370: Severe PPD, Anxiety Healing and Advocating for AAPI Moms

Join us for this episode with my guest, Dr. Jasmine. She is a mom of one, a clinical pharmacist, and she holds a perinatal mental health certification. As a survivor of severe postpartum depression, anxiety, and insomnia, she has also served as a peer mentor volunteer for Postpartum Support International (PSI). A fierce maternal mental health advocate and second-generation Taiwanese-American, Dr. Jasmine hosts a podcast called Healing the Tigress, which features conversations around Asian American Pacific Islanders’ (AAPI) maternal mental health. Her newsletter, blogs, and Instagram focus on motherhood, mental health destigmatization, and gentle parenting. Her writing has been featured in Mother.ly, Psyched Mommy, and she was interviewed last fall about her PPD story by Women’s Health.  Show Highlights: Dr. Jasmine’s story of infertility, her pregnancy, and her daughter’s birth The super storm that drove Jasmine’s postpartum depression into a downward spiral Feelings of worthlessness, failure, and asking, “Why did we try so hard for this?” Addressing the problems with her Ob-gyn at her six-week checkup Facing the combination of insomnia, intense anxiety over feeding issues, and worry about bonding with her baby Jasmine’s experience with taking an antidepressant, opening up to her husband, and seeing a psychiatrist Seeing improvement in small steps with medications and therapy Finding joy again and feeling confident in motherhood Being on “the other side” of medications as a pharmacist Cultural factors that clouded Jasmine’s thinking and stigmatized medications and therapy Learning to function in a “mid-generation” of a very different culture Factors behind Jasmine’s decision not to have a second child An overview of Jasmine’s podcast, Healing the Tigress, to make space for AAPI moms Jasmine’s advice to other moms Resources: Connect with Dr. Jasmine:  Blog Instagram Healing the Tigress podcast Connect with Dr. Kat: Please find resources in English and Spanish at Postpartum Support International, or by phone/text at 1-800-944-4773. There are many free resources, like online support groups, peer mentors, a specialist provider directory, and perinatal mental health training for therapists, physicians, nurses, doulas, and anyone who wants to be a better support in offering services.  You can also follow PSI on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and most other platforms Visit www.postpartum.net/professionals/certificate-trainings/ for information on the grief course.   Visit my website, www.wellmindperinatal.com, for more information, resources, and courses you can take today! If you are a California resident looking for a therapist in perinatal mental health, email me about openings for private pay clients!