Navigating Self-Care In The 4th Trimester | Dr. Megan Gray

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EPISODE 77 | Dr. Megan Gray is a practicing obstetrician/gynecologist with over 15 years of experience, as well as a mom of two littles and wife. She was a scholar athlete in gymnastics and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Dr. Gray received her medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina and then completed her Ob/Gyn residency training at Orlando Health in Orlando, Florida. She has cared for thousands of women and delivered well over a thousand babies in her career so far, but it wasn’t until she went through the postpartum experience herself that she really understood what was lacking in maternal care. While on maternity leave, with her first child she was inspired by her own experience to write Amazon bestselling The Forgotten Trimester: Navigating Self-Care After Birth. Dr. Gray is the co-creator of Postpartum U, a postpartum preparation group coaching program. She’s passionate about improving the experience of the fourth trimester through educating, encouraging, and empowering moms about their health and wellness after birth. In the episode, Dr. Gray shares why new moms struggle more during the postpartum period now than they did many years ago, many of the unexpected challenges they face, how any new mom can make the “fourth trimester” more bearable…and more! Enjoy!!

EPISODE WEBPAGE: thehealthinvestment.com/77

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QUESTIONS I ASK DR. GRAY IN THE EPISODE:

  • What’s your story? (Specifically, what led you to become a doctor? To focus on “the fourth trimester”?)
  • Why do you think that the topic of the 4th trimester and the postpartum time frame is so overlooked in our culture? How would you like to see this changed and improved?
  • How is our culture in the US different from other parts of the world in the way that new moms are supported in the fourth trimester?
  • What are some of the challenges most moms expect and prepare for in the fourth trimester?
  • What are some of the biggest unexpected challenges new mothers have to face in those first three months? 
  • I’ve read and heard from friends that many relationships struggle after the baby arrives. What can couples do?
  • What are the common struggles people share with you about the early days of breastfeeding?
  • How common is postpartum depression? What are some of the signs and symptoms?
  • How important is it to do some type of pelvic floor therapy? Do you recommend that all women seek the help of a specialist?
  • Do women need to eat differently in the fourth trimester than they did during pregnancy or before pregnancy?
  • What is some advice you would give to women who are expecting a baby or are new moms to help them transition into motherhood/this fourth trimester period?  
  • If you could give a woman struggling with her postpartum experience one piece of advice, what would it be?

 

LINKS [SOME MAY BE AFFILIATE LINKS; PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO]:

 

Image of parents holding a newborn below title: Navigating Self-Care In The 4th Trimester