The Vortex: PPD, Chronic Pain, and Why "Detaching" Saved Her Daughter’s Life

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses postpartum depression, suicidal ideation in children, chronic pain, and mental health crises.

When Katie sat down with me, she described a moment leaning over her 6-month-old’s crib, crying so hard that her baby stopped crying out of shock. That was the moment she knew she was in the "vortex." After a 20-year career in nursing, Katie found herself battling severe medical gaslighting during pregnancy, debilitating chronic migraines, and the terrifying reality of parenting a child with severe mental health struggles.

But the hardest thing she had to do? She had to learn how to emotionally detach from her daughter’s pain in order to save her. In this raw conversation, we talk about the identity shift of leaving a stable career, the lie of "balancing it all," and how to find peace when your body and your family are in crisis.

Connect with Katie: Host of The Midlife Purpose Project https://katiefarinas.com/ Substack: Katie Freeness

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