Tag Archives: maternal mental health

#PPDChat 05.01.16: Just the PPD Facts

PPDChat Topic 05-01-16In recognition of the month of May as Mental Health Awareness month as well as the month during which several states recognize Maternal Mental Health, we’re going to be going through the signs and symptoms of Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders this evening. It’s a chat we do every so often because it is so important to be aware of many signs and symptoms of the disorders on included within the group of PMADs.

I truly hope you will join us tonight as we discuss this important topic as well as recognize the awareness days across the country. See you at 9pm ET!

#PPDChat 11.16.15: Holiday Survival

PPDChat Holiday SurvivalThe holidays. A time of year when we all celebrate our various faiths. They seem to blend together faster and faster these days, don’t they? Stores putting out Christmas decorations before we have even reached the end of October, seemingly skipping both Halloween and Thanksgiving. What ever happened to one holiday at a time?

Everyone counting down the weekends, the ensuing panic about gift shopping (thank goodness for Amazon, am I right?), and then the logistics of who is doing what where.

It’s enough to exhaust anyone.

The holidays are when our boundaries are truly tested. When our mental health is stretched to the limit for the sake of spending time with family and loved ones because it is expected. But what if you need time to recharge? What if being alone with your couch and Netflix is what heals you? How do you fit in time for yourself if you are dashing to and fro?

Tonight, we will explore how to fit in self-care during the holidays. We’ll discuss strategies to make that get together with your annoying relatives a little bit more manageable. And we’ll also chat about how to keep them from playing hot potato with a newborn little one (because yeah, everyone wants to hold the baby!).

Join us at 9pm ET for a chat that will help you survive the holidays without losing your sanity.

See you then!

{background photo sourced here}

#PPDChat 08.18.14: Self-Care – Lists of Three

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I started this thing awhile back on Twitter, #listof3. It took off and I use it when I get down. Thing is, I haven’t used it in awhile so it’s been stuck on the backburner of my brain. Others have used it, however. It warms my heart to see others using it even if I am not because it’s comforting to see someone else lifted up because of you.

I was reminded of this #listof3 by a #PPDChat Volunteer late last week when I asked for suggestions for chat this week. I sat with it for a few days and decided to run with it today. Her suggestion read as follows:

“Name 3 things you’re thankful for, 3 things you wish your family knew, 3 things you want your kids to remember about you, and so on and so forth. I come up with 3 different things each time.”

We’re heading into that time of year when mamas are sending older kids back to school and schedules are drastically changing. In the midst of this chaos (regardless of whether or not you’re celebrating or missing your little ones), it’s important to remember to take care of yourself and focus on the positives in your life instead of all the little things running you ragged or pulling you down.

I sincerely hope you’ll join us tonight as we discuss our own #listof3, finding gratefulness tucked away even in the most chaotic corner of our lives. Who knows, maybe attending chat will end up on your list!

In the meantime, what are you grateful for today?

I’m grateful for coffee, sunshine, and sleep.

Your turn:

#PPDChat Topic 03.31.14: Every Mother, Every Time with @WalkerKarraa

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Join us tonight as we discuss why every mother should be screened for perinatal mood disorders (both during pregnancy and postpartum). Dr. Walker Karraa has started a petition at whitehouse.gov and we encourage you to sign it to support every mother’s right to good mental health (and access to treatment) when she needs it most. See you tonight at 830pm ET, 530pm PT.

If you tweet it, it will trend….eventually

When I first started #PPDChat, I had no idea where it would go. Or if people would even want to talk about Postpartum Mood Disorders on Twitter.

Postpartum Mood & Anxiety Disorders are often discussed behind closed doors in hushed voices. It’s not the sort of thing you climb up to the rooftop and scream about. You don’t post a sign along with the “It’s a girl!” or “It’s a Boy!” saying “I have a Postpartum Mood & Anxiety Disorder!” No. It’s not like that at all.

It’s quietly survived, shoved to the back of the table, ignored, discarded as a topic of conversation.

Or at least it was.

Through the blessed advent of technology, more and more women are using their keyboards to raise their voices –detailing their experiences with Postpartum Mood & Anxiety Disorders. Husbands are sharing too –their survival of their partner’s struggle– and some, even their own struggle with depression or anxiety after a child joins their lives.

Postpartum Mood & Anxiety Disorders survivors and fighters are not so silent any longer.

Then today, we got really loud and this happened: #PPDChat trend

Yes. That’s humble #ppdchat, trending. On Twitter. Twitter, where there are millions of tweets every day, thousands of tweets per second.

I don’t know what #PPDChat did to deserve a spot on the trending list – we were just having our weekly moderated chat at 1pm ET. And then BAM. On the list.

Whatever algorithm gods saw fit to smile upon us today, thank you. Thank you for shining your light on a humble little chat dedicated to destroying the stigma and misinformation of Postpartum & Mood Disorders –dedicated to allowing women across the globe to connect and feel a little less alone in their dark vortex of pain.

But most of all, a HUGE THANK YOU to every single person who has ever participated in a chat. To every single person who has ever said thank you or encouraged me to keep on keeping on with my work with #ppdchat. Every second of it is a blessing and seeing the community in action is mind-blowing –every time. Even to those who only read along with the chat, thank you too for following us. Because without participation, without support, this, trending on Twitter for just a short bit, would never have been possible.

Thank you. Thank you all for raising your voices and silencing the stigma and misinformation – for supporting each other – and for being AWESOME.

We did this.

Together.

Because we are not alone in the dark.