In Today's Issue:
🌿 Why I Never Became a Doctor (And Never Will).
⚡ The Missing Link in Postpartum Recovery: Fascia & Why It Matters.
🧠 The Neuroscience of Motherhood Just Got a Major Update.
I never wanted to be a doctor. I never wanted to be in the medical field at all.
For a brief moment, I considered becoming a midwife—until I realized that the same reasons I would never go to med school applied there too. The exhausting shifts, the lack of space for self-care, the half truths that support money over health. I knew deep down that wasn’t my path. I’ve always been a teacher, a supporter, a disruptor of broken systems.
But recently, I uncovered something deeper—something I hadn’t fully acknowledged before. I was afraid of doctors. Of providers.
As an infant and through early childhood, I spent years in and out of hospitals, being poked, medicated, tested, and told I was a mystery to solve. I remember the sterile hallways, the needles and wires, the clipped voices discussing my body like I wasn’t in the room, the treatments that left me feeling worse rather than better. Providers were people always searching for what was wrong with me, and that experience shaped so much of who I am today.
And yet—here I am, in this space, deeply immersed in the world of postpartum health, working alongside providers, challenging outdated models of care, and advocating for a future where women’s bodies are trusted, not just treated.
So, to every provider reading this—I see you. I see the years of sacrifice, the impossible choices, the moments of doubt where you wonder if you’re really making a difference. I see the weight of working in a system that doesn’t always align with your values. And I see the relentless passion that keeps you here, doing the hard work anyway.
We all got here differently. Some of you fought your way through medical school or years of training to be in this space. Some of you, like me, carved out your own path outside of the traditional system.
But here’s the truth:
- Just because I’m not a doctor with a degree doesn’t mean I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about.
- Just because you are a doctor (or midwife, IBCLC, doula, therapist, or anything in between) doesn’t mean you’re trapped by the system.
- Just because this work and there's so much about healthcare in the air right now doesn’t mean we stop pushing forward.
I’m grateful for the path I took. It gave me the freedom to deliver real information—not dictated by policies, profit-driven research, or systems that have failed us. And I’m grateful for your path, too—because no matter how you got here, you are part of a movement that is reshaping postpartum care.
The lesson? There’s more than one way to change the system. Some of us work within it, some of us work outside of it, and together—we’re shifting it from every angle.
Now, I have a question for you.
Take a deep breath and ask yourself:
What parts of your journey do you undervalue because they don’t look like someone else’s path?
Maybe you didn’t take the “traditional” route. Maybe you feel like you should have more credentials, more training, more letters after your name. Maybe you wonder if your voice matters when the system feels so loud.
But I want you to flip the script. What if everything that led you here—the unconventional path, the detours, the struggles—is exactly what makes you powerful?
Because it is.
Sit with that for a moment. Let yourself own your journey. And if you feel like sharing, hit reply—I’d love to hear your story.
Keep going. You’re exactly where you need to be.
⚡The Missing Link in Postpartum Recovery: Fascia & Why It Matters
Fun fact: I have a long history of mispronouncing words—sometimes even the most basic ones (yes, I was a full-grown adult saying lie-berry instead of library, among other things). It’s a brain dysfunction, but that’s another story.
So when I sat down with Anna Rae, an expert in fascia (or fash-a? faysha?—who even knows anymore), I had no idea how much this conversation would shift the way we think about postpartum healing.
Here’s what you really need to know:
- Belly binding & wrapping—done wrong—can actually cause more harm than good.
- Traditional cultures always paired it with fascia massage, but in the Western world, we stripped it down to just the binding—losing the very thing that made it work.
- Fascia isn’t just connective tissue—it’s an entire system, deeply intertwined with our nervous system, hormones, and recovery.
And providers? We must start talking about this. Because ignoring fascia in postpartum care is like ignoring hydration in nutrition—it’s foundational.
Listen in to the episode and learn why fascia might just be the missing key in postpartum healing:
🎧 Listen Here
Have you used fascia work in your practice or postpartum healing? Hit reply and let me know—I’d love to hear!
🧠 The Maternal Brain: A U-Shaped Journey of Transformation
A groundbreaking study just confirmed what many of us already know deep in our bones: pregnancy doesn’t just change our bodies—it rewires our brains.
This research, published in Nature Communications, mapped the structural changes in the brain from pre-pregnancy to postpartum. The findings? A U-shaped trajectory of gray matter volume, with significant reductions during pregnancy followed by partial recovery in the postpartum months. These changes are tightly linked to hormone fluctuations and—most notably—to maternal attachment. The greater the brain’s postpartum recovery, the stronger the bond with baby and the lower the risk of hostility in early motherhood.
This study validates what we’ve been saying all along: pregnancy is a period of intense neuroplasticity. The brain remodels itself to meet the demands of motherhood—proving that postpartum care isn’t just about the body, but about supporting the whole woman, mind and spirit.
Let’s continue to honor and advocate for the depth of these changes. Because the more we understand, the better we can truly support mothers through this profound transformation.
You can read the full study here.
This work isn’t just about knowledge—it’s about transformation. It’s about standing at the crossroads of tradition and innovation, of science and intuition, and choosing a path that truly serves mothers. It’s about breaking cycles, reclaiming wisdom, and refusing to accept the bare minimum as “good enough.” You are part of something bigger. So take a deep breath, feel the weight of this mission, and know that you are exactly where you’re meant to be. Let’s keep building, together.
If you know someone who's doing incredible work in the field and wants to be connected with like-minded go-getters, and have access to the latest research and info, share this newsletter with them! You never know who needs it most. 💚
With Love,
Maranda Bower
CEO & Founder of Postpartum University®
www.PostpartumU.com
