63. How to Support a Mom with Postpartum Depression: A Grandmother’s Perspective on Mental Health

 This episode is a special and meaningful close to our Maternal Mental Health Month series—a series that has been deeply personal, honest, and rooted in the hope that no mom feels alone in her struggle.

Throughout this month, we’ve had important conversations around postpartum mental health:

• With Brittany Keating of Cocoon and Bloom Collective, we talked about the difference between baby blues and perinatal mental health disorders—what’s normal, what’s not, and when to seek support.
• I shared my own story—openly and vulnerably—about my experience with postpartum depression, anxiety, and intrusive thoughts.
• My husband joined me to share what it looked like to support a partner through postpartum mental health struggles.

And today, we’re closing this series with a perspective that doesn’t get talked about enough—a mother watching her daughter walk through it.

In this episode, I sit down with my mom, the first person I opened up to about my intrusive thoughts, to talk about what that experience was like from her side.

We talk about how she knew something wasn’t right, how she helped me find support, and what it looked like to walk alongside me without trying to take over. She shares honestly about the emotional weight of that season, how she educated herself on postpartum mental health, and how she supported not just me—but my husband, too.

This conversation is for the moms, the grandmothers, the partners, and the support people—the ones who want to help but may not always know how.

💛 In this episode, we cover:
Recognizing when something more serious is going on

• What it’s like to hear your daughter share intrusive thoughts
• Navigating getting professional help for a loved one
• Supporting both mom and partner during postpartum struggles
• Learning how to step in—and when to step back
• Encouragement for family members supporting a mom in need

This episode—and this entire series—is a reminder that postpartum mental health matters, and no one is meant to walk through it alone.

If you or someone you love is struggling, please know that support is available and healing is possible.

💛 If this series has encouraged you, share it with a mom or support person who needs to hear it. 

Resources Mentioned:

Down Came the Rain by Brooke Shields