In recognition of Maternal Mental Health Month I am re-sharing this 2023 conversation with the founders of The Motherhood Center in NYC. With Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADS) being the #1 complication associated with birth in the US and the #2 cause of maternal mortality, this remains a critical conversation.

It’s not just you. You're not crazy. You're not a bad mom. You're not alone. These are words and deep beliefs that resonate through and form the backbone of today’s guests, Catherine Birndorf, MD, and Paige Bellenbaum, LMSW. Catherine and Paige are dedicated to changing the perinatal mental health terrain, and they do it through The Motherhood Center, a place of radical acceptance, nurturance, and individual and group support. On today’s episode, we pull back the curtain on motherhood and redefine what is considered "normal" and "typical". With PMADs (perinatal mood and anxiety disorders) being the #1 complication associated with birth and the #2 cause of maternal mortality, this is a critical conversation. On today’s episode, we unpack why it’s so important that we talk more about these conditions, how to do your best to prevent PMADs, and what to do if you or someone you love has symptoms.

Aviva, Paige, and Catherine discuss:

• The definition of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADS) and the different diagnoses that fall under the PMAD umbrella
• What PMAD taboos still exist today, why this needs to change, and how Roe v. Wade affects these taboos
• Paige and Catherine’s personal stories with perinatal mood disorders and what brought them to the point of specializing in PMADS and opening the motherhood center
• The kinds of physical and psychological feelings and symptoms associated with PMADs and signs birthing people and their providers should watch out for
• Why we need to move in the direction of making it mandatory for OB-GYNs, midwives, pediatricians, and any providers who come in contact with newer expecting mothers to begin educating their patients about PMADS and screening for symptoms
• The effects of the pandemic, social isolation, and potential cultural contributors on PMADS
• The role of medication and psychotherapy in treating conditions

For more information or to reach out visit themotherhoodcenter.com or call (212) 335-0034.

Thank you so much for taking the time to tune in to your body, yourself, and this podcast! Please share the love by sending this to someone in your life who could benefit from the kinds of things we talk about in this space. Make sure to follow your host on Instagram @dr.avivaromm and go to avivaromm.com to join the conversation.

There are the stories we tell out loud, and then there are the ones we keep tucked away—the ones that ache the most, because we’ve carried them in silence.

On this episode of On Health, we’re breaking the silence—and the stigma—around some of the most vulnerable, hidden experiences women carry: miscarriage, illness, identity loss, perfectionism, aging, and the loneliness so many of us feel but rarely name.

I’m joined by the phenomenal Dr. Jessica Zucker, clinical psychologist and author of the groundbreaking memoir I Had a Miscarriage, and her latest book, Normalize It, which is just what we need: an invitation to stop apologizing for what we’re going through—and start talking about it.

Together, we explore:

• How grief grows in silence—and thrives in stigma
• What it means when you don’t feel like yourself
• Why midlife isn’t a decline—it’s a reckoning
• What being a “good girl” has cost us
• Why loneliness is a serious health issue
• Why we are more than what we do
• How perfectionism is stealing our joy

This one’s for all the women tired of pretending they’re fine.

Who are aching to be seen.

Who are ready to stop carrying the weight alone.

Looking for supplements for yourself and your family, including some of those I talk about in episodes? You can find those - and your 15% discount on every order here: avivaromm.com/supplements

Mentioned in this episode:

Looking for supplements for yourself and your family, including some of those I talk about in episodes? You can find those - and your 15% discount on every order here: avivaromm.com/supplements

What if you already have what it takes to breastfeed your baby—and just need the right support to unlock it?

This question is at the heart of my conversation with Lisa Paladino, Certified Nurse Midwife, IBCLC, and a fierce advocate for women and babies. Lisa has decades of experience helping families navigate the powerful, joyous, and sometimes confusing, emotional, and occasionally challenging terrain of breastfeeding. Not just a brilliant clinician, but a graduate of both my Women’s Integrative and Functional Medicine and Herbal Medicine for Women training programs… and now, a lifelong friend.

Lisa is the passionate founder of Tongue Tie Experts. She’s spent decades supporting parents through the intense, sacred, and often confusing path of breastfeeding—especially when things don’t go as planned.

Lisa’s journey from hospital-based nurse and midwife to fierce advocate for women’s rights and breastfeeding education is one you won’t forget. And what we unpack in this conversation might change how you see everything from nipple pain to infant sleep—and even adult airway health.

In this episode, we dive into:

• What exactly is an IBCLC—and why it matters
• The silent struggle of mastitis, milk supply issues, and pain
• How breastfeeding shapes your baby’s airway—and possibly lifelong health
• The heartbreak of not making enough milk—and how to support yourself
• Setting yourself up for breastfeeding success before the baby comes
• Why so many moms stop breastfeeding before they want to—and how we can change that
• And yes… we go there with nipple toughening myths, lactation cookies, pumping in broom closets, and airplane glares.

Because we’ve all been there—or know someone who has.

“Breastfeeding is a vital sign of the infant-maternal dyad. If it’s not working, we need to ask why.” — Lisa Paladino

“We’re grown-ass women. Nobody should be telling us what we’re ‘allowed’ to do in birth or postpartum.” — Aviva Romm

In this episode, we dive into:

• You deserve real, informed support—not just platitudes or formula handouts.
• Breastfeeding might be “natural,” but that doesn’t mean it’s easy or intuitive.
• Trusting your instincts is medicine.
• Whether you breastfed for two years, two days, or not at all, you’re still a phenomenal mama.

Looking for supplements for yourself and your family, including some of those I talk about in episodes? You can find those - and your 15% discount on every order here: avivaromm.com/supplements

The Mama Pathway is not your average childbirth education program. It's a powerful virtual membership community and online education experience where traditional midwifery wisdom and modern medicine meet to support you on your most empowered path through pregnancy, birth, and beyond. Go to avivaromm.com/mama-pathway to learn more

Mentioned in this episode:

The Mama Pathway is not your average childbirth education program. It's a powerful virtual membership community and online education experience where traditional midwifery wisdom and modern medicine meet to support you on your most empowered path through pregnancy, birth, and beyond. Go to https://avivaromm.com/mama-pathway to learn more

Looking for supplements for yourself and your family, including some of those I talk about in episodes? You can find those - and your 15% discount on every order here:...