One of the many perks of Portland is that there really is something here for everyone; we’ve got options! We even have options when it comes to our healthcare. You might not have thought about it before, but what are your options when it comes to postpartum care? After you give birth, your body doesn’t heal the moment the baby is born. It takes time. So how do you encourage both physical and emotional healing? This is what Dr. Angela Potter specializes in. 

This week Dr. Potter and I talk all about her practice and how she supports women during their recovery after birth. Not only does she help with the symptoms of recovery like hormone imbalance, mood imbalance, incontinence, and pelvic pain, but Dr. Potter also helps new moms regain their energy and feel more vibrant overall. Let’s talk about it!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

• The postpartum experience. It was jarring for me to see how once the baby is here, it doesn’t matter if your feet are still swollen and your body is adjusting. All the attention goes to the baby, which is fantastic, but it’s still very sudden and jarring! 
• Dr. Potter’s patients are usually coming in for emotional support as new mothers. She recommends counselors and acupuncture, but Dr. Potter helps with the clinical aspect like hormone balance, vitamin levels, and nutrition to make new moms feel more nourished. 
• How pelvic floor work is excellent for healing physically and emotionally. Processing the birth story can have a direct relationship with the pelvic floor. Dr. Potter talks about what happens when the birth doesn’t go as planned, and how that can affect mom emotionally. The pelvic floor is where a mother carries her baby, and so doing this work can help mothers process the birth story physically and emotionally. 
• Dr. Potter loves working on the postpartum healing plan during the pregnancy and gives you all the resources you need to prevent postpartum depression, anxiety, incontinence, etc. But she also encourages new mothers who are struggling to give her a call or schedule a consultation because she is here to help! 
• Fertility work and how, surprisingly, women can have trouble getting pregnant for the second or third time. She talks about her personal experience with holistic fertility treatment and how even things like stress management can make all the difference. 
• Yoni steaming! It’s big around the world and making a comeback here in the United States. Dr. Potter talks about what it is and how it’s helpful during your postpartum time. She works with women to develop steaming plans, and she’s got all the resources for you to get started! 
• Dr. Potter has a philosophy for healthcare. She is a naturopathic doctor, so she can prescribe medications, but her practice is all about holistic care. She helps out with the big picture. Find out how she assesses her patients’ overall health and guides them to a healthier lifestyle. 
• Toddlers! Having a toddler can be a huge adjustment, and sometimes you don’t know what to feel, but you just don’t feel right. Dr. Potter talks about how she would help someone who just hasn’t felt the same since giving birth.  
• Having a concern for weight loss after birth is huge in our society. We see new mothers on Instagram or celebrity moms, and we want to lose weight as fast as them. Dr. Potter talks about how dieting can hurt not help, and what she would recommend for someone coming to her trying to lose the baby weight. 
• Bonus: How she helps patients get easy access to at-home testing for hormone imbalance and nutrition.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Dr. Angela Potter
• Pregnancy and Postpartum Wellness
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

Are you or someone you know having a hard time with the postpartum process? Do you have questions we didn’t answer in the episode? Visit Dr. Potter’s website to get more information about requesting appointments and all her services. You can also join her community of moms on Facebook, where moms enjoy an open dialogue about motherhood and health. When you join, you’ll get access to tons of valuable information straight from Dr. Potter herself!