#PPDChat 10.12.15: Gut Check with @PhilStrandwitz

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Gut Check AnnouncementHey, y’all!

First, phew! It’s Friday! Another week down. I don’t know how your week went but mine was a chaotic whirlwind from the start. It’s been nice to finally have some relaxation, even if it has been for just a little bit here and there.

I know you’re used to me announcing #PPDChat stuff on Mondays but this coming Monday, we’re going to have a guest, Phil Strandwitz. Phil emailed me the last week of September with an interesting project he’s got going on.

Phil is currently crowdfunding the research he’s working on. And no, this chat isn’t to demand that you donate (although I know Phil would appreciate if you did so), it’s to discuss the research he’ll be doing.

You see, Phil’s project (which you can read more about here) explores the connection between the microbes in our gut with our mental health. It’s a relatively new field but one which is garnering a lot of interest and has already uncovered quite a bit.

According to Phil’s email:

“…we are generally searching for connections between the gut microbiome and psychology. Two of our major focuses are on depression anxiety. If we find there is a link between out gut microbes and these conditions, it would enable us to potentially develop novel microbiome-based therapeutics. This is incredibly important, as depression affects 1:5 people in the U.S., and anxiety 1:10. Incredibly, a substantial portion of people being treated with front-line drugs do not respond to treatment — suggesting we need to understand these diseases and develop new treatments.”

I have been reading some journal articles that Phil sent me and have to say that I’m absolutely fascinated by what I’ve read so far.

I truly hope you will be able to join us on Monday night at 9pm ET to discuss this topic – dig a little deeper with us into the connection between our brains and our guts!

See you there!

You can read the chat here:

#PPDChat 10.05.15: Say NO to Stigma

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Having the Conversation SquareToday’s #PPDChat announcement is a slight departure from the norm as we are not using our standard announcement graphic. Today is National Day Without Stigma, according to Active Minds. You can read more about their movement here.

It’s also the 25th anniversary of National Mental Health Awareness week this week.

With both of these in mind, #PPDChat is following suit and will be chatting about signs and symptoms of all that is on the Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorder spectrum this evening at 9pm ET.

We encourage you to join us. Not only on Twitter, but perhaps by downloading some of the tools Active Minds has made available. By calling and checking in on a new mother. By standing with those that you love. By refusing to let stigma keep us silent any longer.

I’ll see you on Twitter at 9pm tonight.

#PPDChat 08.24.2015: When Rage Appears

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ppdchat-08-24-15Rage.

Quite possibly one of the symptoms rarely discussed among women who struggle with Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders.

I’m not talking anger. I’m talking all out rage. The kind that swallows you whole – the kind that turns Bruce Banner into a green smashing machine known as Hulk. Blinding, numbing, all-out rage.

For me, there was rarely a clear trigger. It just built upon itself, like a runaway Tetris game clogging up the screen.

Tonight, we’re going to talk about rage. How common it really is for moms with a Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorder, how to recognize it, how to cope, and most importantly, how to keep the Hulk from smashing into your life.

See you tonight at 9pm ET on Twitter!

#PPDChat 08.17.15: Creating Your Village

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ppdchat-08-17-15A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, mothers had help. Entire villages came together to support a new mother after she gave birth. Not one mother was left to her own devices to earn her “brand new I can do all this on my own because I’m a badass” badge. Nope. Not one.

Today, however? Particularly here in the United States, where we are LAST for Maternal Health in developed countries? Dude. Don’t even get me started.

Where is all of this coming from, you might ask? A few weeks ago, I had an interaction with an elderly couple out at a local festival with their granddaughter who was young enough to still need a stroller. Grandpa was trying to fold the stroller up as they waited for their transportation to arrive. He held his granddaughter in his arms and struggled with the stroller with his free arm.

I felt his pain and offered to hold her, if that wasn’t a weird question and it would be okay.

Grandma chimed in and said “Oh, no, it’s not – in our generation, we wouldn’t even think twice about it, plus you have a child with you,” as she motioned to my fiance’s daughter.

I felt like I’d been hit by a ton of bricks.

We wouldn’t even think twice about it….

When did we START thinking about the awkwardness of asking for help? Why did we stop? When did it become NOT okay to accept the help of those around us? Why must we do motherhood on our own? To prove we’re all badasses who can do it all? How’s that working out for us? (It has never worked out for me).

I need my tribe. Even if they’re online. I need SOME sort of a tribe to keep me going, to share my struggles and my victories with – exactly what this post, It Takes a Village to Raise a Mother by Annie Reneau at Motherhood & More says:

“No one understands the challenges of motherhood like other moms. No one can help a mom who is having a fragile, frazzled moment better than a mom who understands being fragile and frazzled. I adore my husband, and he’s extraordinarily supportive, but there are some things he just can’t “get.” So when I need mom commiseration, I talk to my mom friends. Sometimes the sweetest words a mother can hear are, “I feel you, sister.” Or “Yep, me too.” Or, “Let’s have some coffee and regroup.”

Motherhood. It isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s also not meant to be done alone.

Join me tonight at #PPDChat as we explore the nuances of our village, why they’ve disappeared, and how to step out of our comfort zones to mother each other.

See y’all at 9pm ET!

#PPDChat 08.03.15: Feeding Your Baby

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ppdchat-08-03-15Howdy!

It’s World Breastfeeding Week.

While nursing is awesome, it doesn’t always work for EVERY mother/baby dyad. Some moms have physical or emotional reasons for choosing to nurse their babes.

What truly matters is feeding the baby.

So tonight’s #PPDChat will focus on doing just that. Feeding the baby. We’ll discuss all sorts of challenges moms (both nursing and formula feeding) face when it comes time to feeding your baby. I ran the gamut when my kids were little. My oldest self-weaned from the breast at 16 months old, just two weeks before I discovered I was expecting my second. My second was born with a complete cleft palate so I exclusively pumped for 7 months before switching over to formula. My third was diagnosed as failure to thrive at 6 months old because of a stress-related supply issue and was on formula within 24 hours despite the pediatrician’s urge for me to pump. I knew that would not lead good places and formula was the healthier (and saner) choice for both of us.

Feeding your baby is all about making choices that are right for YOU and baby, not what’s right for everyone around you.

Does the baby have to be an infant for you to join the chat? Nope. We know that feeding older kids is challenging as well. Besides, we all know our kids will ALWAYS be our babies, no matter what their actual age.

Join us tonight for an all out love fest for ALL MANNERS of feeding our babes at #PPDChat.

See you on Twitter at 9pm ET!