The Hard Conversations — Postpartum Rage: What It Is, Why It Happens, and What To Do About It

About this episode

This episode discusses postpartum rage, its causes, and how to address it with expert insights from Dr. Naomi Gibson.

Nobody told you about this part. Not the rage that rises out of nowhere. Not the way you can go from calm to completely overwhelmed in seconds. Not the fact that it usually lands on the person closest to you — your partner — while the actual source of the pressure stays invisible. Postpartum rage is one of the most common — and most misunderstood — experiences of new motherhood. It is not a character flaw. It is a nervous system under siege. In this episode — the first of our monthly Maternal Mental Health series — I'm joined by Dr. Naomi Gibson , couples therapist and returning Dam Parenting residental guest, to talk about what postpartum rage actually is, when it happens, why it targets our partners, and what help looks like here in the Netherlands. We cover: the clinical definition and why it's not in the DSM | the hormone and sleep science | the expat isolation layer | accessing support via verloskundige, huisarts, and GGZ | and how couples can start to talk about this. This one is for the parent who is holding it together on the outside. You are not alone.

People in this episode

Host: Dam Parenting Podcast

Guest: Dr. Naomi Gibson

Topics covered

• postpartum rage
• maternal mental health
• couples therapy
• new motherhood
• nervous system
• support systems

Keywords

• postpartum rage
• maternal mental health
• couples therapy
• hormones
• sleep science
• expat isolation
• support access

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Dam Parenting Podcast

Places: Netherlands

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