Hi Lady! Today, I've got 2 updates for you: 1) why I recommend pressing PAUSE on purchasing the Mira monitor if you're trying to avoid pregnancy 2) I have a new website (!!!!!!) postpartumonpurpose.com.

And then I've got 3 thoughts for your consideration during Lent:

1) perhaps you've got enough suffering to hold you over for the time being, but maybe your emphasis could be on approaching that suffering more gratefully

2) perhaps the resolution(s) you make of something(s) to add or take away have in mind this goal of becoming more open to the graces He seeks to bestow so that you can handle postpartum better

3) above all and before all else, lead with love, start with love

If you enjoyed this episode, I hope you'll SUBSCRIBE, SHARE with a mom friend, and RATE it so that more moms can find it. Get in touch annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com or on Instagram @postpartumonpurpose.

Hi Lady! This episode is guest hosted by Dr. Manisha Ghemire, founder of North Carolina-based Momkinz https://momkinz.com/ directory of postpartum support specialists. Dr. Manisha distinguishes between normal vs. urgent vs. emergent symptoms during postpartum, for both physical symptoms and mental/emotional symptoms. I hope you'll keep this episode in your back pocket, especially during those early weeks home, when the majority of postpartum mental or physical emergencies arise.

If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love for you to SUBSCRIBE, RATE, and SHARE it with a mom friend. Get in touch at annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com, or on Instagram @postpartumonpurpose.

Hey Lady! A couple months back, I saw an Instagram post from @postpartumuniversity asserting that 500 extra calories per day for breastfeeding moms might be nowhere near enough calories. In today's episode, I'm sharing why new moms might need two or even three times that many calories, especially early on, plus the mindset shift I've had about what reasonable weight loss goals and timeframe might look like (hint: it's much slower than I've historically expected).

If you enjoyed today's episode, I'd love for you to SUBCRIBE, RATE, and SHARE the podcast with a mom friend. As always, get in touch annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com or @postpartumonpurpose on Instagram.

Hi Lady! How much exercise should you be getting during postpartum, and when is it safe to start? Here's how I'm incorporating the idea that 'movement is medicine', starting in my earliest postpartum days through now, almost 8 months(!) with my fifth baby. For further reading, an article I wrote for Natural Womanhood https://naturalwomanhood.org/postpartum-exercise/, plus the guideline I referenced: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/59/8/515.

If you enjoyed this episode, SUBSCRIBE + RATE + SHARE. As always, get in touch at annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com or on Instagram @postpartumonpurpose.

Hi Lady! You know by now how I feel about free things, so it'll come as no surprise how enthused I was about the free Hinge Health app offered through my husband's employer. Here are all the things I love about the app, including built-in accountability to keep me honest and actually using it, plus how virtual physical therapy (a la Hinge Health) and in-person physical therapy (a la pelvic floor PT) can go hand-in-hand.

If you enjoyed this episode, SHARE it with a mom friend, please! I'd also love for you to SUBSCRIBE and leave a REVIEW so other moms can find this, too. Get in touch on Instagram @postpartumonpurpose or annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com.

Hi Lady! If you've had a C-section (or known someone who has!), this guest episode is for you. I asked physical therapist assistant Sarah to cover the steps of C-section scar self-massage, and she delivered! Maybe most importantly, you can do C-section scar massage even if your C-section was YEARS ago (she explains early on in her video how a recent client got pain relief working through scar tissue from a surgery 30 years back!). Learn more from Sarah at https://www.instagram.com/strongmom.sarah/

If you appreciated this episode, SHARE it with a mom friend and SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss another episode. Want to get in touch? Try @postpartumonpurpose on Instagram or annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com.

Hi Lady! Up until several months ago, I had never heard of a C-section scar defect, Cesearan scar defect, uterine isthmocele, or uterine niche (yep, those are all names for the same thing). But once I learned that between 30 and 70% of C-sections (depending on the research study) may result in C-section scar defect, I realized that every.single.woman who has a C-section should know what to look out for afterward, especially because it is treatable!

In the episode, I covered what a C-section scar defect is, signs you might have one, how to know for sure, how it's fixed, and whether or not they are preventable. For more info on diagnosis and treatment options: https://veritasfertility.com/conditions/uterine-isthmocele/. For research on C-section scar defects: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8620716/ and https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1028455924001207.

SHARE this episode with a mom friend, and RATE the podacast so other moms can find it, too. Get in touch at annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com.

Hey Lady! This guest episode approaches sacred ground, a taste of the unique complexities, triumphs, and trials that come when a child is born and an unsuspected medical condition is discovered. Elena doesn't overwhelm the listener with particular details of her daughter Maggie's diagnosis, she draws out themes that any mother facing similar uncertainty will recognize. What shines through her testimony is the play of shadow and light on a postpartum impacted by a child's unknown medical diagnosis.

I hope you'll return to this episode again and again to glean new bits of wisdom, to exhale with its candor, and that you'll share it with all the new moms you know, especially those faced with a child's unknown medical diagnosis.

Learn more about Elena's family's apostolate, Mercy Tree Adventures, https://mercytreeadventures.org

As always, you can get in touch at annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com.