Perinatal Resource Collaborative
The Village Blog
Resources, stories, and expert insights from our community of perinatal professionals.
Featured Articles
Why I Started Asking "Is MOM ok?" — A Founder's Call to Break the Silence on Maternal Suicide
I experienced postpartum psychosis and came to the brink of maternal suicide. That's where Cherished Mom was born — and the national 'Is MOM ok?' campaign to raise awareness, break stigma, and save lives.
Rituals that Nourish Your Nervous System
What if every day we incorporated rituals that our grandmothers and female ancestors leaned on — grounding practices, yoni steaming, herbal baths — to help restore balance and become more calm during pregnancy and postpartum?
Topic: Perinatal Mental Health
Postpartum Mental Health Isn't a Solo Sport: Why Your Community Might Be the Best Medicine
The most powerful postpartum tool you can offer a new parent isn't a fancy white noise machine or bamboo onesies — it's community. Research shows social support is one of the strongest protective factors for maternal mental health.
Topic: Perinatal Mental Health
"Not Just Depression" Spectrum
The truth is, postpartum mental health exists on a spectrum — ranging from the 'baby blues' to anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and mood shifts that don't always fit neatly into the label of depression. Plus cultural practices that inspire postpartum care.
Topic: Perinatal Mental Health
Paternal Mental Health: A Missing Piece in the Perinatal Puzzle
Data shows that paternal depression occurs in roughly 10% of fathers during the first year after birth. When fathers are supported mentally and emotionally, they are better partners, stronger advocates, and more present caregivers.
Topic: Perinatal Mental Health
Chasing Rainbows: Turning Pain into Purpose
After years of secondary infertility, an early-term baby loss, and the loss of our 5½-week-old daughter, I built Chasing the Rainbows — a nonprofit providing free, daily, trauma-informed support for families facing infertility and pregnancy loss.
Topic: Perinatal Mental Health
Giving Grace
Intuition is a strong, confident KNOWING. Anxiety is an antagonist that poses all of the 'what-if?' questions. Pregnancy is a great time to start listening to your intuition — and learning to tell the difference.
Topic: Perinatal Mental Health
From Bump to Bloom: How Prevention and Intervention Protect Maternal Mental Health
Perinatal mental health isn't just about postpartum depression — it includes anxiety, intrusive thoughts, mood swings, and a sense of disconnection. The Bloom Center for Motherhood offers both prevention and intervention so mothers don't have to suffer in silence.
Topic: Perinatal Mental Health
Why I Started Asking "Is MOM ok?" — A Founder's Call to Break the Silence on Maternal Suicide
I experienced postpartum psychosis and came to the brink of maternal suicide. That's where Cherished Mom was born — and the national 'Is MOM ok?' campaign to raise awareness, break stigma, and save lives.
Topic: Perinatal Mental Health
The Hidden Side of Motherhood: Healing Perinatal Mental Health through Emotional Energetics
My own postpartum anxiety was my dark night of the soul — and the beginning of my spiritual awakening. Emotional energetics offers a powerful path to healing by working with the emotions that live in our body.
Topic: Perinatal Mental Health
What No One Tells You About Postpartum Anxiety (From a Mom and Therapist)
I was experiencing postpartum anxiety and depression, and at the time I had no idea how common it was. As a therapist and a mom, I've seen firsthand how many new moms struggle in silence.
Topic: Perinatal Mental Health
Becoming: A Journey Through Loss, Learning, and Leading
The story of how miscarriage, motherhood, and mental health shaped a trauma-informed therapist's path — and led her to co-found the Perinatal Resource Collaborative.
Topic: Perinatal Mental Health
Sharing Her Survival Story
I was undeniably suicidal. The thought of going to sleep and not waking up didn't scare me, it brought me peace. Hannah shares her raw survival story of postpartum depression and suicidal ideation — and the treatment that saved her life.
Topic: Perinatal Mental Health
Excerpt from Mama Bare: The Grizzly Truths of Motherhood
Truth #17: 'This' Does Not Define You. During much of Dylan's first year of life, I was re-building myself. I decided that my postpartum story was not my identifier — I was going to define my motherhood.
Topic: Perinatal Mental Health
The Gentle Touch: Understanding the Benefits of Chiropractic Care Throughout the Perinatal Journey
From the Webster Technique for optimal fetal positioning to gentle infant adjustments for colic and latch difficulties — a comprehensive guide to how chiropractic care supports pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and infant development.
