Hi Lady! Today's guest host, Maranda Bower of Postpartum University, shares excerpts from her long-form article "Postpartum Digestion is not Normal Digestion." (full article link is below) As an example, "Nourishment is not defined by the nutrient content of food alone, but by what the body can actually break down and transport and utilize. Food that cannot be digested is not nourishing, no matter how clean, dense, or well-intentioned it appears on paper. Postpartum nutrition fails when it assumes that digestion is intact, and it's not." I can't wait for you to hear the rest, including why this isn't just a hormonal problem, how long this altered postpartum digestion lasts, and more.

Full show notes, including links for Maranda's Postpartum Nutrition Plan, Postpartum Nutrition Specialist Certification, and the full "Postpartum Digestion is not Normal Digestion" article, on the blog at postpartumonpurpose.com/my-blog. Follow Maranda on Instagram @postpartumuniversity. Get in touch annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com.

Oh, lady. :) This episode has been in my heart and mind for such a long time. And it's not a quick listen. But here is the heartbreak and hope of my experience with postpartum OCD. If you struggle with your mental health during postpartum, know another mom who does, or are afraid of being hit by a PMAD (perinatal mood or anxiety disorder), this episode is for you. And if you're not affected but your partner is or might be, it's for you, too. As Sarah Clarkson writes in her heartwrenching, compelling, breathtakingly hopeful OCD memoir, "This Beautiful Truth: How God's Goodness Breaks into Our Darkness," "Good is always coming towards us." In this episode, I share the good that's come towards me amidst a struggle I once believed would swallow me whole.

Get in touch at annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com. Links to related episodes are always in the episode blog post over at postpartumonpurpose.com.

Gentle reminder that nothing in this episode should be construed as medical advice or education. Always consult a trusted healthcare professional with questions.

Hi Lady! In today's guest episode, Marianne shares her experience of postpartum just months after moving with her family to a new state where she knew a grand total of no one. Here's what was hard and what helped.

Remember to check out the full show notes at postpartumonpurpose.com. Get in touch at annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com.

Hey Lady! Around 8 months postpartum after the last couple babies, I notice in a particular way that my stomach isn't flat or firm. Of course, right? I've grown and birthed 5 babies now. But that doesn't mean I don't notice. Here's the attitude I choose and the practical things I do when I recognize all over again that, even if the baby weight is gone (and this time it's not yet), my stomach doesn't look like I might wish.

Head to postpartumonpurpose.com for the full show notes and links to related episodes plus resources I mentioned in this episode. Get in touch annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com.

Hey Lady! I'm fortunate to know today's guest host personally, and I'm truly grateful she agreed to share her story of her son's inexplicable healing from a serious heart condition, even amidst her own struggles with postpartum medical complications. If you or someone you love are facing the unknown of a serious medical diagnosis for their baby, even one the medical team doesn't fully understand, this episode is especially for you. And if you want evidence that God still moves and works in the lives of his people; that, in the words of Mr. Beaver in the Chronicles of Narnia, "Aslan is on the move," this episode is for you, too.

Listen to related episodes over at postpartumonpurpose.com and check out all the latest blog articles on postpartum-related topics. Get in touch at annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com.

Hi Lady! In this episode, I talk (at length!) about the idea of losing yourself in motherhood or not feeling like yourself after baby. I share how many hours of consecutive sleep I've found I need bare minimum in order to not feel like a zombie. But then I ask you to consider the question: what does it mean to you to 'lose yourself' or 'not feel like yourself' during postpartum?

The three themes that have emerged at different times, sometimes all at once, over my various postpartums are:

-being needed all*the*time

-fear of failing my child or children, failing to meet their needs, "ruining" them by not choosing the right parenting technique, etc.

-being unable to do the things I once enjoyed, either due to lack of time or lack of energy/creativity

I close with three specific things you can do to feel more like yourself, to regain your sense of self in motherhood.

Links to the resources I mentioned in this episode, including Emily Stimpson Chapman's Substack essay, Leah Libresco Sargeant's book, and Emily Wilson Hussem's book, will be in the blogpost for this episode at postpartumonpurpose.com/blog.

Get in touch at annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com.

Hi Lady! I last did a Postpartum State of the Union address ;) at 4 months postpartum, so I thought it was time for another. Here's how things are going with baby's sleep and eating and walking and teething, plus mom's exercise/activity/healing/movement, weight loss, mood, cycles/return of fertility, and more. I hope what comes across in this episode is the idea that, yes, generally improve and progress as you move through postpartum, but at any given time there're usually some area/s that are still in-process. And that's OK.

Remember to check out the blog at postpartumonpurpose.com for extra notes (including past episodes you might be interested in plus any related articles I've written on the topic). Per always, I'd love for you to share this episode with a mom friend.

Hi Lady! When today's guest host reached out to me about hosting an episode on a breastfeeding-related topic, my initial reaction was that I have a fair amount of breastfeeding content already. But when I learned the 'why' behind her decision to become an IBCLC (international board certified lactation consultant), I realized it was my privilege to share her story with you. Here's one woman's experience courageously choosing life and then navigating postpartum as a high school student. After hearing Amber's story, I'm signing us up for the local pregnancy resource center's annual fundraising walk, and emailing their nurse manager about this podcast to share with their clients. What action will you take to support teen moms in your area?

Learn more about Amber and Latch Link, the company she founded: https://www.instagram.com/thelatchlink/, https://thelatchlink.com/.

All podcast episodes can now be played directly through the website, postpartumonpurpose.com, and every blog post has the link to the episode plus past episodes or related articles you might also enjoy.