Description

Hi Mind Grind Fam!

****Trigger warning!!! ⚠️ - This episode contains content of a more sensitive nature related to trauma and birth trauma.****

On today's episode we interview Heidi Lengel, MMT, MT-BC, PMH-C, CD(SBD), CCTP-II, EMDR-I (she/her) and talk about how challenging it can be to navigate maternity mental health pre and post partum, and how working with a therapist, doula, or other mental health support can be incredibly instrumental for those on this journey of reproduction.

Heidi shares her immense knowledge related to the impact of pregnancy on the birthing partner and supportive partner, the role that trauma and hormones play on this process, and how a family can work at preparing for parenthood without repeating history. This episode can be helpful to those currently pregnant, preparing for pregnancy/family planning, needing to feel less alone on the journey of reproduction ups and downs, and for those who want to better understand the role that pregnancy has on mental health (and why professionals like Heidi are so important and needed in this field).

Find the time, come and unwind, to The Mind Grind.

- Beth and Dana

More about Heidi:

Heidi has been a therapist for almost 20 years, and has a dual Master’s degree in Music Therapy & Professional Counseling. She maintains certifications as a perinatal mental health counselor, a complex trauma practitioner, and birth and bereavement doula. Heidi incorporates a wide variety of trauma recovery support techniques such as EMDR, somatic psychotherapy, and holistic nutrition for mental health and trauma recovery. Heidi has attended over 60 births and has offered childbirth education and perinatal loss trainings to hundreds of families and healthcare professionals around the world. She is the founder of The Music Therapy Alliance for Reproductive Wellness, a training organization that offers trauma informed, anti-oppressive trainings to therapists who specialize in reproductive mental health & trauma recovery. Heidi deeply believes in the brain and body’s inherent regenerative ability to recover from stress and trauma and is passionate about offering healing to families experiencing reproductive challenges.

Resources (provided by Heidi):

Reproductive Health Online Resources

 Postpartum Support International (English & Spanish support for parents; training for professionals, hotlines)

 Maternal Mental Health Now (Support for parents; training for professionals)

 https://www.mommasvoices.org/ (Fighting reproductive systemic inequity)

 https://www.sistersong.net/ (reproductive justice)

 https://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org/ (Stillbirth Resources)

 https://www.todayisagoodday.org/ (NICU resources)

Reproductive Mental Health Books Infertility

 The Trying Game

 Fighting Infertility

 Unsung Lullabies: Understanding and Coping with Infertility

 How to Make Love to a Plastic Cup

 Queer Conception: The Complete Fertility Guide for Queer and Trans Parents-to-Be

 Baby Making for Everybody: Fertility and Family Building for LGBTQ+ and Solo Parents

Pregnancy/Infant Loss

 I Had a Miscarriage

 Whole: Navigating the Trauma of Pregnancy Loss

 Unexpecting: Real Talk on Pregnancy Loss

 The Baby Loss Guide

 From Father to Father: Letters From Loss Dad to Loss Dad

 Healing Your Grieving Heart After Stillbirth: 100 Practical Ideas for Parents and Families

 Stillbirth, Yet Still Born Motherhood

 Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts

 This Isn’t What I Expected

 Mindful Motherhood: Practical Tools for Staying Sane During Pregnancy and Your Child’s First Year

 Awake at 3 a.m.: Yoga Therapy for Anxiety and Depression in Pregnancy and Early Motherhood

 Nurture: A Modern Guide to Pregnancy, Birth, Early Motherhood and Trusting Yourself and Your Body

 The Recovery Mama Guide to Your Eating Disorder Recovery in Pregnancy and Postpartum