Postpartum University® Podcast · Maranda Bower, Postpartum Nutrition Specialist

Regulating the Postpartum Nervous System | Ja'Neen Jenkins EP 230

·34 min·2 clips

Miranda says a professor told her there was “no such thing as birth trauma,” and she walked out of school.

1. Postpartum University® Podcast episode 230 focuses on regulating the postpartum nervous system with Ja'Neen Jenkins and Miranda Bauer. 2. Miranda Bauer hosts the episode and introduces Jenkins as a licensed professional counselor, certified childbirth educator, doula, postpartum nutrition expert, and founder of Covered Mama Community. 3. The episode asks what maternal care looks like when therapy, nutrition, childbirth education, and nervous-system support are all part of one plan. 4. Jenkins says her training across multiple disciplines changed how she shows up for mothers from conception through the point when they no longer need support. 5. She describes herself as a “trusted person” on both sides, translating between providers and mothers in a hospital-heavy area without birth centers. 6. Bauer names a common problem: mothers often have to split care across education, pelvic floor PT, nutrition, and chiropractic visits while retelling the same story each time. 7. Jenkins says she meets with providers to learn their needs and then makes that information “plain” for moms navigating prenatal care and postpartum care. 8. She says the goal is to rebuild something like “the village” so maternal health feels personal again instead of fragmented. 9. Jenkins says the work is challenging because she is building without a blueprint, but she sees that uncertainty as part of creating something authentic and evidence-backed. 10. She says she stepped out of the therapy room because not all mothers need therapy, and she wanted a middle space between a diagnosis and no support at all. 11. Jenkins says insurance does not pay for “I need support,” which leaves many mothers without help if they cannot afford over $100 for a session. 12. She names maternal mental health, PMADs, psychological birth trauma, infant loss, child loss, and nutrition-related concerns as part of what she saw in therapy. 13. Jenkins says some problems are preventable and could start with childbirth education, labs, and attention to hormones and nutrition. 14. Bauer says a professor once told her there was “no such thing as birth trauma,” and that moment pushed her away from counselor training. 15. Jenkins says nervous system regulation is central to lowering the risk of PMADs and psychological birth trauma. 16. She teaches hypnobabies and says knowing when the body is in sympathetic or parasympathetic state helps mothers regulate themselves. 17. Jenkins says her own unmedicated VBAC after using hypnobabies made her a “full-on believer” in the method. 18. The conversation stays conversational and personal, with Bauer sharing her own labor experience and Jenkins answering in a practical, reflective style. 19. Mothers, perinatal providers, and therapists who want concrete postpartum support will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners looking for a diagnosis-focused, strictly medical discussion may skip it.

As heard by us

A grounded case for postpartum care built around prevention, regulation, and whole person support.

Postpartum care is treated as nervous system work and whole person work, with Miranda Bauer and Janine Jenkins talking through trauma informed support, prevention, privilege, and the cost of waiting until crisis.

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Why you'd press play

If you want postpartum care that starts with regulation, not dismissal, press play.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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