With how vulnerable the postpartum period makes us, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by what could go wrong after becoming a new mom.

Here’s the good news: although the hormonal and immunological shifts involved in childbirth and delivery can, and often do, trigger problematic health conditions, that doesn’t necessarily have to become your reality.

Here are six strategies I recommend to my patients as a prevention plan.

Testing

You can’t get an accurate diagnosis for any unusual symptoms without specific and timely testing. Given that we’re dealing with such a low standard of care for postpartum moms, most of us need to ask our providers directly for screening tests.

Nutrition

The best way to prevent postpartum nutrient deficiencies and all the accompanying symptoms is to not have them prior to or during pregnancy.

Consume animal products abundantly: Nutrient deficiency is a problem if a person either doesn’t eat enough food in general or doesn’t eat foods that have enough micronutrients per calorie.

Limit ultra-processed foods: Just like a diet rich in whole foods from animal sources prevents nutrient deficiency, a diet in which ultra-processed, packaged food products displace consumption of those foods increases risk of health problems.

Culture is one of those buzzwords in startups that has become so overused. But beyond inspirational posters on walls, graffiti decorations, kombucha on tap, Ping-Pong tables, and nap pods (yes, nap pods), an effective culture is the top point of leverage any company can have.

Why? If you have a culture that attracts high-performing people, repels toxic people, and facilitates open communication and a sharing of the upside, then the best in the world will flock to your business.

This maps back to family. Every person wants to know they belong to a thriving group of people with whom they feel safe and proud to be associated.

Celebrating Your Wins

The most impactful and widely used tool for building a strong culture is to regularly bring the team together to celebrate “wins” and recognize each other’s contributions. We humans are tribal creatures. Traditions and ceremonies like this are deeply meaningful. There is deep relational and even spiritual significance in regularly celebrating together.

Your Family Weekly Celebration Dinner

One of the easiest ways to bring this into your family is the weekly celebration dinner. In Silicon Valley, these are called Celebration Dinners.

To watch your child grieve is a different kind of heartache entirely. As adults, we can at least attempt to understand what’s happening inside us. Kids feel the depths of that same sorrow, but they don’t yet have the ability to process it the way we do.

One story captures this well. At a summer retreat for kids in counseling, two siblings, a middle schooler and his college-age sister, were reflecting together on the crucifixion and resurrection, imagining themselves inside that story. The younger brother said, “I feel like I’m in the blankness between the cross and Easter. Jesus has died. Things are hard. I feel alone. I don’t know what’s going to happen.” In tears, he added, “I just don’t know what to do or even who I really am with things the way they are.”

His sister knelt in front of him, took his hands, and said, “I’m so sorry. I know every bit of how hard this is. You are not alone. I’m in the darkness with you. We know this isn’t the end of the story.” Then: “My three days are your three days.”

That phrase captures something worth holding onto as you walk your own child through grief: this isn’t the end of the story, for you or for them.

What comes after goodbye, the final goodbye, when sacred bodies have been laid to rest and placed six feet below, unreachable? When headstones decorate the memorable spaces where loved ones’ bodies will forever be? What happens after the responsibilities of death and decisions?

What happens in the after, not theirs but ours?

The days keep coming and the world keeps spinning, but you feel stuck, nauseated by the movement and immobilized by the pain. The sun still rises and sets, but you don’t see either because you’re locked in an invisible confinement, one you never knew existed until now: grief.

Life After “They’re in a Better Place”

What happens in the after? The after “they’re gone,” the after “they’re in a better place,” the after “them,” and even worse, the after “us” when we were together? What happens when they pass on to greatness and glory and you remain, heartbroken by their absence and confused by life’s workings and, sometimes, even God’s decisions?

What comes to fill the holes created by loss, or to mend the slices carved into every piece of your body and, even more harshly, your soul?

As we step into a new season, there’s no better time to renew your walk with God, and this collection meets you wherever you’re starting from today.

Whether you’re hoping to find God’s fingerprints in the wonder of creation, reclaim your mornings, slow down and sit at Jesus’s feet, dig deeper into Scripture with fresh study tools, walk alongside the women of Genesis, or explore the geography of the Holy Land, there’s a devotional for you.

Each title in this collection offers a unique doorway into deeper faith, written by authors who understand that spiritual growth rarely looks the same from person to person. Some days call for quiet reflection over a cup of coffee; other days ask for guided study with room to journal your own insights. This collection holds space for both.

You’ll find devotionals paired with stunning photography, guided prompts for prayer and reflection, historical context that brings Scripture to life, and companion journals designed to help you process what you’re learning.

Whether you have five minutes or fifty, there’s a rhythm here that will fit your season of life. New believers will find approachable entry points, while longtime followers of Jesus will discover fresh angles on familiar stories.

