Katie’s Surrogacy Journey Part 2

Perinatal Wellbeing - The Podcast about Prenatal, Pregnancy & Postpartum Health

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Content Warning: Fertility challenges, mention of traumatic birth

Today’s episode is in honour of World Maternal Mental Health Day, which is May 4th. The goal of World Maternal Mental Health Day is to raise awareness of maternal mental health issues so that more women will get treatment and fewer will suffer. This is definitely what we also work for at PWO, by sharing these stories on the podcast, talking about various issues and challenges that parents face in the perinatal period so that people listening can identify that they’re experiencing similar challenges and seek support. Please talk about these issues with your family and friends, share posts on social media about Maternal mental health, ask questions, email us, reach out to a health care provider or just listen to stories like the ones we share on the podcast to help normalize these experiences. If you are struggling with your mental health in the perinatal period please know you are not alone and there is a community of support ready to help you. Please email us at [email protected] if you’re looking for support or if you have questions, no matter where in the world you are!
Today is part 2 of my interview with Katie Lamport. Katie is a counsellor in private practice in the Barrie, Ontario area. I first met Katie when I started a new job as an addiction’s counsellor. Katie was fully pregnant and went on maternity leave a few days later. Katie was the first person I had met that was a gestational carrier and I thought WOW what an amazing person! On today’s episode Katie shares about her postpartum experience after being a gestational carrier and how that was different from birthing her own children. Katie and I also explore what types of supports exist and could be helpful for surrogates and gestational carriers.

Highlights:

3:20 - An abrupt ending

4:03 – Maternity leave and recovering from Pregnancy

8:28 – Leading up to delivery

12:52 – Going home with no baby

16:21 – Mental Health supports

20:16 – Discussion about traumatic birth and supports

24:04 – Pumping, self-care, and recovery

27:31 – Returning to work

28:37 – Transition of partnership post-surrogacy

30:12 – What is the relationship like with the family now

33:02 – Reflecting on what Katie did

35:08 – Appropriate language and terminology for

40:12 – What advice would Katie give to potential surrogates and gestational carriers

47:13 - What is the anniversary like for Katie

Resources:

You can find Katie on Instagram @katielamportcounselling at https://www.mainstreamtherapy.com and https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapists/katie-lamport-barrie-on/960500?preview=1&return_to=https%3A%2F%2Fmember.psychologytoday.com%2Fca%2Fhome&_ga=2.157527610.1247068831.1649346645-1756219686.1648751043

You can find us at www.perinatalwellbeing.ca on Instagram @perinatalwellbeing_ontario or by email [email protected]

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