Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Molly Nourmand, LMFT. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Molly , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

After the birth of my daughter at the end of 2016, I hemorrhaged and had to have a blood transfusion. Even though I had had an unmedicated vaginal birth, I had to stay in the hospital a few days and was not able to leave the bed–not even to go to the bathroom or brush my teeth. At the time, I had long hair, and it became matted, especially in the back of my head. When we returned home, thankfully we had hired a postpartum doula who worked the graveyard shift. Although she primarily was there to take care of my daughter so I could get some sleep between feedings, she offered to brush my hair. Given that I had just birthed a human and had unforeseen complications, this felt like the kindest offering that anyone could have possibly done for me at that moment.

Molly , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Due to my own journey with birth trauma and postpartum depression, I utilized my experience as both a seasoned Psychotherapist and survivor of a perinatal mood disorder to create Life After Birth® in 2017. Through my company, I successfully began process-oriented postpartum support circles that help birthing people transition into parenthood. In addition, I serve the same population with 1:1 therapy sessions, postpartum planning and mothers retreats. After several years of helping women through the metamorphosis of motherhood I was called to expand my offerings and grow the Life After Birth® community even larger. A year ago I hired and trained another therapist so that we could offer more groups and service more new parents therapeutically. What sets us apart is that we are Masters level perinatal mental health professionals.

What I am most proud of is that I have built a community of mothers supporting mothers. It’s important to note that our circles are for any person who is in the throes of Matrescence (the psychological birth of a mother, similar to adolescence, involving hormonal and identity shifting). You could also benefit from this offering if you are experiencing a Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorder (PMAD), however, it is not a psychotherapy group designed to specifically treat a mental health issue such as Postpartum Depression.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I held my first postpartum support circle at WMN Space, which was a woman’s wellness center in Culver City. Partnering with them and having their support made all the difference when trying to build a group and start a new business.

Have you ever had to pivot?

In March 2020 I had to start offering my groups virtually. At the time it felt like the end of the world (and it more or less could have been); however, doing groups virtually allowed me to support myriad new mothers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ourlifeafterbirth.com/
• Instagram: @lifeafterbirth_la

Image Credits
@jesskoehlerphoto