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What happens when a "Type A" social worker, who is used to connecting others to mental health resources, becomes the one fighting for her life and her sanity? In this episode, Chelsea connects with Kathryn, the advocate behind the highly popular Instagram account Beyond the Birth Trauma.

Kathryn’s story is a harrowing journey through a 48-hour induction that ended in a massive postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) and a terrifying diagnosis of DIC (Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation).

Kathryn opens up about the "matter" of blood loss, the surreal experience of the ICU, and the heartbreaking moment she had to say goodbye to her newborn son before being rushed back into surgery. We also dive deep into the "body was made for this" myth and how Kathryn used her professional background to navigate the dark waters of postpartum OCD and depression.

This is a raw, honest look at survival, the power of a mother’s presence, and finding your voice after the unthinkable.

Key Takeaways

• The "Body Knowledge" Myth: Questioning the harmful narrative that "our bodies were made for this," which often leaves traumatized mothers feeling broken.
• Massive PPH & DIC: A look at the medical reality of uterine atony and the Jada device—a relatively new tool that helped save Kathryn’s life.
• The Power of Advocacy: How Kathryn’s mother played a vital role in her stabilization and recovery by being present in the room.
• Naming the Struggle: The importance of clinical knowledge in identifying postpartum OCD and depression early to seek life-saving intervention.
• The "One and Done" Choice: Validating the decision to complete a family after trauma without guilt or shame.

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.

Visit our Patreon to help support our mission to normalize the conversation and end the stigma surrounding PMADs!

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

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Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of Quiet Confessions—the little mini-episodes where you and I get to catch up one-on-one. To be completely transparent with you, I have not been doing well lately. My health has been a massive struggle, and being disabled and chronically ill impacts so much more than just my physical body.

Because I’ve had to reschedule with guests more than ever, I wanted to bring you an unedited voice memo straight from my bed to fill you in on what’s happening behind the scenes, share a massive honor we were just nominated for, and reveal the four upcoming deep-dive series you voted for. Quiet Connection isn't going anywhere, but right now, we are moving a little slower—and that has to be okay.

VOTE FOR QUIET CONNECTION: If you are listening before June 15th, 2026, please head over to sevendays.com and vote for Quiet Connection under "Best Local Podcast" in the Culture section!

https://ballot.sevendaysvt.com/culture/best-local-podcast

Key Takeaways

• Honoring the Body: Navigating the complex emotional toll of being a disabled and chronically ill parent and podcast host.
• Releasing the Guilt: Coping with the guilt of rescheduling and learning that resting is not a betrayal of your mission.
• Bringing Secrets to Light: Why there is no shame in sharing the heavy topics like PTSD, psychiatric hospitalizations, and brain tumors.
• The Power of Community: How a tied audience poll proved that every single facet of perinatal mental health and parenting trauma needs a microphone.

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

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What happens when the "blackness" you feel inside finally starts to speak?

In this deeply moving episode of Quiet Connection, Chelsea connects with Naomi Morad, a mother of four and a trauma transformation specialist. Naomi shares her harrowing yet hopeful journey from growing up in a home defined by abuse, secrets, and a human trafficking ring, to becoming a "worldly" traveler who eventually found herself face-to-face with severe postpartum depression.

Naomi opens up about the years she spent in a state of "functional dissociation," unaware of the extent of her childhood trauma until the birth of her second daughter triggered a deep, eight-month-long postpartum crisis. This episode is a roadmap for any parent who feels like they are carrying "empty shelves" and is ready to start restocking them with light, awareness, and peace.

Connect with Naomi:

• Website: NaomiMorad.com
• Offer: Free initial consultation to explore fit and healing goals.

Key Takeaways

• Dissociation as Survival: Trauma can be so stored in the body that we remain "functionally" dissociated for decades until a major life event—like childbirth—triggers the memory.
• The Body Keeps the Score: Healing often requires more than talk therapy; somatic (body-based) work can help awaken and release trauma stored in the nervous system and cells.
• Children as Mirrors: A child’s behavior is often a reflection of the parent’s internal state and nervous system regulation.
• The Power of the "Gap": Taking time to heal between children can fundamentally change the parenting experience and the "version" of the mother the children receive.
• Ending the Culture of Secrets: Transparency and openness with children (at age-appropriate levels) are vital to breaking cycles of abuse and trauma.

