What if the kindest thing you did for your family was to slow down? We pressed pause on the weekly grind, and it opened a deeper conversation about postpartum: the messy middle between birth and “back to normal” that no one prepares you for. As therapists and moms, we compare notes on what actually helps—logistics that lower mental load, support that shows up, and simple habits that bring your nervous system back online.

We walk through concrete tools: how to use Aeroflow to secure an insurance-covered breast pump and replacement parts, why regular pump part swaps can improve output, and how a quick blood pressure check can catch rising postpartum preeclampsia. We demystify lactation support—request the hospital’s IBCLC, try Lactation Network for covered visits, and remember that your feeding plan should serve your mental health, not the other way around. For C‑section recovery, we swear by shower chairs, pillow bracing for coughs and laughs, slow movement, and even chewing gum to ease trapped gas.

Then we get honest about postpartum mental health. PMADs are common, intrusive thoughts can be egodystonic, and safety is the north star: put the baby down, breathe, step outside, and return when regulated. Social support is the strongest protective factor, so we share how to tap Postpartum Support International’s free online groups and their Connect PSI app, including options for dads, LGBTQ+, and Spanish speakers. We also talk sleep realities—yes, many families co‑sleep—and how to make the safest choices you can sustain without drowning in shame or exhaustion.

If you’re craving fewer rules and more relief, this episode is your permission slip. Expect clear steps, warm validation, and a reminder that small changes—opening a window, taking a walk, prepping freezer burritos—can shift an entire day.

We’re moving to a biweekly cadence to bring you more thoughtful conversations, plus upcoming guests and a series on the many paths to motherhood. If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who’s in the thick of it, and leave a review to help more parents find these tools. Your village starts here.

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We follow the Hermit card into a timely look at solitude, nervous system states, and the courage to slow down when overwhelm is loud. Polls, personal tools, and card imagery help us find the next small step toward peace without outsourcing our intuition.

• listener poll insights on solitude, overwhelm, and rest
• Deb Dana’s ladder framing overwhelm and shutdown
• Hermit imagery as a lantern for the next step
• alone vs loneliness and the intention behind solitude
• right to rest and pushing back on productivity culture
• designing friction to reduce phone compulsion
• loss of third places and real-world connection
• overconsumption vs insight and trusting intuition
• creative embodiment for turning down mental noise
• practical boundaries to reclaim peace

If you’d like to grab your spot for our January 4th vision board workshop at the Wellness Farm in Bluffdale, please head over to eleveneleventherapyco.com to reserve your spot

If this episode spoke to you, subscribe and leave a review so other listeners can find Heart on the Table. New episodes land every Wednesday.

Join the conversation on Instagram @heartonthetablepod

We map the real reasons holidays feel heavy—expectation, people-pleasing, money pressure, and old roles—and show how to choose connection without abandoning yourself. From elf anxiety to budget boundaries, we share scripts and steady practices that protect your peace.

• acknowledging holiday stress and why it spikes
• story poll insights on overwhelm and guilt
• kids’ anxiety around elves and Santa reframed
• choosing experiences over panic-buying gifts
• unspoken expectations and adult roles at home
• asking for support without mind reading
• estrangement as self-protection and grief
• boundaries that protect time, money, and energy
• simple scripts to say no and repeat limits
• holding duality of joy and grief with care

Just a reminder about our workshop coming up on January 4th. If you want to sign up, you can find the link on our Instagram or it’s also on eleveneleventherapyco.com. Also, if this episode resonated with you, send it to somebody that you know who could also benefit! Thanks for listening!

If this episode spoke to you, subscribe and leave a review so other listeners can find Heart on the Table. New episodes land every Wednesday.

Join the conversation on Instagram @heartonthetablepod