Topic: Perinatal Bodywork
From Hands-On Healing to Whole-Body Wisdom: A Holistic Doctor's Journey Through Bodywork, Motherhood, and Health Reimagined
Long before motherhood, Dr. Beata was in love with manual therapy. But when her baby struggled with colic, eczema, and reflux, she discovered the gut — and her entire practice transformed. A profound exploration of bodywork's role across the perinatal journey.
Topic: Perinatal Bodywork
Ancient Wisdom for Modern Motherhood: Acupuncture Throughout the Perinatal Journey
For over 3,000 years, Traditional Chinese Medicine has recognized the connection between energy flow and reproductive health. From improving IVF success rates by 65% to supporting labor and postpartum recovery — a comprehensive guide to acupuncture's role.
Topic: Perinatal Bodywork
I'm Calling BS on These Diastasis Recti 'Prevention' Posts
Diastasis recti is NOT preventable — please unfollow any accounts claiming otherwise. Research shows nearly 100% of women develop some degree by their final trimester. What matters is managing coning/doming and getting personalized guidance.
Topic: Perinatal Bodywork
Giving Grace by Doula Shea — Honoring Your Body's Need to Rest
You are expending calories creating a nervous system, building a brain, and going about your daily life. Our bodies know that rest is so important it has an entire system for that purpose — the parasympathetic nervous system. Permission to practice napping.
Topic: Perinatal Bodywork
From Back Pain to Birth Prep: How Align Movement is Redefining Perinatal Healing
Before she was a therapist, Rachael was a dancer. A car accident, chronic pain, and two very different births — including an emergency C-section that left her traumatized — forged her into one of NJ's most integrative perinatal bodywork specialists.
Topic: Perinatal Bodywork
Pregnancy Pain Isn't Just Part of the Process — Pelvic Health Physical Therapy Can Help!
Discomfort in pregnancy might be common, but it is NOT normal. Pelvic health physical therapy addresses musculoskeletal changes with clinical precision — from round ligament pain to pubic symphysis dysfunction — and you don't have to wait until postpartum to feel better.
Topic: Perinatal Bodywork
Early Intervention Excellence: How PT, OT, and Speech Therapy Support Infant Development
The first year of life is a period of extraordinary growth. Early intervention with PT, OT, and speech/oral function therapy can prevent secondary complications and maximize developmental potential. When to seek support and what to look for.
Topic: Perinatal Bodywork
Whole-Body Support: Integrating Energy Work into Perinatal Wellness
Pregnancy, birth, and postpartum involve intense emotional and energetic demands that aren't always visible. Energy work — Reiki, breathwork, meditation, somatic release — can calm an overactive nervous system, release birth-related fears, and restore body connection.
Topic: Perinatal Bodywork
Your Feeding Support Village: A Guide to Perinatal Support
Every feeding journey deserves a dedicated team. A guide to your feeding support village: IBCLCs, CLCs, Speech Language Pathologists, Pediatric Feeding Specialists, Craniosacral Therapists, and Pediatric Chiropractors.
Topic: Lactation & Feeding
The Complex Intersection of Mental Health and Breastfeeding: D-MER, Trauma, and Weaning
Imagine feeling a wave of sadness or anxiety the moment you go to nourish your baby. D-MER affects 14.2% of lactating parents. Plus: how sexual trauma impacts breastfeeding, and the complex emotions that come with weaning.
Topic: Lactation & Feeding
How a Web App is Changing Informal Milk Sharing for Families in Need
For parents who are unable to produce breast milk, formula isn't the only option. Share the Drop is a web app making informal milk sharing safer, local, and community-oriented — built by a breast cancer survivor who became a 'local milk broker'.
Topic: Lactation & Feeding
Bridging the Gap: Why Birth Workers Are the Missing Link in Lactation Support
Too many birth workers want to help but don't have the tools to provide real lactation support. Three ways doulas, midwives, and childbirth educators can level up their lactation skills — from a podcast to a half-day training to becoming a full IBCLC.
Topic: Lactation & Feeding
Microbiome: Your Child's Building Blocks to a Healthy Life
Babies are born sterile. They get their initial microbiome from the birth canal, then breastfeeding and environment. A foundational guide to why the infant gut microbiome is the first line of immune defense — and how birth choices affect it for life.
Topic: Lactation & Feeding
Breastfeeding Without the Pain: How Posture, Breathing, and Simple Techniques Set You Up for Success
Slouching and rotating your body to meet the demands of your baby leads to unnecessary tension, muscle strain, and dreaded feeding sessions. Simple posture tweaks, 360 breathing, and neck movements that transform the experience.
