Morgan Bradwell, LICSW, PMH-C

08/23/2024

Celebrating ONE WHOLE YEAR of Mama Village meetups!

I love & admire Tiffany Jones, DC for lots of reasons, but high up on that list is her heart for creating spaces for women to build community. When I approached her last summer about kicking off a free support group, she didn’t hesitate to say yes & jump in by investing her time & energy to making this group a success.

Now one year, 12 meetups, 4 guest speakers, dozens of incredible mamas, & lots of squishy babies & toddlers later — we’re just getting started! 🎉

Oh, and fun fact — we’re also both doing our parts to build the baby village 🤣 Baby GIRLS Bradwell & Jones due in September 2024 & January 2025! 💗

We can’t wait to see how the Mama Village continues to grow in year two 🫶🏼

08/22/2024

Whether you’re snuggling your rainbow baby today or clinging to hope that you will one day finally meet your rainbow baby, you are seen & you are not alone.

And in case anyone needs to hear this — it’s okay to feel gratitude *and* grief, hopeful *and* fearful, thankful *and* overwhelmed.

If it feels supportive, feel free to drop a heart, a word, or an emoji in the comments that represents your angel baby, your rainbow baby, or your hope along the journey 🤍
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08/08/2024

Gulf Coast social workers & nurses — check out these super affordable CEs offered at the upcoming Region IV Perinatal Conference! I’d love to see you there!

And to answer a couple of FAQs —
◾️ Yes, I am planning to speak at this conference 12 days before my due date 🤪
◾️ Yes, I do have a wonderful friend in Caitlin with Heal and Thrive Therapy coming with me to co-present and/or take over the chat if I have a baby 😅

07/22/2024

Mondays are hard. But releasing the Mama Village dates for the rest of the year makes it better! 🎉

We can’t believe that we’ll soon hit one year of Mama Village meetups. We’re so grateful for how this community has grown over time, with new mamas & babies popping in & out each month. We’d love to have you try it out! 🤩

The Mama Village is a FREE motherhood support group for mamas with kiddos aged 0-2. We meet once a month at Redbar Espresso from 12-1pm — babies welcome of course! We chat about all things motherhood, and lately we’ve been having some amazing maternal / child health & wellness specialists coming to give short educational chats!

Dr. Tiffany Jones, DC & I love co-hosting this group & feel honored to be part of your mama village 🫶🏼

07/15/2024

1 in 3 women experience birth trauma, and studies show that 9-17% of women who give birth will meet clinical criteria for Perinatal PTSD (sometimes called Postpartum PTSD).

In my work with birth trauma survivors, one of the most common yet not publicly talked about experiences related to birth trauma is how confusing & difficult it is to hold space for the fact that the baby’s birthday is simultaneously one of the best & worst days of their mother’s life.

This is a friendly reminder that it’s okay to live in the nuance of this. You can love your baby dearly & be so grateful they were born, *and* you can also hate how they were born & the impact it had on you physically, emotionally, spiritually, & socially.

These two things are not mutually exclusive; they are true at the same time.

05/29/2024

⚠️ signs of PMADs ⚠️

This is the last week of , so I thought it would be fitting to bring back a popular post from MMHM last year.

Perinatal Mood/Anxiety Disorders (aka PMADs) are the most commonly occurring complication resulting from childbirth, & they impact 1 in 5 women who give birth AND around 1 in 10 partners.

It’s important to remember that while we most often think of postpartum depression & postpartum anxiety, PMADs can occur *within* pregnancy and/or postpartum.

Since research shows that only about 20% of perinatal women are screened for PMADs, it’s important to know the signs of various PMADs so that you know what to keep an eye out for in yourself & in your loved ones.

Swipe through to read about the different types of PMADs & their warning signs ➡️
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05/23/2024

⚠️ Pregnancy announcement ahead — scroll on if you need to ⚠️

I’m thrilled to share that my family is welcoming another beautiful, strong, & (most likely) feisty daughter this September 💗

My maternity leave will begin in early September. All of my currently active clients have been notified of my upcoming leave, & further details will be shared as we get the those into place.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions! Thank you for your ongoing support 🫶🏼

05/20/2024

Maternal Mental Health Month isn’t over yet!

Did you know that 1 in 5 perinatal women will experience a perinatal mood/anxiety disorder?

