Growing Facts Podcast
A podcast in which the hosts, Shalaka and Alyson, navigate the science behind pregnancy to help decision-making based on facts. Shalaka has a Ph.D. in child psychology and is pregnant by IVF. Alyson is a doctor specializing in internal medicine with a particular interest in obstetrical medicine, and is pregnant with twins. Episodes will alternate between science and pregnancy update episodes. Science episodes will feature an interview with a prenatal scientist about a different aspect of prenatal development. In the pregnancy update episodes, Alyson and Shalaka will discuss different social, cultural, and psychological factors that shape their experience of their pregnancy journeys.
Growing Facts Podcast
10. How do lifestyle factors affect pregnancy and postpartum health? With Dr. Catherine Herba
Content warning: mention of intimate partner violence
For today’s episode, Shalaka will be interviewing Dr. Catherine Herba. We’ll be aiming to answer the question: How do lifestyle factors affect pregnancy and postpartum mental health? We discuss:
-possible biological mechanisms for the influence of prenatal stress on child outcomes, including stress hormones like cortisol and the placenta
-how prenatal stress is related to factors like sleep, exercise, and social support
-why the prenatal and postpartum period is a particularly vulnerable one
-how the Covid-19 pandemic affected maternal mental health
In the post-episode discussion (37:03), Alyson and Shalaka discuss normal stress, mental health in pregnancy and postpartum, and how a support system can help.
Links
https://professeurs.uqam.ca/professeur/herba.catherine/
Québec perinatal health https://www.santementaleperinataleqc.com
RRESPA study: www.resppa.ca
3D study: https://www.irnpqeo.ca/en/
Citations
Herba, C. M., & Glover, V. (2021). The Developmental Effects of Prenatal Maternal Stress: Evolutionary Explanations. In Prenatal Stress and Child Development (pp. 23-52). Springer, Cham.
www.growingfactspodcast.com
Email: growingfactspodcast@gmail.com
IG: growing_facts_podcast
Facebook: Growing Facts Podcast
Tiktok: growingfactspodcast
Prenatal research from Shalaka’s lab and the DREAM BIG consortium:
Dreambigresearch.com
Prenatal Stress and Child Development book (2021):
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-60159-1
Logo design by Dale Byrns
Initial podcast consultation provided by Zoé Gagnon-Paquin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-g-p/
Sound production consultation by Fox Valley Audio
Photo by Janko Ferlič
https://unsplash.com/@itfeelslikefilm
Music by lemonmusicstudio
https://pixabay.com/users/lemonmusicstudio-14942887/?tab=audio
