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*This episode discusses topics realted to Postpartum Psychosis, including delusional thinking and psychiatric hospitalization.

In this episode of Quiet Connection, Chelsea sits down with Willemijn De Bruin, a world traveler, public health researcher, and mother of two, to discuss her unexpected journey through postpartum psychosis. Willemijn opens up about her traumatic first birth, her two psychiatric hospitalizations in the UK, and the painstaking road to recovery that took nearly a year.

She also shares her courageous decision to have a second child despite the risks, how she built a preventative strategy and support system, and the healing birth that followed. Now an outspoken advocate for maternal mental health, Willemijn combines her lived experience with her professional background to raise awareness and push for systemic change.

This episode is a testament to resilience, recovery, and the power of speaking out.

To learn more about Willemijn, visit her Instagram or Website.

If you or a loved one is facing maternal mental health challenges, please use the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline (1-833-TLC-MAMA) or the Postpartum Support International Warm Line (1-800-944-4773). You can also call or text 988 if you are in immediate crisis.

If you suspect you or your loved one is experiencing Postpartum Psychosis, please seek treatment at your nearest emergency department.

🗝️ Key Takeaways

• Postpartum psychosis can happen to anyone—even without prior mental health history.
• Hospitalization in mother-baby units can save lives, but access remains limited globally.
• Relapse is possible, but recovery is also possible—it often takes a year or more.
• With preventative planning and strong support systems, second pregnancies can be healing.
• Advocacy and storytelling are powerful tools to reduce stigma and improve healthcare systems.

💬 Soundbites

1. “I never thought it could happen to me—and then I suffered postpartum psychosis.”
2. “My partner saved my life by insisting something was wrong when I couldn’t see it.”
3. “Recovery doesn’t end when you leave the hospital—that’s when it begins.”
4. “Postpartum psychosis can happen to anyone. It’s not rare. It’s one to two in a thousand births.”
5. “I owned my story early on. Speaking about it openly was part of my healing.”

This episode discusses topics that may be triggering for some individuals. Please check the show notes for more information and be mindful of your own mental health and comfort levels.

Real moms. Real talk. Zero sugarcoating.
Join Odd Moms On Call as we tackle parenting in a world on fire—one hot take, eye roll, and belly laugh at a time.

Support the show

Special Thanks to Steve Audy for the use of our theme song: Quiet Connection

Want to be a guest on Quiet Connection - Postpartum Mental Health?
Send Chelsea a message on PodMatch

Send us a text

In this timely solo session, Chelsea steps away from the recording studio to check in from their living room. Recorded via phone while watching for the school bus, this episode is a "solidarity session" for any parent feeling the weight of the world.

This isn't a political episode, but a human one. Chelsea explores the strange cognitive dissonance of performing "normal" tasks like laundry and packing lunches while navigating a world that feels scary and uncertain.

If you are currently in a place of despair, grief, or exhaustion, this episode is a gentle reminder that being present for yourself and your children is the bravest thing you can do right now.

🔑Key Takeaways

• The Reality of Continuous Illness: Chelsea’s household remains in a cycle of sickness, with their youngest currently fighting the flu while Chelsea continues their own complex recovery.
• Parenting Through Collective Heavy: There is a shared feeling of uncertainty and fear in the current climate that makes everyday chores like laundry feel surreal and difficult.
• Solidarity Over Solutions: This episode offers no easy answers or political debates; instead, it provides a space for parents to feel seen in their struggle to exist as humans right now.
• Rest as Resistance: For those living with chronic illness and disability, prioritizing rest and self-care is a vital necessity for functioning as a parent.
• Small Acts of Bravery: Chelsea reminds listeners that simply being present and taking care of basic needs for themselves and their children is an act of courage during times of chaos.

💬Sound Bites

• "If it feels really, really hard to exist as a human, let alone a parent, you are 100% not alone."
• "This is not the environment that we thought we would be raising our children in."
• "It feels really strange to do the normal things like make breakfast or pack lunches... what am I doing when there is so much chaos going on?"
• "Being present and taking care of me and taking care of my kids is above all else the bravest thing I can do right now."
• "Rest is resistance... I can't function if I'm not well, and my kids need me to function."

This episode discusses topics that may be triggering for some individuals. Please check the show notes for more information and be mindful of your own mental health and comfort levels.

Real moms. Real talk. Zero sugarcoating.
Join Odd Moms On Call as we tackle parenting in a world on fire—one hot take, eye roll, and belly laugh at a time.

Support the show

Special Thanks to Steve Audy for the use of our theme song: Quiet Connection

Want to be a guest on Quiet Connection - Postpartum Mental Health?
Send Chelsea a message on PodMatch

Send us a text

Motherhood rarely looks the way we imagined. For Melissa, it meant recovering from a C-section, navigating digestive issues and IBS, caring for a chronically ill husband, and raising a daughter during the COVID-19 pandemic, all while grieving the loss of her parents.

In this conversation, Melissa shares her journey of balancing caregiving with motherhood, managing her own health, and finding joy in simple practices like journaling, coloring, and walking. With honesty and faith, she shows us how building a “toolbox” of self-care practices can help parents hold both grief and joy at the same time.

• Caregiving is both a calling and a challenge. Melissa’s professional and personal experiences highlight the toll caregiving takes, and the need for support.
• Postpartum recovery doesn’t have an expiration date. Even years later, healing physically, emotionally, and spiritually is valid and important.
• The pandemic compounded isolation. Melissa became a new mom while caring for her husband during COVID-19, amplifying stress and burnout.
• Self-care isn’t selfish. From journaling to coloring with her daughter, Melissa models simple ways to integrate peace into daily life.
• Faith and community are anchors. Spiritual practice, church groups, and online communities became lifelines in seasons of loss and overwhelm.
• Peace is proactive. As Melissa shares, finding peace requires intentional effort, not passive waiting.

• “Caregivers are often told to pour from an empty cup — but I refuse to be a statistic.”
• “Postpartum recovery doesn’t stop at six weeks. Sometimes it takes years — and that’s okay.”
• “My daughter has never known life without caregiving, but I want her to also know joy.”
• “Finding peace isn’t passive. It’s active, intentional, and sometimes uncomfortable.”
• “Coloring with my daughter isn’t just playtime — it’s healing time.”
• “Even in seasons of grief, you can still choose joy.”
• “Self-care isn’t selfish — it’s survival.”
• “Every parent deserves to know: you are seen, and you matter.”

Support the show

Special Thanks to Steve Audy for the use of our theme song: Quiet Connection

Want to be a guest on Quiet Connection - Postpartum Mental Health?
Send Chelsea a message on PodMatch