Informed Pregnancy Podcast · Independent Podcast Network | Informed Pregnancy

Postpartum Medicine with Dr. Sonal Patel

·52 min·4 clips

A pediatrician describes delivering her first baby amid Hurricane Katrina chaos, leading to unprocessed trauma 17 years later.

Dr. Elliot Berlin hosts pediatrician and NICU fellow Dr. Sonal Patel, who founded a postpartum home health service after her own challenging experiences. Dr. Patel's company, NayaCare, delivers integrated mother-baby care during the fourth trimester in Colorado. She is also a lactation consultant and authored a book reflecting on her four births. Her first birth occurred during Hurricane Katrina while she was a resident, leading to an emergency C-section for an 8-pound, 10-ounce baby with a nuchal cord. She returned to an 80-hour workweek at nine weeks postpartum without adequate time to process the trauma. Dr. Patel's second delivery involved forceps, resulting in severe tearing, a uterine infection, and undiagnosed postpartum depression that manifested as disinterest in her hard-earned NICU job. Her third birth was an unexpected, rapid VBAC with a 5-pound, 8-ounce baby, after which she drove herself and her newborn home alone. Following her fourth baby, she experienced preeclampsia and postpartum preeclampsia, and a contractor noticed her struggling days after delivery when her medical team had not. Dr. Patel only recognized the trauma from her first birth 17 years later when writing her book, which brought her to tears. She explains postpartum depression for her was not sadness but mechanically "checking off boxes" to appear fine. She highlights that postpartum anxiety often goes unnoticed, as she scored high on anxiety questions but not on depression screens like the Edinburgh scale. Dr. Patel discusses the unspoken grief of gender disappointment, sharing her own surprise and complex feelings upon having a fourth boy. She traces the loss of postpartum support to industrialization and insurance changes, noting vaginal deliveries once allowed five hospital days and C-sections seven. Dr. Patel points out that 40% of women skip the six-week postpartum checkup, which often focuses narrowly on sexual clearance. Her model includes 60-75 minute home visits, a sliding scale, and accepts Medicaid to improve access. She emphasizes that supporting mothers is "selfish" pediatric care because infant development and milestones depend on a stable maternal foundation. The tone is conversational and educational, blending personal narrative with historical and medical insights. Listeners interested in postpartum care innovation, maternal mental health, and systemic healthcare critiques will find this episode compelling. Those seeking a purely clinical discussion without personal stories might prefer a different format.

As heard by us

A grounded conversation about postpartum care gaps and the home-health model built to address them.

Dr. Sonal Patel's conversation with Elliot Berlin is shaped by the gaps behind her work: four very different births, postpartum depression, and the moment a contractor noticed her pain before her medical team did.

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Why you'd press play

You want postpartum care that sounds like real life, not a brochure.

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