The Best Podcasts for Postpartum Mental Health
Written by
Phoenix Health Editorial Team
Expert health information, double-checked for accuracy and written to be helpful.
Last updated
Written by
Phoenix Health Editorial Team
Expert health information, double-checked for accuracy and written to be helpful.
Last updated
A book requires hands and a screen. A podcast doesn't. When you're feeding at 2am or pacing the living room with a baby who won't sleep, audio is the format that actually works. Hearing another voice name your experience, particularly a voice that's not performing wellness, can matter in a way that reading about it sometimes can't.
These are the podcasts the postpartum community actually recommends, across three categories.
Podcasts Led by Mental Health Professionals
Clinician-hosted shows tend to be most useful for answering clinical questions, understanding diagnoses, and finding out whether what you're experiencing falls within the range of what's treatable.
Mom and Mind — Hosted by Dr. Katayune Kaeni, a perinatal psychologist, this show covers PMADs in specific clinical depth: postpartum OCD, postpartum psychosis, birth trauma, PPA, and depression. Episodes address taboo topics that come up in postpartum mental health but rarely get discussed in mainstream parenting content. Frequently recommended by people who describe finding it after a period of feeling like their symptoms were too specific or too strange to be real. Available on Apple Podcasts.
Talking in Circles — Hosted by Laura, who shares her own personal account of severe PPD and anxiety alongside clinical perspectives. The rawness of the host's own story distinguishes this from purely educational content. Occasionally recommended by people who find purely professional formats too clinical for the acute phase of PPD. Available on Apple Podcasts.
No One Told Us (Hey Sleepy Baby) — Hosted by Carly, the show explores the direct relationship between infant sleep and maternal mental health. Not a traditional mental health podcast, but consistently recommended in PPD and PPA communities because the sleep connection is real and often overlooked. Realistic and gentle rather than prescriptive. Occasionally recommended.
PedsDocTalk — Hosted by pediatrician Dr. Mona Amin, this show covers childhood illness, development, and parental anxiety. Recommended in postpartum communities primarily for reducing late-night medical anxiety spirals. The clinical credibility and calm delivery are cited as helpful for parents whose anxiety centers on baby health concerns. Occasionally recommended.
Podcasts Centered on Lived Experience
These shows put real stories at the center. They're recommended most often by people whose primary need in a given moment is to feel less alone, and to hear that other people survived what they're in.
The Longest Shortest Time — Hosted by Hillary Frank, this storytelling podcast explores the complex, dark, and sometimes absurd realities of early parenthood. Covers postpartum mental health alongside the broader experience of new parenthood, without sanitizing either. Frequently recommended by people who describe it as the only postpartum content that didn't make them feel worse.
One Bad Mother — Hosted by Biz Ellis and Theresa Thorn, the show focuses on self-compassion and ends each episode with "You're doing a great job." That phrase appears in countless community recommendations, often cited as something people needed to hear in a specific moment. The show uses humor without using it to minimize. Frequently recommended.
The Birth Hour — A collection of diverse birth stories from real people. Frequently recommended for birth trauma processing, for expectant parents wanting honest preparation, and for people trying to contextualize their own birth experience. Occasionally recommended.
Coffee and Crumbs — A beautifully produced podcast about art, identity, mothering, and the preservation of self. Recommended by people whose postpartum mental health struggles were closely tied to identity loss. Less explicitly about mental health than the others on this list, but consistently recommended in that context. Occasionally recommended.
General Parenting Podcasts That Take Mental Health Seriously
Not every helpful podcast is specifically about maternal mental health. These general parenting shows are recommended in postpartum communities because they consistently address the mental and emotional dimensions of new parenthood without pretending everything is fine.
The Mom Hour — Hosted by Meagan Francis and Sarah Powers, this conversational show covers the practical and emotional realities of parenting without the pressure of performing ideal motherhood. Recommended in PPD communities for its warmth and lack of judgment. Occasionally recommended.
Spawned — Hosted by Liz Gumbinner and Kristen Chase, the show discusses parenting trends, challenges, and the mental health of parents with humor. Recommended for people who find explicitly mental-health-focused content too heavy for certain listening moments, but still want to hear parenting discussed honestly. Occasionally recommended.
The Boob Group — Focused on breastfeeding, but consistently recommended in postpartum mental health communities because it addresses the mental and emotional strain of lactation, nursing pressure, and let-down anxiety. Recommended by people whose postpartum anxiety was significantly shaped by breastfeeding expectations and difficulties. Occasionally recommended.
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Podcasts are useful company, but they're not treatment. If PPD or PPA is affecting your functioning, sleep, or relationship with your baby, connecting with a therapist who specializes in perinatal mental health can help in ways that audio content can't. Learn more about working with a perinatal therapist at [Phoenix Health](/therapy/postpartum-depression/), or find other resources including apps and online support groups at our guides to [maternal mental health apps](/resourcecenter/best-maternal-mental-health-apps/) and [online support groups for pregnant and postpartum moms](/resourcecenter/online-support-groups-for-pregnant-and-postpartum-moms/).
Frequently Asked Questions
- Yes. Several podcasts focus specifically on postpartum mental health, including clinician-hosted shows that cover PPD, PPA, postpartum OCD, and birth trauma. The Postpartum Support International podcast and 'Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts' (when in podcast form) are among the most recommended. Lived-experience podcasts where hosts share their own postpartum struggles are also highly recommended by the community for making people feel less alone.
- The community most often recommends podcasts that combine clinical grounding with real experience. Shows hosted by perinatal therapists or psychologists tend to provide the most accurate and useful information. Shows that feature guests sharing their own stories tend to be most helpful for the 'am I normal' question. Many people listen to both types at different stages of their experience.
- Podcasts can provide validation, information, and a sense of community during a time when leaving the house for support may be difficult. Many people describe feeling less alone after hearing someone else describe their postpartum experience accurately. Podcasts are a useful complement to treatment but not a replacement for it. If PPD is significant, working with a perinatal therapist alongside listening to podcasts is more effective than either alone.
- Most people find podcasts most useful during feeding sessions, walks, or drives — times when hands are occupied but the mind is free. Many mothers describe night feeds as a time when postpartum mental health podcasts provided significant comfort. Audio content has the practical advantage over reading that it doesn't require a phone screen at 3am.
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