A Physician Becomes the Patient: Birth, Breastfeeding, and Postpartum Anxiety with Dr. Barbara Acuna Rosenstein

What happens when a physician who understands the medical side of pregnancy and birth suddenly finds herself navigating the unexpected challenges of motherhood as a patient? In this episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies, family physician Dr. Barbara Acuna Rosenstein shares her personal journey through birth, breastfeeding difficulties, and postpartum anxiety. Despite her medical background, Barbara found herself unprepared for the emotional and psychological challenges of early motherhood, particularly when breastfeeding struggles triggered persistent worries and intrusive thoughts about whether her baby was getting enough to eat.

Together, we explore the connection between breastfeeding challenges and perinatal mental health, how to recognize the difference between common new-parent worries and postpartum anxiety that may require additional support, and why postpartum care often leaves parents feeling unprepared and underserved. Barbara also reflects on the gaps in medical education and postpartum support that she experienced firsthand, and how becoming a patient has influenced her evolving professional interests in lactation medicine and perinatal mental health. This conversation highlights the importance of seeing maternal mental health and infant feeding as interconnected parts of postpartum care, rather than treating them as separate concerns.

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