The Power of the Postpartum Brain: Calming New Mom Anxiety

Most new mothers bring their infants to the doctor but ignore any distressing feelings or sensations they might themselves have―that sense of being “rattled” at many moments throughout the day and night. Dr. Nicole Pensak helps new mothers feel informed, validated, and guided through matrescence. After giving birth, a woman often feels like a completely different person. It may sound dramatic, but the rollercoaster of physical and psychological changes affects brain and body in a similar way that adolescence changes us. To compound that, many women hide these feelings, worrying that something is wrong with them.

Dr. Nicole Pensak is here to reassure us that being “rattled” is normal, and not at all surprising. After all, seismic changes in identity and emotion have occurred. Research shows that a woman’s brain shifts in real, biological ways very quickly after giving birth. Many women become hypervigilant, for good reason: the brain is telling her to stay alert because she has a human to keep alive and safe. While these brainpower boosts can cause anxious feelings, they can also help to manage the distress and harness the advantages of the postpartum brain. In fact, this is a time of neuroplasticity, when the brain is more receptive to positive reinforcement. Trained at Yale and Harvard and certified in perinatal mental health, Dr. Pensak provides practical and emotional support, helping to relieve the anxiety and pressure for perfection in motherhood and paving the way for a better beginning for families and babies.

Objectives:
1) Understand the risks and strengths of the postpartum brain and how to harness the changes to your advantage.
2) Create a fool-proof postpartum mental health care plan.
3) Better understand matrescence, mom guilt, mom shame, mom rage, and back to work.

This webinar is not eligible for continuing education hour