High school teacher Itzel Carranza always knew she wanted to have a child, but difficulties arose along the way: from trouble conceiving and gestational diabetes to an intense labor experience and trouble breastfeeding. The anxiety Itzel felt was exacerbated by a cold Chicago winter, and she says she experienced postpartum depression for three months. While she was never officially diagnosed–about half of those suffering from it ever are–Itzel’s experience illustrates the pressures new moms face to be successful in their new roles. In this episode, reporter Wendy Wei untangles the many physical and social factors that can contribute to this very common birth complication. And mental health workers and community healers share how Latinas can build the villages that can support them and their baby.

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100 Latina Birthdays is made possible by grants from the Healthy Communities Foundation, Woods Fund Chicago, the Field Foundation of Illinois, JB and MK Pritzker Family Foundation, and the Chicago Foundation for Women. Mujeres Latinas en Acción is the series' fiscal sponsor.