiblefor social cognition, and it's
(04:10):
to make room for an increasedability to bond, protect and
attune to her baby's needs.
And these changes drum rollplease.
They last for years.
So what this means is that wehave an increased diligence.
(04:30):
So moms are more aware ofdanger read anxious and hyper
alert.
They have heightened emotionalsensitivity, so mom might cry
more easily, feel more deeply ateverything.
Have you ever watched acommercial where something just
happens and it's like a regularcommercial, but you find
(04:51):
yourself bawling your eyes outbecause you're just feeling
things so much more intensely,more deeply, disrupted memory
and focus right.
And that's where mom brain camein, where we just forgot where
we put the keys.
Or we're in the middle of aconversation and we forget what
we were saying immediately right, like in the middle of a
(05:14):
sentence or we can't find thewords to go with what we are
saying Decreasedself-prioritization, like her
brain is rewiring for her babyand for her baby over herself.
So oftentimes we tell moms that,oh, they need self-care, you've
(05:34):
got to get out, you've got todo things for you, put yourself
first.
All of that might be true andabsolutely necessary, but that's
not what her brain is tellingher to do, right, and all of
this is biologically appropriate.
It's designed for survival, butwithout proper support, it
(05:56):
becomes burnout, anxiety,intrusive thoughts, rage and
eventually collapse.
Thoughts, rage and eventuallycollapse.
This is not dysfunction.
It's function withoutfoundation, because what's
(06:17):
happening in the brain is abeautiful, brilliant revolution,
but it's demanding resources,nutrients, rest, connection,
calm that our current systemdoes not give her.
And so when the very systemdesigned to help her thrive
becomes a step for breakdown,we've got questions, we got
(06:38):
problems.
How do we support this rewiringprocess instead of ignoring it
and misdiagnosing it?
Let's talk about stress, therole of stress and rewiring, and
I want to be clear in this too,that stress in postpartum is
not inherently bad.
Stress is a biological responsedesigned to help us adapt.
(06:59):
In the postpartum period, amother's brain is actively
restructuring neural pathways tocreate a new identity, to
reprioritize attention andensure her survival and the
survival of her baby.
But here's the catch there's adifference between adaptive
(07:23):
stress and chronic, unresolvedstress.
Adaptive stress promotesresilience, rewiring growth.
Chronic stress hijacks thenervous system, impairs healing
and rewires the brain for fear.
And when a mother is sleep,deprived, nutrient depleted,
alone, isolated, emotionallyunsupported, navigating
(07:44):
unresolved trauma and traumaticbirth, living in an
overstimulated, undernourishedculture, the brain shifts from
adaptive rewiring to maladaptiveprogramming.
And this is where we start tosee persistent brain fog, mood
instability, increased risk ofpostpartum anxiety or depression
(08:08):
, disconnection from self andothers, decision fatigue, rage,
emotional reactivity and, worstof all, this becomes the new
default.
The postpartum brain locks inwhatever environment it's
exposed to and if thatenvironment is stressed,
(08:28):
dysregulation being unsupported,it becomes the blueprint for
her whole entire motherhoodexperience and carries
throughout her entire life.
But here's the most importanttakeaway the brain is plastic,
okay, meaning not like plastic,as in like your water bottle or
(08:49):
you know bad dishes, right, itcan heal Plastic, meaning that
it transforms, it can move, itcan rewire again.
And this is where we asproviders come in right.
So I wanna add some reallyincredible mom brain science to
here before we come in and talkabout what we can do about this.
(09:12):
So we have the structural brainchanges that are long-term,
even permanent.
There was a study in 2016published by Nature Neuroscience
that found that gray mattervolume decreases in specific
brain regions during postpartum,but not in a bad way.
Right.
These reductions are linked toincreased efficiency in the
(09:34):
maternal brain, especially inareas tied to social cognition,
empathy and decision-making.
And the brain is becoming morespecialized, not less capable
More specialized, not lesscapable.
So the maternal brain isdesigned for attachment brain
(09:56):
and imaging shows that when amother sees her baby's face or
hears her baby cry, certainareas of the brain light up,
especially the amygdala,prefrontal cortex and reward
centers.
So this rewiring creates abiological drive toward
protection, empathy and bondingand explains why so many mothers
(10:18):
feel on edge, hyper alert orlike they just can't relax.