Topic: Lactation & Feeding
Managing the Fear of Pain During Labor
Your psyche plays a major role during birth. Understanding natural and medical pain relief options — from the 5 senses to doulas to midwife-administered options — so you can make informed choices for your birth.
Topic: Midwifery Care & Homebirth
Exploring Home Births: A Journey Back to Nature with Modern Insights
The decision to bring my second baby home was fueled by a desire for a natural experience after teaching HypnoBirthing® for three years. A practical guide to roles of midwives, debunking myths, creating the ideal birth space, and embracing traditional postpartum recovery.
Topic: Midwifery Care & Homebirth
Shattering Two Homebirth Myths So You Are Informed
Myth 1: Homebirths are unsafe. Myth 2: You can't have a homebirth if you're 35 or older. A holistic researcher breaks down the historical and global evidence behind both misconceptions so you can make truly informed decisions.
Topic: Midwifery Care & Homebirth
Traditional Postpartum Recovery: Honoring the Sacred Journey
Ancient traditions of postpartum care honor the physical, emotional, and spiritual shifts of new motherhood. From China's 'sitting the month' to Latin America's cuarentena to herbal baths in Europe — a holistic guide to recovery practices from around the world.
Topic: Midwifery Care & Homebirth
The Freedom and Empowerment of Sacred Freebirth
Freebirth is the process of giving birth without medical assistance — a highly personal, deeply spiritual, truly empowering opportunity. A woman who has freebirthed twice shares how to prepare, the empowering aspects, and myth-busting from a spiritual perspective.
Topic: Midwifery Care & Homebirth
Midwifery Care: Before & After Birth
Planning for a homebirth comes with unexpected benefits that are often not associated with the decision. A breakdown of key advantages of midwifery care in both the prenatal and postpartum periods.
Topic: Midwifery Care & Homebirth
Optimize Your Body for Home Birth
Preparing your body is just as critical as planning your birth experience. Five key factors — pelvic balance, pelvic floor strength, breathing, endurance, and mindset — that can make for a smoother home birth experience.
Topic: Midwifery Care & Homebirth
Home Birth Sets the Stage for a Healthy Life
A positive birth experience — including uninterrupted bonding and breastfeeding — provides the best foundation for healthy child development. A licensed midwife shares the advantages of homebirth and the holistic midwifery care model.
Topic: Midwifery Care & Homebirth
Home is Where Birth Is
I was twenty-five years old and expecting my first child with limited knowledge. After watching 'The Business of Being Born,' I discovered midwifery and never looked back. A raw, honest account of four homebirths — including transfers, complications, and total empowerment.
Topic: Midwifery Care & Homebirth
How to Be a Consumer During Your Pregnancy
Four essential steps to becoming a consumer in the birth world: Remember who you are (the employer), set your priorities, hire the right people, and know the difference between consent and informed consent.
Topic: The Importance of Your Village
Cervical Scar Tissue: Recognizing a Hidden Cause of Unnecessary C-Sections
In 2009, Dawn wrote the first article on the internet addressing cervical scar tissue — a hidden cause of 'failure to progress' diagnoses leading to unnecessary C-sections. This remains critically important and largely unknown in medical training.
Topic: The Importance of Your Village
Beyond the Bounce Back: De-Commercializing Postpartum Care & Reclaiming the Village
The loss of the village has led to the commercialization of postpartum care. This thoughtful critique of "bounce back" culture and "self-care" marketing offers a roadmap for perinatal professionals to rebuild communal support for new mothers.
Topic: The Importance of Your Village
The Ultimate Postpartum Healing Guide
Whether you had a C-section, vaginal delivery, or experienced perineal tearing, your body has been through a lot. A comprehensive guide to rest, hydration, breathing, pelvic floor exercises, lymphatic drainage, and ELDOA for postpartum recovery.
Topic: The Importance of Your Village
The Benefits of Cultivating Your Village
What are the benefits of having a village? Members of the Perinatal Resource Collaborative share their stories — from ending loneliness to transforming birth outcomes — about why community is everything during the perinatal journey.
Topic: The Importance of Your Village
A New Era for Expectant Mothers: The Rise of Prenatal Workouts
Exercise during pregnancy isn't just a 'good idea' — it's crucial for the health of mother and child. Busting the myth that it causes miscarriage and exploring the profound benefits for both mom and baby, including a 75% reduction in the need for C-section.
Topic: The Importance of Your Village