Category Archives: Perinatal Event

Free Postpartum Mood Disorder Conference in Flagstaff, AZ

This Friday and Saturday there is a free two day conference in Flagstaff, AZ at Flagstaff Medical Center. The topic is Perinatal Mood Disorders: Assessment and Treatment.

CEU’s and AMA PRA Category 1 credits are available.

You can read more about this conference here, as well as access contact information for registration.


Thanks to Sera @ Laughing through the Chaos for leaving this tip in the comments:

Just an FYI in case anyone plans on coming up for it who isn’t already registered. I would definitely, definitely call before you travel there. I’ll be there and they were overwhelmed with the response. There’s a large waiting list right now, so they’re asking that if current attendees can’t make it, that they let the organizers know so they can start letting the wait listers in.

Thanks for spreading the word! It’s going to be an amazing conference, and we’re hopeful that it’s going to mean big things for awareness, education, screening and treatment of PMD in Arizona.

National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation – Webinar: Identifying and Treating Maternal Depression

National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation – Webinar: Identifying and Treating Maternal Depression to take place on December 9, 2009 at 1:00pm -2:30pm EST. Registration is free. Please click on the previous link for information and to register for this event.

According to NIHCM’s website,This webinar will explore the prevalence of maternal depression and the current state of screening for perinatal and postpartum depression. It will include a discussion of the recent recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) for the treatment of women with depression during pregnancy. The role of primary care providers in identifying and managing postpartum depression will also be discussed and a web-based training program to educate providers on screening, diagnosis, treatment and referral for postpartum depression will be shared. Finally, the session will highlight a current health plan program to identify and manage depression during pregnancy and coordinate care following a depression diagnosis to ensure healthy pregnancies and deliveries.”

Please pass this information on to anyone you may know that will benefit from this important webinar. I am planning on attending myself because the information to be discussed sounds absolutely fascinating. I am particularly interested in the discussion of the role of the primary are providers in identifying and managing postpartum depression as so many patients often first seek help from their primary caregivers rather than a specialist.

Sen. Menendez holds Press Conference at Valley Hospital

This past Monday, Senator Menendez held a press conference at Valley Hospital to speak about the MOTHER’S Act. Susan Stone, Sylvia Lasalandra, and Mary Jo Codey were all in attendance.

Emphasized was the fact that the MOTHER’S Act does NOT mandate screening. According to the Susan Stone’s blog post announcing the press conference, Dr. Fred Rezvani, Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood NJ, emphasized the need to include all forms of treatment for new mothers suffering from these disorders including nutrition, massage and acupuncture and other complementary therapies, to home services, social support and psychological counseling.

Senator Menendez was presented with a petition of national organizations and individual constituents representing millions of Americans who understand the need for this legislation can no longer be ignored. With the bipartisan support that currently exists for the legislation, its likelihood of passage among the priority of healthcare reform seems likely, but the advocacy efforts must continue! The entire audience expressed their thanks to Senator Menendez for his determined advocacy on behalf of America’s mothers.

~Susan Stone~

You can read more about the press conference by clicking here.

First Annual Mother’s Day Rally for Moms Mental Health

Welcome to Mother’s Day.

Today we’re taking it back.

We’re giving it meaning, heart, compassion, soul, and spirit.

Filling it with education, awareness, and taking it back from the florists.

Yeah, flowers are nice.

But 24 open letters on the topic of Mom’s Mental Health from experts, survivors, and more is a whole lot nicer!

Why?

Well – for starters, they last longer, don’t require water, and truly feed the soul.

Get her flowers if you must. But have the printer ready because every hour on the hour, Postpartum Progress will be posting an open letter from an expert or survivor. It’s gonna be an amazing day.

Natalie Dombrowski radio interview on May 8th @ 9am Central

"Speak up" by Aaron Michael Brown @ flickr

"Speak up" by Aaron Michael Brown @ flickr

(I received an email from Natalie this morning informing me that her interview had been rescheduled to air tomorrow instead! Tune in!)

Natalie Dombrowski, author of Back to You, Founder of S.P.E.A.K., and fellow blogger, will be on-air with Chicago Public Radio this Thursday Friday at 9:00a Central time.

She’ll be sharing her experience with PPD, anxiety, and motherhood just in time for Mother’s Day.

“I know that the more we talk about our experience the more mothers out there seem to relate and feel the burden of isolation, guilt, and shame lessen.” says Natalie about her upcoming interview. AMEN to that!

If you’re in Chicago, you can listen live on WBEZ 91.5 FM. If not, you can listen online by going to the WBEZ website and clicking the “Listen Now” button at the top of the home page.

Thanks Natalie, for continuing to share your experience. With the comfort of your courageous voice, many mothers will no longer feel alone.