In Today's Issue:
- The shocking gaps in professional training that leave providers feeling helpless
- Why nutrition IS mental health care (and how most providers miss this)
- New research linking vitamin D deficiency to maternal depression
Last week, a therapist sent me a message that broke my heart:
"I've been treating postpartum women for 8 years. After listening to your podcast, I realized I've been missing the most important piece all along. Why didn't anyone teach me that her panic attacks might be blood sugar crashes?"
This is the reality for most providers working with postpartum women. You went to school, got your degree, and started practicing... only to discover that your formal education left out the most crucial information you need.
You're not broken. You were under-trained.
After working with hundreds of providers across every discipline — therapists, nutritionists, doulas, midwives, IBCLCs — I hear the same five things over and over: "I wish someone had taught me this in school."
Listen: The 5 Missing Pieces That Change Everything →
Here's what's keeping providers up at night, and why it matters so much:
1. Nutrition IS Mental Health Care That mom with "postpartum depression"? Her B vitamins are likely crashed from breastfeeding. Her "anxiety"? Could be magnesium depletion. Her "mood swings"? Blood sugar instability from skipping meals while caring for a newborn.
99% of mental health providers never learn this connection. Meanwhile, I have clients whose "depression" lifts in days once we address their nutritional foundation.
2. You Can't Heal What You Don't Understand Most providers are treating symptoms without understanding the root transformation happening in postpartum. Her irritability isn't a character flaw — it's her nervous system rewiring while running on empty reserves.
3. Postpartum Isn't a Diagnosis — It's a Metamorphosis When we pathologize normal biological transformation, we miss the opportunity to guide women through one of the most profound changes of their lives.
This episode breaks down all five gaps that leave providers feeling helpless, and gives you the framework to finally feel confident in your postpartum care.
Get the Complete Breakdown Clicking Here→
Because the women seeking your care deserve providers who understand what's really happening in their bodies and minds.
The Science is Catching Up
Speaking of nutrition and mental health, two recent studies just validated what we've been seeing clinically:
Vitamin D Deficiency & Maternal Depression: New research shows the direct connection between vitamin D levels and postpartum mood disorders — with deficient mothers showing significantly higher depression rates.
Dietary Needs of Postpartum Women: Another study finally acknowledges that the "300-500 extra calories" guidance is woefully inadequate, revealing the complex nutritional demands of postpartum recovery.
The research is finally backing up what holistic providers have known for years: you can't separate nutrition from mental health, especially in postpartum.
Listen to The 5 Things No One Taught You About Postpartum
Research: Relationship Between Vitamin D Deficiency and Postpartum Depression
Research: Occupational influences on dietary quality among postpartum women
Stay fierce, stay rooted,
Maranda Bower
CEO & Founder of Postpartum University®
www.PostpartumU.com