This is not anxiety, this is abiology.
Until it becomes dysregulatedby depletion or lack of support,
your brain literallyreorganizes and prioritizes
(10:39):
other things.
So research shows that mombrains help moms tune out
irrelevant information and focusintensely on the baby and the
environment, and this is why youmight forget your own birthday,
but you know your baby's poopschedule for the hour right, or
you know exactly what happenedfor your baby and when, and this
(10:59):
is adaptive behavior.
The brain is prioritizingsurvival.
It's not broken, it's laserfocused.
And then we also have oxytocin,which strengthens memory tied
to emotional connection.
Oxytocin, which strengthensmemory tied to emotional
connection, so oxytocin, alsocalled the love hormone, is high
during breastfeeding andbonding moments, and this
(11:21):
hormone helps strengthen memorycircuits related to emotional
learning and meaning meaning.
Moms tend to rememberemotionally charged events more
vividly, both positive andtraumatic, and that's why birth
traumatic or emotionallyheightened postpartum
experiences are often verydeeply embedded.
(11:44):
It's something that a mothernever forgets.
You always hear that right.
A mom will never forget howshe's cared for in postpartum.
This right here.
This is why Mom brain alsomakes you a better problem
solver.
So studies show that postpartumwomen score higher on tests of
emotional intelligence andmultitasking and creative
(12:05):
problem solving compared tonon-mothers, even with little
sleep, like it is due toenhanced connectivity in the
default mode network of thebrain.
So the brain system links toself-reflection and empathy and
planning and all of that juicyfun stuff.
Okay, and I want to take asidestep here and talk about
(12:28):
intrusive thoughts for a moment.
This is something that weabsolutely need to talk about
because it's so tied to thebrain changes.
Up to 80% of postpartum womenexperience intrusive thoughts,
and yet no one talks about whythey're actually happening and
what that means.
We instead typically relate itto depression or anxiety, and we
(12:52):
need to clear this up, relateit to depression or anxiety, and
we need to clear this up.
Intrusive thoughts are not asign of insanity or mood
disorder.
They are a sign of a braindoing exactly what it's wired to
do, which is protect.
In the postpartum period, amother's brain is hyper attuned
to threat.
This is again, not by a brokenbiology, it is primal biology
(13:16):
big difference.
So her brain is scanning fordanger.
And when there's chronic stressin the system lack of sleep,
nutrient depletion, depletion,trauma, dysregulation the brain
can't filter and signal from allof that noise.
So it overfires, it overwarns,it plays out worst case
(13:39):
scenarios on repeat.
So what if I drop the baby downthe stairs?
What if I fall asleep andsomething happens?
What if I lose control?
What if I get in this vehicleand it crashes right?
These are all automatic,unwanted, terrifying thoughts
and so many of us experience it.
This is like a real human,emotional, mother-like thing
(14:02):
that happens.
And here's the kicker themoment a mother has that thought
, it oftentimes creates shameand fear and a more stressed
response.
And that response, that stressresponse, fuels the stress loop
(14:22):
which amplifies the veryrewiring that created the
thought in the first place.
So the cycle deepens intrusivethought, fear, shame, stress,
stress, more intrusive thoughts.
And here's the truth.
Providers need to know this isnot pathological unless it
impairs function.
Right, that's a whole notherconversation.
(14:44):
This is not something tomedicate right away without
understanding the root.
What mothers need is validation.
You're not alone in this, youare not education.
Your brain is trying to protectyou and it's on high alert.
It's trying to protect yourbaby.
(15:06):
It's a biological normal.
And then we also need to knowregulation tools to help calm
the nervous system and create anew pathway of safety.
When we can explain what'shappening and offer tools that
calm and rewire, we stop thespiral before it cements into
something traumatic or mentalhealth issues.
(15:28):
Okay, so what do we do?
How do we support postpartumbrain recovery and where do we
go from here?
You cannot quote, unquote, fixrewiring brain with surface
level advice.
Most programs, whether they'retherapy or nutrition or
postpartum recovery, miss thisentirely.
(15:49):
They focus on isolatedstrategies like sleep when baby
sleeps, take this one supplement, try this medication right, and
while those things can help,they don't address the
foundational rewiring that'shappening in the postpartum
brain.
So we have to break this downand what this looks like.
So first, nutrition is firstand foremost.
