In Today's Issue:

🧠 Low Cortisol, High Risk: A Fascinating New Link to Postpartum Depression
🩸 Beyond Birth: Reclaiming the Sacred Truth

🎙️ The Core Conversation That’s Missing (and Why It’s Not About Kegels)
📚 3 Books That Are Blowing My Mind (and Reshaping Postpartum Care)

QUICK NOTE: We’re planning something truly special for Mother's Day, and it involves giving back to an incredible organization I’ve been personally supporting for the last 2.5 years. I can't wait to share more with you soon... stay tuned! 💛

🧠 Low Cortisol, High Risk: A Fascinating New Link to Postpartum Depression

A groundbreaking study recently published in Scientific Reports sheds new light on a crucial but overlooked factor influencing postpartum mental health: cortisol levels in early pregnancy.

The research by Sobol et al. (2025) demonstrates that low hair cortisol concentration during the first trimester is significantly linked to increased risk for postpartum depressive symptoms.

Interestingly, the connection between low cortisol and postpartum depression appears to be mediated by what's called a "fatalistic time perspective"—a mindset of passivity, helplessness, and a belief that outcomes are beyond one's control.

This finding may initially seem counterintuitive, as elevated cortisol levels are commonly associated with stress and depression. However, emerging research, including this latest study, reveals that low cortisol levels might reflect chronic stress, feelings of helplessness, and cumulative emotional exhaustion.

What does this mean for postpartum care?

First, it highlights the urgent need for early pregnancy screenings beyond typical mental health questionnaires. Measuring hair cortisol could provide vital insight into a mother's mental health trajectory, potentially flagging those most at risk for postpartum depression before symptoms arise.

It reinforces what many of us have known and felt for a long time: the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is not enough. We’ve talked about this before—how we’re screening for depression using a narrow set of questions during a narrow timeframe, while missing the deeper physiological story.

Second, it underscores a deeper, systemic truth: Postpartum mental health can't be fully addressed through symptom-based approaches alone. We must also address underlying emotional states, societal stressors, and the fundamental sense of empowerment and control women have over their lives and pregnancies.

As someone who deeply values both science and the sacred, I find this intersection of physiological data and emotional-spiritual insight profoundly compelling. Postpartum well-being requires both the measurable (cortisol, nutrition, hormones) and the immeasurable (emotional support, community, empowerment).

Do you feel this deeper connection too? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Hit reply and let me know how this resonates with your experience or practice.

👉 Dive deeper into the full study here.

🩸 Beyond Birth: Reclaiming the Sacred Truth

As a science lover, I deeply appreciate evidence-based care. Yet, postpartum healing is more than numbers and clinical checklists.

It’s a sacred threshold that deserves reverence, support, and nourishment on every level—physical, emotional, and spiritual.

Here’s what deeply concerns me: despite unprecedented medical advancements, mothers are still not truly healing. The United States, with all its resources and healthcare innovation, still ranks alarmingly high in maternal mortality rates among developed nations.

Almost one in four mothers experiences significant postpartum mental health struggles, yet nearly half receive no adequate care.

In researching for my upcoming book, I found myself reflecting deeply:

"Postpartum wasn’t always a wound. There was a time when the weeks after birth were held as a sacred portal between worlds, not just for the baby, but for the mother. She was surrounded, well-nourished, and tended to. Elders pressed herbs into her skin while she wept and laughed and healed. There was no rush, no bounce back, no quiet suffering behind closed doors. There was rhythm. Ritual. Remembering."

Today's postpartum reality is a stark contrast. Most mothers are handed a quick checklist at their six-week appointment and cleared to "return to normal."

But postpartum isn’t something you "bounce back" from; it’s something you cross into, and it demands a deeper acknowledgment.

This discrepancy is what we're up against, and what we must actively challenge. Women deserve integrative care, community support, and space to genuinely heal.

🎙️ The Core Conversation That’s Missing (and Why It’s Not About Kegels)

This week, I sat down with Dr. Jena Bradley, physical therapist, postpartum core restoration coach, and mom of four, for what started as a conversation on pelvic floor health… but turned into something much bigger.

Because here’s the truth: we’ve reduced postpartum recovery to a checklist of core exercises and Kegels—and it’s just not cutting it. While physical healing matters, it’s only one layer in a deeply sacred process that demands so much more than "tighten and tone."

If you've ever rolled your eyes at the "get your body back" culture or felt that something deeper is being overlooked—this one's for you.

🎧 Listen now to the full episode and find out why this conversation isn’t what it seems… and why that matters.

📚 3 Books That Are Blowing My Mind (and Reshaping Postpartum Care)

Every so often, I come across a resource that feels like a breath of fresh air in the postpartum space—and lately, I’ve been gifted not one, but three books that are doing just that. Written by brilliant women in our field, these are the kind of works you’ll want on your shelf, your nightstand, and in the hands of every client.

✨ Mothershift by Jessie Harrold
This book is a reverent, soul-level deep dive into matrescence—the process of becoming a mother. Jessie’s work captures the transformation so many of us feel but don’t have words for. Her upcoming podcast interview with me is one of my favorite conversations to date, and trust me… you’ll feel it too.

✨ Your Postpartum Body by Ruth Macy & Courtney Naliboff
A beautifully designed guide that looks at the entire body in postpartum recovery. It’s practical, body-positive, and deeply supportive in a way few resources are. I don’t often see books that give actual healing advice for postpartum beyond the basics—but this one delivers.

✨ The Motherhood Reset by Dr. Hilary Claire
I’ve just begun diving into this one, but wow. This book is about reclaiming calm, confidence, and contentment in the chaos of motherhood—and it’s already speaking directly to my nervous system. If you’ve ever felt overstretched, under-supported, or lost in the shuffle, this is a must-read.

Let’s support these women. Let’s share their work. And let’s keep amplifying the voices that are redefining postpartum care from the inside out. 💛

Got a book you’re loving right now? Hit reply and tell me what’s on your shelf!

Stay fierce, stay rooted,
Maranda Bower
CEO & Founder of Postpartum University®
www.PostpartumU.com

Current Ways You Can Work With Postpartum University®
🔔Sign up for the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Waitlist
🎒FREE Provider's Postpartum Nutrition Toolkit
🧠Perinatal Mental Health Certificate Training

🌟 New! Nominate a Postpartum Pro for the Spotlight

💌 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 people—the ones who need to be in on these conversations.

👉 They can join us here: www.postpartumu.com/newsletter