Healing the Tigress
A podcast that focuses on conversations & stories around Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) maternal mental health, hosted by Taiwanese American mothers Peggy (LCSW, PMH-C) & Jasmine (PharmD, PMH-C) who are also postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety survivors.
Mental health is not talked about enough in our AAPI communities, and we want to break these stigmas especially for mothers and partners. As AAPI healthcare providers who personally struggled during postpartum and are now perinatal mental health certified, we want to see more representation of other AAPI parents who know how important it is to take care of our mental health.
We talk with AAPI guests about a variety of themes in mental health and parenting, particularly what that looks like through the lens of our culture within the Western world. There are also discussions with professionals in the field, to help our providers and allies. We're not afraid to talk about the hard things that might seem taboo. We hope this podcast reminds you that you are not alone in your struggles as an AAPI parent!
Healing the Tigress
Ep. 31 - After Therapy and Medications: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Stephanie Wu, OT, PMH-C
Today's episode dives into a different side of postpartum depression and treatment options that are not as widely discussed. We were joined on this episode by Stephanie Wu, a Taiwanese American occupational therapist and perinatal mental health certified professional, who talked to us about her treatment resistant depression after the birth of her second child.
Stephanie has been very open about sharing her story about being a first time mom during the beginning of the pandemic, and then going on to have her second child almost exactly 2 years later. In this episode, she shares how insomnia played a role in her postpartum depression and then how she tried therapy and multiple medications in hopes of finding something that helped.
Stephanie talks about her experience with the Day Program at The Motherhood Center, which is a well-known mental health treatment center for new and expecting mothers in New York. Finally, we hear about Stephanie's experience with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which is something that can be offered for treatment resistant depression.
We hope this episode might shine a light on how hard it can be to recover from depression for some people and hold space for those who are working hard to find the right balance of treatment regimens. Yet, Stephanie still offers hope that there is help out there and that mothers can advocate for themselves.
Trigger Warning: There are mentions of suicidal ideations in this episode.
Stephanie works part-time at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and is the founder of H.O.M.E. MAMA, a private practice dedicated to providing in-home maternal health support. She offers home visits and community workshops.
Resources mentioned:
The Women's Guide to Overcoming Insomnia By Shelby Harris
Find more of Stephanie at:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/home_mama_nyc
Website: https://www.home-mama.com/
Note: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speakers' own. This podcast is not a replacement for therapy or professional/medical advice. If you need more support or advice, please reach out to your own medical professional who can answer your questions with your individual medical history and background in context.
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