(16:12):
You cannot create a calmnervous system if your body is
in a state of absolute depletion, because when you're in a state
of depletion, your body issending out warning signs saying
I can't function well and yournervous system cannot function
(16:32):
without the nutrients that arerequired to run it first and
foremost.
Second is nervous systemregulation.
Second is nervous systemregulation after nutrition.
We must calm the system, andusually this is something that
goes hand in hand, because ifyour nervous system is not calm,
you're not digesting your foodswell and vice versa.
(16:54):
Right, and it's.
It's such a catch-22.
So I always recommend, likethese things have to be done
together.
That that's why oftentimes,like if somebody focuses on one
area of healing and not theother, then everything kind of
crumbles or doesn't feel like itworks, because they all are
necessary together.
Healing takes time.
(17:15):
It doesn't operate in a vacuumin each of these pieces.
So nervous system regulationcomes with eating well and they
go hand in hand.
The brain cannot rewire forsafety when it's in survival
mode, right, and so regulationfor the nervous system might
(17:35):
look like eating well, vagaltoning, breath work, and not
just deep breathing butintentional patterned breath.
Body-based trauma releasetechniques.
I love TRE therapy I talk aboutit in my book and show you
exactly how to do it.
And reclaiming postpartumwellness.
(17:56):
If you don't have my book, goto Amazon.
Type in reclaiming postpartumwellness, add it to your cart,
get it.
It is amazing, and I talk aboutthese very techniques and show
you exactly how to use them inthere.
And then, of course, safeco-regulating relationships.
We often miss this piece, butif we're not feeling safe in our
(18:17):
home, with our relationships,with our partners, if we're
always feeling on edge, thenwe're not going to ever feel
good in our bodies.
Okay, and this is not justspeaking to those who might have
abusive relationships or verydifficult relationships, I'm
just talking about in generallike someone you love, you're
married to it's not an abusiverelationship, but you feel like
(18:40):
you're walking on eggshells.
Maybe you're both sleepdeprived, like you both need
this kind of support, andnobody's going to get regulated
and feel good and feel safewithin the body.
If we're not safe in our home?
Okay, then we also need to haveconsistent nutritional
(19:01):
repletion, right?
I already mentioned thisomega-3s, b vitamins, iron and
magnesium protein daily, becausethose amino acids they build
neurotransmitters.
It's not optional, this is notoptional stuff, this is
biochemical reality.
Without repletion, the brainsimply cannot function at full
(19:21):
capacity.
And then, of course, we havesleep Rhythm and restoration.
The postpartum brain isincredibly sensitive to
circadian rhythm.
That doesn't mean that you needeight hours of uninterrupted
sleep, right?
This is where we laugh, ha haha, lol.
But it does mean creatingconsistent sleep cues like
(19:45):
darkness, quiet, calm before bed, no phones, catching sleep
early in the night so that thebrain cleanses itself during
this time.
Supporting naps, co-sleepingsetups, partner support.
And sleep is not just rest,it's like active brain repair.
(20:05):
And then there's gentlecognitive rebuilding, instead of
bypassing symptoms withpositive thinking, which does
make a difference.
Okay, let's, let's just talkabout that for a second.
Positive thinking does make ahuge difference, but it doesn't
mean ignoring the realities,right?
We need moms to be able to nameher feelings, refrain fear as
(20:31):
protection.
Sometimes it's a matter, and Iused to tell moms this all the
time when I was coaching, and Idid this myself as a mother who
had intrusive thoughts, as we,so many of us do.
Right, I had to tell my brainthat it's okay, that my body is
working really good, my brain isworking so hard to protect my
baby, and that this is just amessage that says, hey, there's
(20:55):
danger and there is right,there's danger walking down the
steps, just as there's dangergetting into a vehicle.
All of those have moments andyour brain is recognizing those
moments.
Just living right Can bedangerous sometimes and our
brains recognize it, our bodiesrecognize it.
So I'd be like, oh, thank you,thank you for that information.
I understand that this might bea dangerous situation and I
(21:20):
also trust that I'm going to beperfectly safe.
And amazingly, it had such aprofound effect.
And I see it with my clientstoo.
They understand that refrainand it feels really good to them
.
Practice pattern interruptionwith compassion.
This is one of the things thatwe do.
(21:41):
It's refraining fear asprotection and then interrupting
that pattern with love andcompassion rather than fear.