When talking PMADs, most people think of postpartum depression (PPD) & postpartum anxiety (PPA). And while those are definitely the most common, did you know there are actually 6 types of PMADs?
◾️ perinatal depression
◾️ perinatal anxiety
◾️ perinatal OCD
◾️ perinatal PTSD
◾️ perinatal bipolar disorder
◾️ & perinatal psychosis

Another important thing to note is that PMADs can present in pregnancy *and/or* postpartum. So if you’re noticing mental health concerns within pregnancy, don’t hesitate to reach out to your OB/midwifery provider and/or a therapist who specializes in perinatal mental health.

05/08/2024

1 in 4 women experience pregnancy loss, and yet the psychological impact of pregnancy loss is often underestimated or not even talked about.

Many people don’t realize that a woman who has experienced pregnancy loss is postpartum. That means she can experience a perinatal mood/anxiety disorder (PMAD) just like any other postpartum woman can. And in fact, she’s actually at an increased risk for experiencing PMADs after her pregnancy loss *and* after future pregnancies/births.

Pregnancy loss is common, but that does not make it any less of a traumatic event. And while not everyone who experiences trauma goes on to meet full clinical criteria for PTSD, 1 in 4 bereaved mothers will experience PTSD following their pregnancy loss.

Maternal mental health matters, and that includes the mental health needs of bereaved mothers 💚

05/05/2024

Honoring those whose motherhood journeys include loss.

Whether your loss was 3 months ago, 3 years ago, or 30 years ago — you are seen & honored today 💚

Your motherhood matters, your baby/babies matter, your grief matters.
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05/01/2024

May is Maternal Mental Health Month — a time where we highlight the unique struggles that can impact mental health within the journey to & through motherhood.

Mama, you matter.
Your journey to motherhood matters.
Your experience with pregnancy loss matters.
Your fertility challenges matter.
Your pregnancy & birthing experience matters.
Your birth trauma matters.
Your NICU journey matters.
Your foster care and/or adoption journey matters.
Your postpartum depression and/or anxiety matters.
Your adjustment to adding another kiddo into the family matters.
Your struggle to balance all of your roles (partner, mother, employee, friend, etc) matters.
Your long-term health & wellness matters.

Follow along for this month’s content related to maternal mental health & perinatal mood/anxiety disorders 💚

04/22/2024

it’s an art ✨

I mean honestly, who doesn’t resonate with this line?

04/01/2024

No joke’s here — just the dates of our next four Mama Village meetups! 🎉

It’s hard to believe that this group has already been meeting for 7 months! Tiffany Jones, DC & I have felt so honored to build a village of mamas who are all so kind, supportive, & authentic. It’s also been fun to watch their babies grow over time! 🤩

One exciting new thing that we’ve started this year is having a different maternal and/or pediatric health & wellness professional come to each Mama Village meetup to kick off our group with a short educational chat about their area of expertise!

In February I gave a chat on maternal mental health, & in March Dr. Tiffany gave a chat on the benefits of chiropractic care for mamas & babies.

And our next few months will include:
◾️ April - Elizabeth with EZ Sleep Training chatting on forming healthy sleep habits
◾️ May - Beka & Hannah with Honey B Speech Therapy LLC chatting on supporting developmental milestones
◾️ June - Dr. Bailey with Refine PT and Performance chatting on pelvic health & pelvic floor therapy
◾️ July - Amie with Butterflies Dancing leading us in a mini Zumbini class of mom & baby movement 💚

We’d love to have you join us! 🎉

04/01/2024

Yes to all of this 💚

Birth trauma refers to any physical or emotional distress that can occur during or after childbirth (it can also be about didn't occur). Having a traumatic birth experience can greatly impact your mental health. If you are having signs of anxiety or depression or just really don't feel like yourself, going to therapy can help.

Here are some things we want you to know:

You are allowed to grieve the birth experience you wish you could have had.

It was not your fault.

You are not alone (this happens in about 1 out of 3 births).

Heal and Thrive Therapy has therapists who specialize in birth trauma and would love to work with you 🫶

03/12/2024

Let’s normalize giving of ourselves (our time, energy, resources, etc) out of the capacity that we have, & showing ourselves — & others! — compassion when life happens & the capacity is reduced 🫶🏼

02/27/2024

Tag a cycle breaking mama who needs to hear this message today 🫶🏼

02/22/2024

What a fun day! Thank you to the 108th Annual Alabama Conference of Social Work for having me speak on “Perinatal Mental Health: A Public Health Crisis for People in Alabama.”

So grateful for the great questions & discussions that came out of the workshop today. My hope is that social workers will feel motivated to action & feel equipped with practical ways to impact perinatal people in whatever setting they practice in. Now let’s get to work! 💪🏼