Postpartum Depression Today: What We Know, What We Miss, What’s Changing with Dr. Karen Sheffield-Abdullah

How has our understanding of postpartum evolved, and what challenges have remained all along? The answers may surprise you.

Listen in, as I’m joined by Dr. Karen Sheffield-Abdullah on Yoga | Birth | Babies. Dr. Karen is an assistant professor, certified nurse-midwife, mindfulness coach, and perinatal mental health researcher. Dr. Karen’s expertise has been featured in The New York Times, Politico, TEDx Talks, and NPR.

In this episode you will learn about:

• About Dr. Karen and what led to her passion to study and advocate for perinatal mental health

• What we understand now about postpartum depression (PPD) that we didn’t 10 or 20 years ago

• What role hormones, sleep disruption, and the nervous system play in PPD

• How stress and prior trauma influence postpartum mental health, especially in the early weeks after birth

• PMADs are often talked about as depression, but many parents experience anxiety, OCD, rage, or trauma. How do these show up differently, and why are they so often missed?

• Why so many new parents fall through the cracks in the first weeks and months postpartum

• How racial bias/racism and dismissal in healthcare settings affect who gets diagnosed and who receives care

• What daily, evidence-informed practices support regulation and healing

• The MomGenes study- what it is and why it’s such an important shift toward personalized care for PPD

• What partners, doulas, yoga teachers, and clinicians can do differently to support postpartum mental health

• Dr. Karen’s words for someone who is struggling with postpartum depression at this time

• One final tip or piece of advice she would like to offer new and expectant parents

• Where you can find her work

**Get the most out of each episode by checking out the show notes with links, resources and other related podcasts at: prenatalyogacenter.com

About Dr. Karen:

Dr. Karen Sheffield-Abdullah is an assistant professor, certified nurse-midwife, mindfulness coach, and researcher whose work centers on perinatal mental health and health equity. She studies how stress, anxiety, trauma, and structural factors shape pregnancy and postpartum outcomes, and she develops culturally relevant interventions that improve care for all mothers. Her expertise has been featured by outlets such as The New York Times, Politico, TEDx Talks, and NPR. Karen is a co-investigator for MomGenes, a research study advancing precision approaches to postpartum depression (PPD).

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