The holidays can be a joyful - and challenging - time for parents of breastfed babies, especially when food reactivity is involved. In this episode, I chat with Dr. Trill from Free to Feed, an expert in supporting families navigating infant food sensitivities.

Dr. Trill walks us through:

• How to identify true food reactivity versus what might be latching difficulties
• What an elimination diet might look like
• Tips for managing your own nutrition and well-being
• Strategies to enjoy holiday meals without stress or guilt
• What to expect long-term
  This episode is full of evidence-backed, practical guidance to help you feel confident and supported. Be sure to share it with your support people or your friends and family who may be navigating these challenges.

Connect with Dr. Trill:

Website: https://www.freetofeed.com

Social Media: @free.to.feed

Connect with Pamela:

Website: www.brimfamilycare.com

Social Media: @brim.familycare
Support The Brimful Podcast:

buymeacoffee.com/brim.familycare

In this episode, Pamela sits down with Alix Meyers, doula and founder of Tenderly, a practice dedicated to supporting neurodivergent families through fertility, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Alix shares her path from a career in marketing to becoming a doula, the journey of discovering neurodivergence within her own family, and how her lived experience shaped the neuro-affirming lens she brings to her work.

Together, Pamela and Alix explore the sensory, communication, and executive-function realities that can shape a birthing or postpartum experience, especially for those who may not yet realize they're neurodivergent. They discuss why so many birthing people don’t receive the support they need, how masking can disguise overwhelm, and how simple shifts in practice can help birth workers provide truly neuro-affirming care.

Alex also shares how virtual doula support can be a powerful accessibility tool, what families can expect when working with her online, and the upcoming self-paced birth planning course she’s creating specifically with neurodivergent brains in mind.

In this episode:
• How Alix discovered her path into birth work
• Why neurodivergence often goes unrecognized until the postpartum period
• Sensory overload, executive functioning, communication differences, and how they shape the perinatal experience
• What “neuro-affirming care” actually means
• Tips for advocating for your needs with care providers
• How virtual doula support creates accessibility for neurodivergent families
• A peek into Alex’s upcoming neuro-affirming birth planning course

If you or someone you support is navigating pregnancy or postpartum with a neurodivergent lens, this conversation offers clarity, validation, and tools for cultivating a more supported experience.

Connect with Alex:
Website - https://www.lovetender.ly/

Social Media - @lovetender.ly_doula

Email - alix@alixmyers.com

Support Brim Lactation & Family Care:
If you’d like to support the podcast and ongoing educational work, you can do so here:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/brimfamilycare

More episodes, services, and offerings: www.brimfamilycare.com

In This Episode:

• How breastfeeding can lower stress hormones and inflammation — key factors linked to depression.
  

• How exclusive breastfeeding supports better sleep quality and quantity for mothers.
  

• The bidirectional link between mental health and lactation: each impacts the other.
  

• The protective effects of breastfeeding for trauma survivors.
  

• How poor or dismissive support increases depression risk, and positive support decreases it.
  

• Rethinking the idea of “permission to quit” through the lens of autonomy, respect, and real care.
  

References Mentioned:

Kendall-Tackett, K. A. (2015). Depression in New Mothers: Causes, Consequences, and Treatment Alternatives. Available via PubMed Central: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4842365/

Key findings: Breastfeeding reduces cortisol and inflammation, improves sleep, and protects against depression — especially in trauma survivors.

Dennis, C.-L., & McQueen, K. (2016). The relationship between infant-feeding outcomes and postpartum depression: A longitudinal study. CMAJ Open, 4(1), E103–E109. https://www.cmajopen.ca/content/4/1/E103

Study of 380 mothers in Calgary: 88% experienced feeding difficulties. When support was perceived as positive, risk of postpartum depression dropped from 14.9% to 5.25%. Negative or dismissive support did not improve outcomes.

Connect with us:

Host: Pamela Tessmann, IBCLC www.brimfamilycare.ca Instagram: @brim.familycare

Buy Me a Coffee to support the show: buymeacoffee.com/brim.familycare

Guest: Erin Dykstra, IBCLC Sweet Spot Lactation Instagram: @sweetspotlactation

Find a Lactation Consultant in BC

https://bclca.wildapricot.org/