09 - Post-natal depletion and supporting yourself postpartum with Dr Oscar Serrallach

Feeling flat, anxious, tired, run down or just generally not like yourself since having a baby? Is it just BECAUSE you’ve had a baby? Or could there be something else going on? In today’s episode we speak to the incredible Dr Oscar Serrallach about all things postnatal depletion - what’s normal, what’s not and what you can do about it!

Dr Oscar Serrallach is a Doctor of Functional Medicine with a special interest in Post-Natal Wellbeing. His initial studies in Functional Medicine coincided with starting a family and through observation of his own partner and many mothers through his clinical work he soon realised the unique challenges and issues that mothers face. Combining the growing research on maternal neurobiology with the principles of functional medicine Dr Serrallach through using a maternal framework and specific postpartum protocols has been supporting many hundreds of mothers back to wellness. Dr Serrallach coined the term Post-Natal Depletion to acknowledge and describe the many mothers suffering with a post natal neuroinflammatory disorder that could not be classified as having a perinatal mood disorder . He founded the Mother Care Project in 2022 to provide information, inspiration and education to both mothers and mother care workers and is also the author of The Post-Natal Depletion Cure - an incredible resource which has truly shaped the landscape of the postpartum period for so many mother’s and health professionals.

In this podcast we chat to Oscar about:

• What exactly is postnatal depletion, and how do you differentiate between a “normal” experience of having a newborn and something more going on?

• Some key nutrients and supplements that new mothers may want to focus on to ensure they don’t become depleted

• Testing that can be insightful to support women through this time of life

• Placenta encapsulation and Dr Oscar’s thoughts on this hot topic

• Traditional postnatal practices around the world and what we can learn

• and so much more.

Dr Oscar Serrallach is a wealth of knowledge and truly a pioneer in this field. You can find more about him HERE or check out the Mother Care Project for additional support.

You can listen to Lukas birth stories that she mentions in the podcast on Australian Birth Stories Episode 140 (for Flynn and Florence birth) and episode 320 (for Will’s birth).

Today's episode was brought to you by Australian Birth Stories. You may have already heard of the Australian Birth Stories podcast, but you might not know that beautiful Sophie has also created an incredible online course called the Birth Class. This online course is full of birth education that helps you confidently prepare for a positive birth experience. And we know from research that education and preparation really helps to pave the way for this. In the birth class, you'll be guided through every stage of labour and birth with 10 audio lessons from a range of perinatal health specialists - which means you can listen from the comfort of your home when you’re relaxed and receptive to new information.

You can use the code BOOBTOFOOD for 15% off all of Sophie's online birth courses.

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