I have spent my entire life obsessing over decor. I’ve devoted my life to decorating—not the fancy kind, but good old homestyle, approachable, everyday decorating for regulars like us who buy stuff from Facebook Marketplace and mix it with a dash of Crate & Barrel, a sprinkle of Target, some hand-me-downs, and some amazing vintage finds.

I will never get tired of decorating and talking about home. I am convinced it greatly impacts our lives. But decorating is not necessarily the best tool for a room that’s feeling overwhelming, chaotic, and loud.

What if you need to undecorate?

Maybe your dining room hasn’t been used as an actual dining room since last Christmas, and it’s filled with school projects, returns, and extra dishes. Or maybe you walked into the house after a long day at work, and instead of your home “rising up to greet you,” as Nate Berkus famously said, you feel like it’s struggling under the weight of everything it’s filled with.

Your home feels like a rude reminder of unfinished projects, procrastinated decisions, and stuff you don’t love but don’t hate quite enough to do anything about.

Explore what it means to be created very good by God and how Genesis reveals the truth about our worth, purpose, and identity in Christ.

Many nights I find myself lying awake in bed. It’ll be 3:33 a.m., and I’ll be spending quality time with my Amazon wish list. And as much as I hope I won’t need the sleep that has escaped me, the morning alarm is so unforgiving. Morning comes anyway, unforgiving and bright, and I’m left with a choice before my feet even hit the floor: will I give thanks for this new breath I didn’t choose, or will I let the exhaustion set the tone for the whole day?

To understand where we’re headed, it helps first to understand where we started.

Knowing Where You Came From

Here’s something true about me: I have a terrible sense of direction. It doesn’t take much for me to get turned around while driving, confident I’m going one way when I’m actually headed the opposite direction. More than once, I’ve had to call my husband for help finding my way back. His first question is always the same: “Where are you coming from?”

It turns out that matters.

Reading the Bible can feel intimidating. Discover why Scripture feels overwhelming and how to read the Bible with confidence, clarity, and freedom from guilt.

Where do I even start? What does this actually mean? Am I understanding this right, or just making it up as I go?

If those questions sound familiar, you’re in good company. Most people who struggle to open their Bibles aren’t lacking desire. They genuinely want to spend more time with God through Scripture. What’s missing is confidence. And when that gap between wanting to engage and feeling equipped goes unaddressed, it quietly turns into guilt: I really should read my Bible more. Maybe I’m just not spiritual enough, smart enough, disciplined enough.

Here’s the truth worth sitting with—that guilt isn’t proof of a spiritual failure. It’s proof you’re not alone. Even lifelong followers of Jesus report feeling exactly this way.

The Bible Is a Library, Not a Single Book

Part of what makes Scripture feel overwhelming is its sheer scope. It’s not one continuous story told by one author; it’s a collection of sixty-six writings, from at least forty different authors, written across three different languages.

Whether you’re tucking in a young reader at night or navigating the everyday chaos of family life, back-to-school time is the perfect time for new books! There’s something about the crisp feeling of a new season—sharpened pencils, fresh backpacks, new routines—that makes it the ideal moment to refresh what’s sitting on your family’s bookshelf too.

The books we choose to fill our homes with shape the way our kids see the world—and the way we, as parents, show up for them. Every story a child returns to again and again becomes part of how they understand courage, kindness, and their own place in the world, and every resource a parent leans on becomes part of how that family navigates the harder conversations together.

This list brings together stories that build character and courage for kids, alongside resources that equip moms and dads with practical, faith-rooted tools for the conversations, money lessons, and big emotions that come with raising a family. From picture books that spark bedtime conversation to guides that help you talk to your kids about budgeting, from stories that model bravery in small everyday moments to resources that walk you through the big feelings that show up at the dinner table, this collection was built with real family life in mind.

Taking your husband for granted can happen slowly in marriage. Learn how to cultivate kindness, gratitude, and a servant’s heart in your relationship.

Recently I’ve realized that I have gotten lazy in my marriage.

The Little Things That Communicate Love

I used to stop whatever I was doing and meet my husband at the front door when he got home from work. I used to even put on make-up and a fresh shirt and comb my hair to greet him at the end of the day. I used to ask him if I could fix him something to drink.

I used to begin a sentence with, “Honey, how would you feel about…” instead of, “Honey, you should…” I used to thank him for the specific things he does right, instead of complaining about the things he’s left undone. I used to sweep the front walk because it matters to him (not to me).

The Subtle Ways We Begin Taking Each Other for Granted

I’ve gotten lazy. Lazy with little compliments, lazy about appreciating him, lazy about affirming him for the ways I respect him, lazy in being considerate.