And oh my gosh, I can't believe.
I just thought that uglythought.
And what am I and who am I?
This is terrible and I don'twanna think this.
And then you get yourself throwninto a spiral and anchor into
real life wins okay, notaffirmations that feel fake, but
(22:05):
just like I woke up thismorning and I grabbed a cup of
coffee and I was able to take afew sips while it was still warm
.
That is incredible, right?
Just recognize those littlemoments of like I got dressed
today or I, you know, I took ashower or I got to shave my
(22:26):
armpits.
Like I don't care, whatever itis, that feels good.
It just picks something smallthat feels good, like those were
the things that felt good forme in the moment.
Or like I got to, you know,sleep in an extra 15 minutes,
whatever it is.
Just pick something tiny thatyou could go on that says, ah, I
did, I had a win, right, I hada win and it doesn't need to
(22:51):
feel big, right, we just needlittle tools that help her meet
her brain where it is andtransition and defense and
growth, and stop treatingpostpartum like it's a checklist
to bounce back from right.
The postpartum brain is beingrebuilt from the ground up and
(23:12):
then we need to treat it likesacred living architecture that
gives its and then and then herewe are giving it the materials
that actually needs to growduring this time.
Okay, so we've got to reclaimthat mom brain.
It is a superpower, not aproblem, right?
(23:32):
We all have heard it the mombrain, and usually it's said
with frustration orembarrassment or shame, like
we've been, you know, forgetfuland scattered or somehow broken
and we don't have it alltogether.
But what if being in a place ofhaving mom brain is where it's
(23:52):
all at, where we are actuallyrecognizing that we are one of
the most powerful evolutionaryupgrades and our experiences are
about to skyrocket?
Because the truth is, thematernal brain changes more
after birth than at any othertime in a woman's life, even
more than puberty.
(24:13):
Okay, put that in your pocketfor a second.
This rewiring doesn't make usweaker.
It makes us more intuitive,more emotionally attuned, more
protective, morecommunity-minded, more efficient
with decision-making skills and, in fact, the postpartum brain
(24:34):
prunes what's unnecessary andstrengthens neural pathways that
prioritize survival, attachmentand problem solving.
So the mom brain is not theproblem, it's the system that
fails to support thetransformation.
We call it forgetfulness, butreally it's hyper-focused on the
things that matter most thebaby's needs, your safety, the
(24:58):
rhythms of the home, theemotional temperature of your
family.
The rhythms of the home, theemotional temperature of your
family.
If you feel like you havechanged after having a baby,
it's because you literally haveyour brain is working
differently, not worse, justdifferent, deeper, wiser, and
this is what we all go throughas moms.
(25:21):
Okay, so I will leave you withthis let's not pathologize a
transformation.
Stop apologizing for yourpostpartum brain.
Stop labeling the symptomswithout addressing the roots.
If you're listening into this,y'all don't do this.
I understand, and we have toshare this with others so that
(25:43):
they know not to do this too.
We have a new standard now, andthat standard is supporting,
nourishing, regulating and doingall of this with reverence.
And as providers, it's our jobto be the guides who help
mothers reclaim this rite ofpassage, not provide just a
diagnosis.
This rite of passage, notprovide just a diagnosis.
(26:07):
If you loved this episode andwant to go deeper into the
science and support andstrategies that actually help
moms recover and mental healthand all the things postpartum,
join us and over 10,000providers inside our weekly
newsletter, inside our weeklynewsletter, the Postpartum
Provider Press, go topostpartumu, the letter, ucom,
slash press and get the clinicaltools and the truth bombs and
(26:29):
all of the science and links toall of that and we deliver that
every Wednesday.
Let's rewire the way we care forpostpartum one brain at a time.
Thanks for being here.
Postpartum one brain at a time.
Thanks for being here.
Thanks so much for being a partof this crucial conversation.
(26:54):
I know you're dedicated toadvancing postpartum care and if
you're ready to dig deeper,come and join us on our
newsletter, where I shareexclusive insights, resources
and the latest tools to help youmake a lasting impact on
postpartum health.
Sign up at postpartumu theletter ucom which is in the show
notes, and if you found today'sepisode valuable, please leave
(27:15):
a review to help us reach moreproviders like you.
Together, we're building afuture where mothers are fully
supported and thriving.
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