The Mother Load

In the aftermath of the Lindsay Clancy trial, Julia and Eliza lock in for an investigation of the postpartum period, exploring the seismic changes that happen to your brain and body after giving birth. The girlies trace the shocking history of postpartum care, the highly misunderstood conditions of postpartum depression and psychosis, and the abysmal state of parental leave in America. Warning — this episode will leave you mad as hell!!! Digressions include welcoming new binchie babies into the world, being freed from the psychic torture of Tyra Banks, and having empathy for bad British food. This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Kylie Finnigan and edited by Livi Burdette.  If you're looking for postpartum support, Postpartum Support International offers support groups, provider directories, helplines, and other resources at https://postpartum.net/. Carriage House Birth offers postpartum support groups and other resources at https://carriagehousebirth.com/. To support the podcast on Patreon and access 50+ bonus episodes, mediasodes, and more, visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today. **SOURCES** A scoping study of postpartum mental health problems and associated factors: opportunities for research and practice Beyond "Baby Blues" Biological Aspects of Postpartum Depression Brooklyn Mother Sentenced to 20 Years to Life in Prison For Killing Her Three Children Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2025 Fact Sheet: Maternal Mental Health From Pregnancy to Postpartum: The Dynamic Reorganization of the Maternal Brain Google Benefits Inequities in CPS contact between Black and White children Maternal Mental Health Conditions and Statistics: An Overview Matrescence: Lifetime Impact of Motherhood on Cognition and the Brain Mother Who Drowned 3 Children at Coney Island Is Sentenced to 20 Years Drownings at Coney Island Mark the End of a Mother's Descent Neuroanatomical changes observed over the course of a human pregnancy OECD Members and Partners Paid Family Leave Across OECD Countries Paid Leave: State Family and Medical Leave Laws Perinatal Depression Physiology, Postpartum Changes Postpartum Baby Blues Postpartum anxiety is invisible, but common and treatable Postpartum Care: An Approach to the Fourth Trimester Postpartum Psychosis and Bipolar Disorder: Review of Neurobiology and Expert Consensus Statement on Classification Postpartum Psychosis: Madness, Mania, and Melancholia in Motherhood Pregnant mothers with strong family support less likely to have postpartum depression, study finds Prevalence and Course of Unwanted, Intrusive Thoughts of Infant-Related Harm Protecting body and soul in medieval childbirth Rachel Moran, 'Making Sense of Postpartum Politics': Blue: A History of Postpartum Depression in America Racial Disparities in Maternal and Infant Health: Current Status and Key Issues The Baby Pinks: What to Know About Postpartum Euphoria The Effect of Spousal Support on Postpartum Depression and Quality of Life The hospital and the postpartum experience: a historical analysis The Impact of Motherhood on Women's Career Progression: A Scoping Review of Evidence-Based Interventions The Important Role of Partner Support in Women's Mental Disorders During the Perinatal Period. A Literature Review The Intimate History of Confinement The Landscape of Parental Leave-Taking in the United States The phenomenology of postpartum psychosis: preliminary findings from the Massachusetts General Hospital Postpartum Psychosis Project Understanding Infanticide in Context: Mothers Who Kill, 1870-1930 and Today Waffle House Careers What are Postpartum and Perinatal OCD? What data does the BLS publish on family leave? When can I go back to work after having a baby? Who is Andrea Yates? A Short Story About Insanity Women Should Rest for a Month After Childbirth—Myth or Fact? Women With Postpartum Depression Experienced Brain Changes During Pregnancy, Study Finds