In Today's Issue:
đĽ Grateful, Fired Up, and Officially CEU Approved!
𤧠Allergies Medications Increases Postpartum Depression: What's Really Driving the Risk?
đ§ New on the Podcast: Why Women NEED Fat
đŁ Is Birth Control Hijacking Postpartum Recovery?
đ˝ď¸ Seasonal Sanity Saver: My 6-Week Rotating Meal Plan
đĽ Grateful, Fired Up, and Officially CEU Approved!
đĽ Wow. Last weekâs masterclass was on fire. The feedback has been pouring inâand I just want to say thank you. Your messages, insights, and aha moments reminded me why I do this work. These masterclasses are my way of giving back, of making sure this life-changing information reaches the people who need it most. And based on your responses⌠itâs working.
Now for the BIG news...
We are officially approved for 24 CEUs through NANP for the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Program! This is such a massive milestone. NANP is an organization rooted in science, integrity, and truly holistic careâand we are so proud to be aligned with them. This is one more step toward making sure postpartum care is recognized, respected, and rooted in what actually works.
đ If youâre not already on the waitlist for the next cohort this fall, go do that now: www.PostpartumU.com/waitlist
Letâs keep raising the standard in postpartum together. đ
𤧠Allergies Medications Increases Postpartum Depression: What's Really Driving the Risk?
A new study out of Harvard is bringing important attention to something many of us see in practice but rarely talk about: the link between allergic rhinitis (AR) and postpartum depression (PPD).
The data is compellingâpregnant women with AR are significantly more likely to experience PPD, and several factors increase that risk even further with the use of anti-allergy medications used during pregnancy.
But this raises a bigger question:
Is it the medications themselves? Or are we actually looking at the severity of symptoms and underlying inflammation that requires those meds in the first place?
We know that allergic rhinitis is more than a stuffy nose. Itâs a chronic inflammatory conditionâand inflammation is a well-established precursor to depression. That makes this more than a seasonal issue. It's a systemic one.
This study doesnât give us all the answers, but it adds fuel to a critical conversation. As we keep digging into the immune-nervous system connection in postpartum, this is yet another sign that we need integrative, root-cause careânot just for physical comfort, but for mental health outcomes, too.
đ Read the full study: Allergic Rhinitis and Postpartum Depression: A Nomogram-Based Predictive Model
đ§ New on the Podcast: Why Women NEED Fat
What if everything weâve been told about fat, weight, and womenâs health was built for men? In this episode, Dr. Beth Westie breaks down why womenâs bodies are biologically wired to need more fat, especially in the postpartum yearsâand what happens when we donât get enough. From hormones to healing to the myth of "bouncing back," this conversation will leave you rethinking everything about how we nourish ourselves.
đ Listen here
đŁ Is Birth Control Hijacking Postpartum Recovery?
At the standard 6-week postpartum checkup, often the only follow-up visit a mother receives, thereâs one thing you can count on being offered: birth control. Not nourishment. Not nervous system support. Not an assessment of trauma, digestion, hormones, or mental health. Just contraception.
And now? We have compelling research that shows this routine practice is actually be causing harm.
A new study of over 610,000 first-time mothers published in JAMA Network Open just dropped a bombshell: Hormonal contraceptive use postpartum is associated with a 49% higher risk of developing depression within the first year after birth.
The type of birth control mattered too:
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Combined oral contraceptives showed the strongest association with negative outcomes.
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Progestogen-only pills had a unique trajectoryâshowing lower risk early postpartum, but increased risk later in the year.
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The overall takeaway? This isnât a one-size-fits-all approach.
This research raises critical questions:
đ§ Is hormonal birth control in the early postpartum period interacting with inflammation, depletion, and hormonal upheaval in ways we havenât fully understood?
đż Should we be prioritizing healing and recovery before layering on synthetic hormones?
đŁ And most importantlyâwhy is this the default care?
This isnât about demonizing birth controlâitâs about demanding better, more nuanced care. Postpartum women deserve more than a prescription. They deserve real recovery.
đ˝ď¸ Seasonal Sanity Saver: My 6-Week Rotating Meal Plan
Every season, I sit down and create a 6-week rotating meal plan for my family. Itâs simple, nourishing, and saves me from decision fatigue every single day. I build it based on what weâve got stocked from our freezer and what we canned last fallâbecause here in Alaska, thatâs how we roll.
Now, fun fact⌠I have four freezers.
We fish for salmon and halibut, hunt moose, and order a whole cow every year. It sounds intense, and it kind of is. But up here, youâre not really Alaskan unless youâve got more than one freezer. (Wild, considering the outdoors is one giant freezer half the year.)
But here's the important part: You absolutely do not need multiple freezers to use this meal plan.
Whether your fridge is jam-packed or you're just trying to make weeknight meals easier, this rotation is built to work with any lifestyle. Google the recipes you like, swap ingredients for what you have, and make it your own.
Hereâs a peek at whatâs on our seasonal menu right nowâreal food, zero stress, and yes⌠moose burgers included.
This is what helps me feed my family well without reinventing the wheel every week. Hope it helps you too. đ
Talk soon,
Maranda Bower
CEO & Founder of Postpartum UniversityÂŽ
www.PostpartumU.com
Current Ways You Can Work With Postpartum UniversityÂŽ
đSign up for the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Waitlist
đFREE Provider's Postpartum Nutrition Toolkit
đ§ Perinatal Mental Health Certificate Training
đ New! Nominate a Postpartum Pro for the Spotlight
đ Know someone who gets it?
This newsletter is basically a secret handshake for providers who are done with surface-level postpartum care and want something deeper, realer, and rooted in truth. Forward this to your peopleâthe ones who need to be in on these conversations.
đ They can join us here: www.postpartumu.com/newsletter
