Conversations That Change How We Care for Mothers

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Phindile Chowa shares how experiencing pregnancy loss as a Physician transformed her approach to medicine. From emergency medicine to creating comprehensive postpartum care, her journey shows how personal experience shapes better healthcare.

On this week’s Our Voices, we discuss postpartum care for new mothers. Soon after the baby's delivery, women experience a postpartum period, which usually lasts 6 to 8 weeks and ends when the mother's body has nearly returned to its pre-pregnant state.

During this time, some women struggle to adapt to the novel demands of motherhood as they experience sleep deprivation and exhaustion, feel overwhelmed, and often question their adequacy as mothers.

We speak with experts who will unpack the significant changes that some women experience in the postpartum period and why postpartum care is important for new mothers.

In this episode of The Mommy Mentor, I sit down with Dr. Phindile Chowa, a Harvard-trained emergency physician and expert in compassionate, personalized postpartum care. Dr. Chowa shares her "superpower"—guiding new mothers through the fourth trimester with individualized support to enhance their recovery and overall well-being.

We dive into some of the most pressing challenges new moms face, from mental health struggles to the difficulty of balancing self-care while caring for a family. Dr. Chowa highlights common obstacles mothers encounter when trying to prioritize their own health and offers advice on fostering a culture of self-care among mothers.

The conversation also addresses the maternal health crisis in the U.S., particularly the disparities Black women face with higher rates of complications and mortality. While Dr. Chowa acknowledges that systemic changes are important, she notes that these improvements can be slow. Instead, she emphasizes the faster, positive impact that support at the individual and community levels can provide. Dr. Chowa shares practical strategies for empowering mothers and building supportive networks to ensure every mother feels valued and cared for during the postpartum period.