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.

Visit our Patreon to help support our mission to normalize the conversation and end the stigma surrounding PMADs!

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?
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In this deeply moving episode of Quiet Connection, I’m connecting with Susan Aguayo, a mother of nine and the founder of Kassy’s Kause. Susan shares the heart-wrenching story of her daughter, Kassy, a high achiever who tragically lost her life to undiagnosed perinatal depression while four months pregnant.

Susan takes us through her journey of "detective mode"—researching the medical gaps that failed her daughter—and how she transformed her grief into a powerhouse nonprofit organization.

We discuss the critical difference between postpartum and perinatal mental health, the importance of self-advocacy in medical spaces, and why being a "strong mom" doesn't mean you have to suffer in silence. This conversation is a vital reminder that even the most joyful, successful people can struggle, and that reaching out for help is an act of bravery, not weakness.

Key Takeaways

• Perinatal vs. Postpartum: Mental health struggles can begin during conception and pregnancy, not just after the baby is born.
• The "High-Achiever" Stigma: Often, those who appear the most successful or "jolly" on the outside are the ones struggling most deeply in silence.
• The Power of Advocacy: If something feels wrong, keep pushing. Susan’s "detective mode" highlights the gaps in medical systems that often dismiss pregnant women's concerns.
• Community is Essential: Having support outside of your immediate family "bubble" allows you to express your struggles without fear of judgment.
• Generational Healing: By educating ourselves and our children now, we create a safer future for their parenting journeys.

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.

Visit our Patreon to help support our mission to normalize the conversation and end the stigma surrounding PMADs!

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

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In this final installment of my postpartum psychiatric inpatient hospitalization series, I am opening up about the critical transition out of the darkest days and into structured outpatient care. I map out exactly what life looked like during Partial Hospitalization (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient (IOP) programs.

I pull back the curtain on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), exploring how intense skill-building, daily goal-setting, and finding the right medical team truly make a difference when you are surviving a perinatal mental health crisis.

I also get entirely transparent about my ongoing relationship with medications, the heavy lifting done by my "village," and the slow, beautiful process of learning how to connect with my daughter and myself again.

Recovery isn't about finding a perfect silver lining—it's about staying alive long enough to see that this is not your ending.

Key Takeaways

• Understanding PHP and IOP: Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient programs bridge the massive gap between acute inpatient stays and regular everyday life, offering structured, school-like daytime environments focused on healing.
• The Power of DBT Over Talk Therapy: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy focuses heavily on tangible skill-building and filling your toolbox with practical coping mechanisms, which are essential when standard cognitive behavioral therapy isn't enough.
• Medication as Life Support: Reframing mental health medication as a vital tool—much like insulin for diabetes—can remove the intense shame and fear surrounding psychiatric prescriptions.
• Rebuilding Connection in Small Steps: True recovery shows up in ordinary milestones, like successfully setting a goal to wash your hair, picking up an old hobby, or holding your baby safe during a bedtime routine.

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.

Visit our Patreon to help support our mission to normalize the conversation and end the stigma surrounding PMADs!

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

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In this extraordinarily candid episode, Caralyn Dreyer shares her challenging path into motherhood. She speaks honestly about living in "survival mode" her whole life, sharing her journey as an adoptee, her experience with sexual assault in college, and her time in a physically and verbally abusive relationship.

She talks about the deep pain of going through two miscarriages, the confusion around early loss, and her struggles with suicidal thoughts afterwards.She highlights the crucial role of external support and antidepressant medication in managing severe postpartum depression, ultimately realizing she had to prioritize her own mental health to be the parent her son needed.

This conversation is a powerful testament to vulnerability as strength and finding hope after walking through hell.

