Quick Update: Thanks to YOU, we’ve already raised an incredible amount for The Exodus Road, supporting the fight against sex trafficking and the restoration of women’s lives. Because of the overwhelming response, we’re extending this mission—through the entire month, a portion of every Perinatal Mental Health Training purchase will continue to go directly to The Exodus Road. ❤️
In Today's Issue:
🧠Uncovering Truth in Perinatal Mental Health
đź’Ą Mother Worry vs. Postpartum Anxiety: The Conversation Every Provider (and Mother) Needs
🔬 LATEST RESEARCH: Is the Immune System Responsible for PMADS?
đź‘€ Coming Soon: A Game-Changing Resource for Postpartum Care Providers
🧠Uncovering Truth in Perinatal Mental Health
Truth is never as polished as we'd like it to be. It's layered, sometimes messy, and often quietly pushed aside when it doesn't align with dominant narratives. As we recognize Perinatal Mental Health Month, I want to explore where we find truth in maternal care, who gets to define it, and how easily valuable perspectives can be overlooked.
Let's start with organizations like Postpartum Support International, who have done tremendous work raising awareness and providing resources for struggling mothers.
Yet as with many established organizations, funding relationships can subtly shape messaging. In recent years, I've observed PSI's increased focus on pharmaceutical interventions for postpartum mood disorders. While these medications are vital tools for many mothers, the prominence of pharmaceutical sponsors raises important questions about balanced representation of all effective approaches.
When a well-respected organization predominantly highlights one treatment modality, we need to consider what other options might be receiving less attention, including nutritional approaches, herbal support, and culturally-rooted healing practices that have helped women for generations.
Here's another truth you need to know:
Recently, I was invited to participate in a documentary about postpartum support highlighting retreats. The producers sought my perspective as someone who wouldn't sugarcoat the challenges. They needed "an expert to bring balance," they said.
What happened next was revealing: when the postpartum retreat didn't unfold as planned, the entire segment was cut and the documentary focus changed. Not because my insights weren't valid, but because I was right in what I said would happen and it didn't fit the narrative they had envisioned.
And let's also talk about science.
Let me be clear: I believe deeply in research-based practice. But evidence comes in many forms beyond just randomized controlled trials, which come with their own limitations:
- Funding bias influences which studies get conducted and published
- Methodological constraints can disadvantage holistic approaches that are harder to standardize
- Culturally-rooted practices often lack the funding for extensive clinical validation, despite generations of effectiveness
Before we had the DSM and diagnostic questionnaires, we had rhythm, ritual, and community care. Postpartum healing wasn't reduced to a checklist—it was treated as a sacred passage. Women were nourished, supported, and held by their communities.
I'd be remiss not to acknowledge our own perspective at Postpartum University. We carry biases too:
- We prioritize nutritional and holistic approaches because we've seen them work when other methods haven't
- We value ancestral wisdom alongside modern research
- We believe maternal care should address root causes, not just manage symptoms
- We're skeptical of one-size-fits-all solutions, especially when they're heavily marketed
We're funded solely by the providers who choose to learn with us, which gives us independence but also shapes our focus. We're transparent about these biases because they inform everything we teach.
As providers committed to supporting mothers, I invite you to develop a discerning eye. When consuming information about maternal care, consider:
- Who funded this research or message?
- Which voices or approaches might be missing?
- What assumptions am I accepting without question?
- How does this align with the lived experiences of the mothers I serve?
Truth in maternal care isn't owned by any single organization, discipline, or tradition. It emerges when we create space for multiple perspectives, listen deeply to mothers themselves, and remain committed to questioning even our most comfortable assumptions.
At Postpartum University, we don't claim to have all the answers. But we're committed to asking better questions and creating space for the full, complex truth of what mothers need to heal and thrive.
Where are you finding your truth? Hit reply, let me know how this resonates with you too!
đź’Ą Mother Worry vs. Postpartum Anxiety: The Conversation Every Provider (and Mother) Needs
Let me be honest with you: this is one of the most important conversations we’ve had on the podcast. I know, I know—I say that often. But this one? It cracked open something deep. Not just in me, but in so many of the providers and moms who’ve already tuned in.
This week, I sat down with Kathryn Lopez, a licensed therapist, life coach, and true light in the world of perinatal mental health and sex and intimacy therapy. Together, we tackled a topic that is so often misunderstood and under-discussed: the difference between normal mother worry and clinical postpartum anxiety.
And here’s the thing…
🔍 Most moms don’t know where that line is.
👀 Most providers aren’t trained to truly spot it.
đź’” And too many families are suffering because of it.
