Dr. Katrina Carrera

01/25/2026

When parents carry the weight of the world in their mind but still show up with lighthearted presence and playfulness in day-to-day moments with their children...

When parents are grieving and enraged but still show up with attunement and empathy for their children's emotional needs...

When parents witness unspeakable injustices but still show up with hope and resolution in the values they embody and impart to their children...
..𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲, 𝘁𝗼𝗼.

If you're struggling with how to show up right now or whether you're doing "enough," remember that community action comes in many forms; big and small, quiet and loud. Don't underestimate the power of showing up for your children in a conscious and consistent way — 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨.

01/24/2026

Take a moment to think about what it was like for you to experience your parent's/caregiver's health status and health choices... 💭

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥?

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥?

Your experience matters. Your child's experience matters. 🤍

01/23/2026

It's amazing what can unfold when you train your brain to see life happening 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 rather than 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪.

🗝️🗝️🗝️

01/21/2026

The sacred mother-baby dyad is too often forgotten in modern day maternal and postpartum care.

🚫 When cultural messaging says "a good baby sleeps through the night," "you're a supermom and can do it all," and ultimately applauds mother-baby separation as an indicator of "adjusting well," we are missing the mark BIG TIME Y'ALL. It's the wild west out there dodging all the misinformation that neglects to account for normal developmental needs and individual temperament-based needs in both mother and baby, creating a snowball effect of unrealistic expectations and unnecessary frustration, shame, and disruption to biological processes. Then, we can see that postpartum depression and anxiety are rather reasonable responses to these hurdles during such a vulnerable time.

✨ The magic happens when we remember what nature has provided in the sacred connection between mother and baby and systems support them to prioritize their unique dyadic needs so 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗻𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴. Working *with* the nature of the postpartum period reminds us that "adjusting well" actually relies on supportive rest and oxytocin levels that, for the vast majority, start with options for safe co-sleeping, tandem nervous system regulation, breastfeeding and nourishment, and a bubble of protection for plenty of peaceful contact and focus on the family unit.

Creating space for this within the demands of modern life can be truly challenging — and when it is not possible and postpartum feels like an overwhelming struggle, please remember that it is NOT YOU but the system that is failing.

01/16/2026

𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 ➡️ this can feel completely unexpected and overwhelming when already in the thick of postpartum and parenthood adjustments 🥵

𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 ➡️ this can feel like a second chance and a challenge well worth journeying to fully discover how YOU can become the person you always needed 😌

01/14/2026

If we want our children to speak with kindness... 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯.

If we want our children to respect screentime boundaries... 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴.

If we want our children to take care of their belongings... 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴.

If we want our children to stay kind while regulating emotions... 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.

If we want our children to love reading and learning... 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨.

If we want our children to make food and exercise choices that support their wellness... 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴.

If we want our children to utilize healthy conflict resolution skills... 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴.

If we want our children to be patient with themselves and others... 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗱𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁? 💭

01/13/2026

Focus on the feedback that provides the deep respect and support you deserve in this season.

For some, that might be received from their entire social circle — for others, that might only come from their trusted provider and birth partner/support person.

Either way, you will learn how to trust yourself above all and assemble the village you need most.

***𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘵𝘰𝘰!

01/11/2026

The perinatal period holds a tremendous amount of unpredictable (and, often, uncontrollable) changes and transitions.

When your preferences are unfulfilled and your plans are uprooted, it is so very important to avoid getting caught in the mental trap of misunderstanding these as a personal failure.

Eryn said it best in wisdom from lived experience — 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝘀 and that is never a failure.

01/08/2026

You have more capacity to love (𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧) than you might realize. I promise. ✨

01/08/2026

Remembering a bright light in the birth community 💔

Dr. Janell Green Smith (“Neli”) was a devoted certified nurse-midwife, researcher, and passionate advocate for Black maternal health. At just 31 years old, she tragically died from childbirth complications while welcoming her first child.

Her death during childbirth reflects the ongoing disparities Black families continue to face, realities she dedicated her life to changing.

We hold her family, loved ones, and colleagues in our hearts during this time of loss.

01/04/2026

𝗜𝗳 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗶𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗶𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻. 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗱.

12/29/2025