In this episode of Discover Midwives, our host, Dr. Jessica Brumley sits down with Jamie Swietlikowski, Certified Nurse-Midwife, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, and founder of Perinatal Mental Health Partners.
Jamie shares her inspiring journey from community birth centers and high-acuity academic centers to expanding her midwifery scope into reproductive psychiatry. Together, they explore how applying the midwifery model of care which focuses on prevention, relationship-building, and holistic support—can radically transform how we handle mental health across reproductive transitions.
Timestamps / Episode Chapters
00:00 – Welcome to Discover Midwives & Introduction of Guest Jamie Swietlikowski
01:30 – Zooming Out: Mental Health Across the Entire Reproductive Life Cycle
04:16 – Jamie’s Journey: From Dutch Maternity Systems to Mental Health Midwifery
11:31 – Specialized Reproductive Psychiatry & Keeping the Mom-Baby Dyad Together
15:19 – What Preventive Perinatal Mental Health Care Really Looks Like
22:01 – Rethinking Psychiatric Medication During Pregnancy & Lowest Effective Dose
32:42 – Perinatal Mental Health Partners: Innovating Access to Care
40:52 – Structural Factors: Paid Parental Leave, Social Support, and Systemic Change
46:36 – Defining “Mental Health Midwifery” for the Future of Healthcare
Primary Keywords: Discover Midwives podcast, Mental Health Midwifery, Jamie Swietlikowski, Perinatal Mental Health, Postpartum Depression, Reproductive Psychiatry, Maternal Mental Health, Lowest Effective Dose, ACNM, Midwifery Care.
Hashtags: #DiscoverMidwives #MentalHealthMidwifery #MaternalMentalHealth #PerinatalMentalHealth #PostpartumDepression #MidwivesMakeADifference #reproductivehealth
The Discover Midwives Podcast was created to empower you with accurate, compassionate, and evidence-informed answers to your most pressing questions about pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and women’s health—delivered from a uniquely midwifery perspective. Our goals are to normalize conversations about reproductive health, offer clarity in a landscape saturated with misinformation, and build public trust in midwifery care!
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The Discover Midwives Team
Jessica Brumley, PhD, CNM — Host
Russell Chapa — Producer, Sound Engineer, Original Music
Presented by the American College of Nurse-Midwives
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