We broke down everything: from the survival bias of motherhood (yes, your nervous system is doing exactly what it was designed to do) to why so many women silently spiral in their own minds, wondering if they’re “just tired” or truly not okay. And yes—we went deep on intrusive thoughts, postpartum rage, and the quiet grief that sneaks in when your life suddenly looks nothing like it used to.
If you’ve ever sat with a mom who says “I don’t feel like myself,” but can’t put her finger on why...
If you’ve ever felt like that mom...
You need to listen to this episode.
🎧 Listen to Episode: Mother Worry vs. Postpartum Anxiety with Kathryn Lopez →
Trust me, it’s one to send to every provider, every friend, every client.
And because it’s Perinatal Mental Health Month, we’re not pulling any punches. We’re diving deep into the real stories, the real needs, and the real support mothers deserve.
Your voice matters here. Let’s keep this conversation going.
🔬 LATEST RESEARCH: Is the Immune System Responsible for PMADS?
What if postpartum depression isn’t just “in your head”—but rooted deep in your immune system?
A groundbreaking 2025 review published in Expert Review of Clinical Immunology is shaking up our understanding of perinatal mental health. The paper reveals a powerful connection between immune system dysregulation and postpartum mood disorders, such as postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis.
Here's what you need to know:
The Emotional Brain Depends on Immune Health
Microglia and T cells—traditionally known for immune defense—are actually central to building and regulating the emotional centers of the brain. When inflammation kicks in, especially after childbirth, this emotional regulation system falters.
Postpartum Inflammation is Real (and Risky)
While a healthy postpartum immune response involves a surge in regulatory T cells and temporary activation of monocytes, those with postpartum mood disorders show a blunted T cell response and persistent low-grade inflammation—a perfect storm for mood dysregulation.
These Immune Shifts Mirror Bipolar and Major Depression
Postpartum psychosis and early-onset postpartum depression show immune profiles nearly identical to bipolar disorder—with inflammatory monocytes, T cell depletion, and cortisol resistance. This supports the idea that childbirth may trigger a breakdown in those already on a neuro-immune trajectory toward mood disorders.
What This Means for Treatment:
While this paper is a landmark in connecting immune function with postpartum mood disorders, we need to pause before jumping to celebrate the “new treatments” it proposes.
The authors suggest several immunotherapies—like low-dose IL-2 and TNF-alpha blockers—as potential root-cause treatments. But here’s the truth:
🛑 They’re not root cause care.
These therapies aim to manipulate immune behavior (like boosting T cells or suppressing inflammation), but they don’t ask the most essential question:
Why is the immune system dysregulated in the first place?
This is a common pattern in medical science:
We observe a change in function (e.g., fewer regulatory T cells, activated microglia, low cortisol response) and assume that reversing that change is the treatment. But these immune alterations are not the origin of the disorder—they are symptoms of deeper imbalances.
Why are these women’s immune systems inflamed or depleted after birth?
We know from clinical experience and integrative research that nutrition, trauma, sleep deprivation, chronic stress, hormonal imbalance, toxin exposure, and lack of community support are massive drivers of immune disruption, especially in postpartum.
Until science shifts to explore how these root causes alter microglia, T cells, and cortisol responses, we’re still treating the smoke and not the fire.
This is exactly why at Postpartum University, we champion a root cause, whole-person approach—one that sees the immune system not as the problem, but as the messenger.
đź’ˇ Want to deepen your understanding of postpartum mood disorders from this whole-body perspective?
This research reinforces the foundations taught inside our Perinatal Mental Health Training: where inflammation, immune function, nutrient depletion, trauma, and hormonal shifts all connect, and where we teach providers how to support clients in healing at the root.
This is science. But this is also sacred work. Let’s do both.
Referenced Article: https://doi.org/10.1080/1744666X.2024.2420053
đź‘€ Coming Soon: A Game-Changing Resource for Postpartum Care Providers
I've been working intensely behind the scenes on something I believe will transform how you support postpartum mothers!!!
After years of research, application, and refinement with thousands of mothers, I've developed a comprehensive assessment tool based on my method (which I finally have a nameeeeee for and will release soon!).
This tool identifies exactly where mothers need support across five critical dimensions of recovery. This goes far beyond conventional screenings to pinpoint the root causes of postpartum struggles and guide truly effective interventions.
I'll be releasing this powerful resource to newsletter subscribers (you!) in the coming weeks.
It's the same assessment system that's helped countless providers in our certification program achieve breakthrough results with even their most complex cases.
Stay tuned—this isn't just another screening tool; it's a complete paradigm shift in postpartum care that you won't want to miss.
Stay fierce, stay rooted,
Maranda Bower
CEO & Founder of Postpartum University®
www.PostpartumU.com
Current Ways You Can Work With Postpartum University®
đź””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
đź’Ś 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
