Breastfeeding on Antidepressants? A 20-Year Study Has Good News {Beta}

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Once again, thank you so much for agreeing to help out a little with our new wellness newsletter. As promised, this is one of the test/beta versions of the women’s health + wellness digest we’re developing. You’ll see {BETA} in the subject line so you know it’s part of the preview batch and not the final product.

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If your quads scream every time you step off the mountain, there’s a reason: depending on how you ski, the sport can mimic anything from Pilates to high-intensity interval training. New reporting in The New York Times explores the science behind recreational skiing, and why some experts say it’s a surprisingly effective winter workout.

Researchers have found that even a half-day on the slopes can offer fitness benefits similar to an hour of indoor cardio, thanks to the combination of isometric holds (hello, burning thighs), eccentric contractions, and short bursts of downhill “sprints.” Ski trainers also note that turning, staying balanced, and absorbing terrain require full-body engagement — quads, glutes, core, stabilizers, everything.

But not all skiing is created equal. The leisurely cruise with friends and lots of stopping? This type of movement is closer to Pilates than cardio. The workout magic happens when you:

And here’s a bonus: studies suggest skiing may be especially beneficial for older adults, helping combat age-related muscle loss and improve balance — two key components of longevity. Where I live, we have octogenarians of both genders, tearing up the slopes, proving skiing is a sport that can definitely grow with you. So keep at it, ladies!

A long-term study in JAMA Network Open followed nearly 100 moms and kids for almost 20 years — all of whom had been exposed to SSRIs during pregnancy — and found something reassuring:

Breastfeeding while taking an antidepressant does not affect a child’s IQ.

Researchers compared kids who:
-continued to get tiny amounts of SSRIs through breast milk
-were breastfed but had exposure only during pregnancy
-were not breastfed at all

The result: IQ scores were virtually identical across the board, with no meaningful differences or cognitive delays, and no hidden long-term effects emerging later.

Many moms stop their medication out of fear, even when they really need it. This study supports what many physicians tell their patients: You can care for your mental health and breastfeed. Those two things are not at odds.

SSRIs do pass into breast milk, but in very small amounts, and this study found no evidence that this low-level exposure harms brain development.

If an SSRI helps you stay well, this research suggests you shouldn’t feel pressured to choose between treatment and breastfeeding. As always, talk to your physician, but the science here is very encouraging.

Short answer? Annoyingly, yes — and you’re not imagining it.

As estrogen levels start to wane (sometimes a decade before menopause), your body becomes more insulin-resistant, burns fewer calories at rest, and shifts where fat is stored — especially to the abdomen. You’re not doing anything “wrong,” biology is just changing the rules on you.

Here’s the real talk the internet rarely includes:

A fascinating new study in PLOS Biology shows that your brain doesn’t just “get tired” as the day goes on, but rather it reorganizes itself, shifting which networks are in charge depending on how long you’ve been awake.

Scientists from the University of Michigan, Japan, and Switzerland used advanced imaging to track which brain circuits lit up at different times of day. They worked with mice, but the patterns closely mirror human brain biology.

Here’s what they found:

✨ When you first wake up, deeper, subcortical parts of the brain take the lead — the regions that keep you alert, oriented, and ready to start the day.

🌗 As the hours pass, control gradually shifts outward to the cortex — the surface areas responsible for thinking, decision-making, emotional processing, and sensory overload.

💤 Sleep resets the whole system. Staying awake too long creates measurable “fatigue signatures” in the brain that sleep then reorganizes back to baseline.

So what?

We terribly underestimate our own fatigue. The lead researcher put it bluntly: “We’re actually terrible judges of how tired we are.” This study suggests we may eventually have objective ways to measure fatigue, which could be crucial for people whose jobs require razor-sharp alertness (pilots, surgeons, ER staff…moms).

It also suggests something larger: the same brain circuits that falter with fatigue are involved in mental health. While this study didn’t directly test psychiatric conditions, researchers believe these daily patterns may help explain why mood, focus, and emotional resilience tank when we’re stretched thin.

✔️ Notice when decisions start feeling heavier — that’s a biological signal, not a personal failing.

✔️ Protect the first hour after waking for tasks that require clarity.

✔️ Try a “screen break” mid-afternoon — that’s when your cortex is most overloaded.

✔️ Stop negotiating with your bedtime. Your brain needs a reset more than you think.