16. Finding Calm and Understanding Stress with Parijat Deshpande [Parenting in a Pandemic, Vol. 5]

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After being on bedrest for most of her pregnancy and delivering her first child at 24 weeks and 5 days, which was 15 days longer than expected, Parijat Deshpande used her personal experience to embark on a journey learning and researching all about how the body’s nervous system reacts to stressors, anxiety, and fear associated with a high risk pregnancy.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this episode, I learned so much about how she approaches the stress cycle and how to use neurobiological techniques to help improve your overall mind-body connection. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She explains why deep breathing and a lot of common quick fixes aren't the answer to combating stress long-term and why she doesn't believe in "stress management."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I think my big takeaway was how to tune in, acknowledge and listen to my body effectively so that I have the tools to properly respond to situations that change my baseline stress level.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Her approach is extremely fascinating and can be applied to more than just a high-risk pregnancy, but in any situation when you feel high stress, which as a parent is quite often!</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Parijat is the leading high-risk pregnancy specialist, somatic stress & trauma professional and speaker and author who guides women to improve their pregnancy complications so they can reduce their risk of preterm birth. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Her unique neurobiological approach has served hundreds of women to manage pregnancy complications and reclaim a safety and trust in their bodies that they thought was eroded forever.</span></p> <p>Parijat is the author of bestselling book Pregnancy Brain: A Mind-Body Approach to Stress Management During a High-Risk Pregnancy. She is also the host of the popular podcast Delivering Miracles®, that discusses the real, raw side of family-building includin