Most women don’t look like they’re falling apart—even when they’re struggling to stay afloat. We keep it all going: raising kids, showing up for work, taking care of everyone else—while silently carrying stress, grief, trauma, and anxiety. And all that holding it together? It comes at a cost.

In this heart-opening episode of On Health, Aviva sits down with UK-based psychotherapist and author Helen Marie to explore:

🔹 Why high-functioning anxiety, burnout, and people-pleasing often go unseen

🔹 How supresseds stress lives in the body—and what our nervous systems are trying to tell us

🔹 The basics of Polyvagal Theory and how to map your nervous system

🔹 What it means to “meet your nervous system where it’s at”

🔹 Somatic practices like tapping and cupping to gently bring your body back to safety

🔹 The quiet power of journaling, boundaries, and emotional truth

🔹 How to take one small step toward choosing you—without guilt or shame

This episode is for anyone who’s ever whispered “I’m fine” while quietly falling apart—and is ready to begin reclaiming calm, connection, and self-worth, one kind breath at a time.

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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 the way we care for new mothers is all wrong?

Not just lacking. Not just outdated. But built on a model that misses the heart and soul of what postpartum truly is — and what it could be.

When I was a home birth midwife, postpartum care was the care. I'd visit mamas and babies at home five or six times in the first few weeks. We’d talk about everything — from latch to lochia, sleep deprivation to soul shifts. It wasn’t "extra." It was essential.

It’s part of why I went into medicine, because as a midwife I saw too often, how in this precious, vulnerable, formative window for mothers and babies - care just disappeared for the mother after the baby was born. A first visit may have been 6 or 8 weeks after the birth, by which time mothers were struggling alone with overwhelm, breastfeeding challenges, or worse, anxiety, depression, isolation, and sometimes they’d given up breastfeeding because they had no support. And when they did get care, all too often they had to sit in waiting rooms, a baby and toddler often in tow, waiting for an appointment only to get 15 minutes with a doctor whose had no idea to support mothers postpartum.

This week on On Health, I’m joined by my long-time colleague and kindred spirit Dr. Eva Zasloff — a fellow family physician, artist, mother, and fellow revolutionary in postpartum care — to talk about the radical simplicity and profound necessity of caring for mothers in their homes, in their own rhythm, and on their own terms.

• The surprising (and heartbreaking) truth about conventional postpartum visits
• Why 20-minute clinic appointments can do more harm than good
• Eva’s bold leap from family doctor to founder of Tova Health — a home-based, whole-person care model serving over 600 families
• The “twilight zone” of early motherhood — and how we can hold space for it
• What home visits offer that clinic visits never can
• Why postpartum depression and anxiety are often symptoms of a broken system
• The healing power of birth stories, coconut oil massages, and Zoom mama circles that make a difference

What Eva is doing with Tova Health, and what I’m doing with The Mama Pathway, are not just beautiful experiences for mothers— they’re necessary for maternal health. It’s a return to wisdom we’ve always known. And it’s a model I dream of seeing in communities everywhere.

If you’re a doula, a midwife, a family doc, or a mama (or someone who loves one), this episode will touch you deeply — and perhaps inspire you to bring this care into your own community or at least raise your awareness about the importance of listening to, being with, and supporting new mothers.

Share it with a friend, sister, or doula. Leave a review. Join us on Instagram @DrAvivaRomm and let us know what postpartum care has meant for you. And if you’re dreaming of a better way — whether you’re a practitioner or a mama — I see you. And this episode is for you.

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

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.