Announcing Karen Kleiman as #PPDChat guest on August 12, 2013

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I am THRILLED to be announcing the upcoming guest for #PPDChat!!!

Karen Kleiman is an expert in the field and is also the person who inspired me to start this blog so any time I get to collaborate with her, I get very excited. Read more about Karen’s great work here.

On Monday, August 12, 2013, Karen will be joining us for a discussion about Scary/Intrusive Thoughts. This topic is often at the top of the search terms which lead people to my blog. In fact, I recently made a graphic of all the search terms which led people to my blog relating to this very topic. There were quite a few variations as you can see for yourself:

Postpartum OCD search terms

Also, my top post for the past week was “Do the Thoughts Ever Go Away?“

No one really has definitive answers as the thoughts fade, but even as a parent, we all struggle with the “what if’s” of the challenge in raising our kids and keeping them safe.

Join Karen and I as we navigate this important topic on Monday, August 12, 2013 at 8:30pm ET. We look forward to seeing you there!

PPDChat MyText4Baby Guest Announcement

Announcing #PPDChat’s Guest for July 22, 2013

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PPDChat MyText4Baby Guest Announcement

I’m thrilled to announce that Text4Baby will be joining us for chat on Monday, July 22, 2013 at 8:30pm. This is Text4Baby’s third year in operation. They provide an invaluable experience for both expectant and new mothers via a free information program that sends texts directly to your phone. Read more about them here.

Dr. Colleen Kraft, M.D., will be joining us as the medical expert on Monday. Dr. Kraft is a Professor of Pediatrics at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, and Pediatric Residency Program Director at Virginia Tech Carilion. Dr. Kraft is a community pediatrician with the Carilion Pediatric Clinic in Roanoke, Virginia.

Dr. Kraft attended Virginia Tech as an undergraduate, and completed her M.D. and pediatric residency at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Dr. Kraft currently serves on the Text4Baby expert panel, the National Center for Medical Home Initiatives Project Advisory Committee and the Early Brain and Child Development work-group at the American Academy of Pediatrics. She has three children who are now young adults.

You can follow Dr. Kraft on Twitter by clicking here.

The folks from Text4Baby will also be available to offer information about their services to our community members.

The topic for Monday, as stated in the announcement above, is “Perinatal Mood Disorders & Early Brain Development”. As we know, mental health issues during pregnancy and the postpartum period do affect the development of our infants. It’s not a topic we discuss often because it can be triggering and induce feelings of guilt. The key to this issue is to remember that we are not at fault – and that access to proper care and therapy for both mother and child is of the utmost importance if we are to change the outlook for all involved.

I hope you will join us for a very important discussion about this important (and often under-discussed) topic.

The Best Part of Peer Support

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One of the things I adore most about what I do is getting to know PEOPLE.

I tell you, people, for the most part, are amazing, especially those who are fighting back against the hard.

Their spirits are indefatigable and their hearts are so full of love they long to let spill out. There’s a lot of laughter because laughter is honestly, one of the best medicines out there. So sometimes, we get crazy. Like last night.

Yesterday’s conversations ranged (at least the ones I was involved in) from mini-woolly mammoths to a full on Twitter-sing-a-long of “Part of Your World” with a bunch of fabulous women from the #PPDChat community. Thing is, the sing along was spontaneously inspired because I was watching a program about Mermaids (which, um.. we won’t ever mention again because yeah…).

Bottom line – there’s that tremendous sense of community and silliness.

You KNOW you’ve found your tribe when they inspire you to draw something like this:

PPDChat Woolly Mammoth

Yep. That’s a mini Woolly Mammoth smooshing Velma (intrusive/negative thoughts).

That’s love, people.

Brown University Researchers Seeking Participants for Postpartum Mood Disorder Study

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I met Laura Sockol at the PSI/Marce conference in Pittsburgh, PA in 2010. We had a lively discussion about the DSM-V and Postpartum Mood Disorders in the lobby of the hotel. I still remember sitting and discussing things with her. Laura is a wonderful woman and very dedicated to researching Postpartum Mood Disorders. She’s reached out to me for her upcoming study regarding “The Role of Maternal Attitudes in the Prediction of Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety Among Pregnant and Postpartum Mothers“. Below is the official information Laura sent me. Go check it out and if you’re not eligible to participate, pass it on to someone who is. I’ve been told recruitment closes in the next two weeks.
 
Do you have older children? Are you pregnant again? Or did you have another baby in the past 6 months? Researchers at Brown University are interested in mothers’ experiences when they have more than one child. You may be eligible if you are between the ages of 18 and 45 and live in the United States. Women who complete the full study will be entered into a lottery for a $100 Amazon gift card, the odds of receiving a gift card are 1/50 or better. Interested? Visit www.BrownStudiesMoms.com for more information!