In the week of World Mental Health Day (Thursday October 10) and Baby Loss Awareness Week, Vikki Stephenson, ‘passionate advocate of perinatal mental health’ launches the second programme in Series 3 of her Blue MumDays’ podcast.
Blue MumDays ‘dispels myths, normalises the conversation and
smashes the stigma of perinatal illness’ while offering ‘a safe
space, encouraging self-compassion and uplifting with frank – and
sometimes funny – conversations around all things perinatal’.
Vikki, a former BBC award-winning Senior Creative started the podcast during the Covid pandemic, as a way of ‘trying to give back after my own recovery from birth trauma and postnatal depression’. She says she wanted to reach out to parents struggling at home and feeling isolated and alone… ‘a comforting hand in the darkness’; each episode bringing experts and those with lived experience of perinatal mental health issues to the table, while signposting to help in the show notes.
The latest episode goes out on all major podcast platforms (October 7); ‘Extreme Sickness, Intrusive Thoughts: Hyperemesis, Hallucinations and Healing’ is the second part of a discussion with Sarah Edge, a perinatal specialist psychotherapist.
In the first part in September, Sarah shared her deeply personal and emotional journey through pregnancy, childbirth…her experiences with breastfeeding trauma and grief, the stark contrast between her expectations and the reality of motherhood. The episode also explored societal pressures and the impact of invalidation on mental health. (*Trigger Warning: *birth trauma, neonatal intensive care, breastfeeding trauma, feelings of suicide and baby loss.)
Sarah Edge, S3 Ep35: ‘Breastfeeding Trauma and Grief’
Latest episode here
Below link to a previous episode with Keji Moses: founder/CEO of charity to empower those affected by pregnancy loss.
Karen Hooper