Elizabeth Stallone-Lowder MSW, LCSW Sage Tree Therapy This blog post from the perspective of a maternal mental health therapist explains Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex (D-MER) in a compassionate, clear way to highlight an often confusing and mysterious - and often ignored - postpartum condition. As a maternal mental health therapist, one of the things I hear most often from newly postpartum moms is: “I didn’t know this was a thing…”  — especially when it comes to Dysphoric Milk Ejection...

Elizabeth Stallone-Lowder MSW LCSW How to Support Someone Struggling After Birth (And What Actually Helps) The postpartum period is often a time when you’re “supposed” to feel grateful, bonded, and happy. Cherish every second right? And sometimes that’s true. But for many parents, postpartum is also intense, confusing, and sometimes comes with frightening emotions that can make everyday life feel unmanageable. Roughly 1 in 4 parents experience a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder (PMAD) ,...

If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking, “I should be doing better,”   “Other moms seem to handle this just fine,”  or “What is wrong with me?”  — you’re not alone. One of the most common themes I hear from moms in therapy is this: “My internal voice is so much meaner to me than I would ever be to anyone else.” Motherhood can activate a surprisingly harsh internal critic. Even moms who are kind, patient, and gentle with everyone around them often struggle to extend even a fraction of that...