S1 E4 Conversations Before Sleep Training: Maternal Mental Health

**Content Warning:** This episode includes discussion of postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, OCD, postpartum psychosis, suicidal thoughts, birth trauma, and other sensitive mental health topics. Please listen with care. When mothers struggle postpartum, one recommendation seems to rise above all others: *sleep train your baby.* What if we've mistaken a default recommendation for a comprehensive solution? In this episode, Lauren and Gabrielle are joined once again by therapist and maternal mental health specialist Natalie Bowler for a thoughtful conversation about postpartum mental health, sleep deprivation, trauma, attachment, and the growing tendency to present sleep training as the primary intervention for struggling mothers. Together, they explore what may be missing from these conversations—and why supporting maternal mental health requires far more than simply addressing infant sleep.  The discussion examines the importance of comprehensive maternal mental health assessment, the role of trauma and grief in the postpartum period, the influence of societal expectations surrounding independence, and why individualized, family-centered support matters. Rather than framing babies as the problem to solve, this episode asks what becomes possible when we support the entire family system.  ## About Our Guest ### Natalie Bowler Natalie Bowler is a therapist specializing in trauma, attachment, and maternal mental health with more than 10 years of clinical experience. She is also a Nurture Neuroscience Practitioner, Mother Hunger Facilitator, and supports families through an attachment-focused, trauma-informed lens.  **Instagram:** @safehavenmama **Therapy Practice:** safehaventherapy.com **Consulting & Coaching:** safehavencandc.com ## Connect With the Hosts ### Lauren Sloan, RN-BSN, CLC Founder of **The Early Neurodiversity Company** Instagram: @earlyneuroco Website: https://earlyneuroco.com Lauren is a registered nurse, certified lactation counselor, certified pediatric sleep specialist, and disability advocate challenging how we recognize and support neurodivergence from birth. Through a neurodiversity-affirming, biologically informed approach, she helps families better understand sleep, regulation, sensory processing, and early child development. ### Gabrielle Ferrara, Nurture Neuroscience Practitioner, LCSW, PMH-C Instagram: @nurtured.mom.nurtured.baby Website: https://gabrielle-ferrara.com Gabrielle is a licensed therapist and Nurture Neuroscience Practitioner specializing in **maternal mental health, attachment, and infant sleep**. She supports families through a responsive, relationship-based approach that prioritizes both parent and child wellbeing.