Key Takeaways

• Trauma's Lifelong Impact: Spending a lifetime in "survival mode" can often be attributed to a series of consecutive traumas that begin early in life.
• The Silence of Loss: The lack of a "manual" and the intense stigma surrounding early pregnancy loss means many survivors suffer in silence and carry feelings of shame.
• Generational Cycle Breaking: Recognizing and healing from your own trauma is critical to breaking negative generational cycles for your children.
• Vulnerability as Strength: Sharing dark and personal experiences is an act of courage that can help others feel seen and validated.
• Medication is a Tool, Not a Cure: Antidepressants can be a real lifesaver for handling serious issues like postpartum depression, but they work best when combined with therapy that helps develop long-term coping skills.

To learn more about Caralyn, visit her Instagram, Threads, or Blog accounts.

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.

Visit our Patreon to help support our mission to normalize the conversation and end the stigma surrounding PMADs!

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 Fan Mail

In this latest "Quiet Confession," Chelsea takes us through the ninth installment of their postpartum psychiatric series. This episode covers their final inpatient hospitalization at the University of Vermont Medical Center—an experience they describe as the most traumatic and dehumanizing of their entire journey.

Chelsea opens up about the physical and mental toll of a mental health crisis, the feeling of being "just a box to be checked" by medical staff, and the agonizing reality of benzodiazepine withdrawal. From the dimly lit hallways of the psych unit to the moments of rare kindness from a hospital chaplain, Chelsea explores the thin line between being a patient and being a person.

This episode is a raw look at the systemic gaps in maternal mental health care and a testament to the support systems—like their husband and local partial hospitalization programs—that ultimately saved their life.

Key Takeaways

• The Impact of Environment: How the physical setting of a psychiatric unit—windowless rooms and muted tones—can contribute to the feeling of dehumanization.
• The Struggle for Advocacy: The frustration of not having a clear care plan or feeling "seen" by attending physicians during a crisis.
• Redefining Worthiness: A powerful shift in perspective on why suffering or physical limitations do not make you "less" of a mother.
• The Reality of Withdrawal: Understanding the physical intensity of medication dependency and the shame that often accompanies it.
• The Power of a Support Team: Why having a partner, family, and a dedicated social worker is vital when you are too "dead inside" to hope for yourself.

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.

Visit our Patreon to help support our mission to normalize the conversation and end the stigma surrounding PMADs!

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 Fan Mail

This week, Nancy Ferraro shares her raw and honest journey into motherhood after adopting her son George from Romania. George, whom they affectionately called "Hurricane George," arrived at age four with a host of unexpected disabilities, including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, leading to extreme violence and behavioral challenges.

She opens up about the immense shame and guilt she felt, the trauma inflicted on her older son, and the agonizing decision to place George in a group home, which she describes as the best decision she ever made for him. Ultimately, Nancy shares how she turned her struggle into strength and realized that "advocacy is love in motion".

To learn more, visit Nancy's website.

Key Takeaways

• The Fixer Mindset: As mothers, we often believe we can fix everything with enough love, leading to self-blame and isolation when facing complex, unfixable challenges.
• Adoption Challenges: International adoption can bring unexpected challenges, and it is common for parents to live in denial for years, delaying crucial planning for the child's future.
• Systemic Roadblocks: Government and school agencies often fall short in providing support, forcing parents to become "Tiger Moms" and demand respect and services, often learning the most from other mothers with lived experiences.
• Daily Trauma and Grief: Raising a child with violent behavoirs can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, and the experience is often likened to "a new death" every day, preventing full grief and healing.
• Reinventing the Relationship: Placing a child in a group home, while painful, can be the best decision for the child, providing them with a fixed schedule, trained staff, and a safe environment where they can thrive.
• Vulnerability Creates Community: Sharing the raw truth, rather than a "fluff piece," is what creates the community, solidarity, and hope that other struggling parents desperately need.

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.

Visit our Patreon to help support our mission to normalize the conversation and end the stigma surrounding PMADs!

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