#PPDChat 03.02.17: The Art of Processing

processing_Lauren

It’s been a tough week, to put it mildly.

So much is swirling around in our heads. So much has happened. So much that we don’t understand. So many emotions to battle with above and beyond the normal noise we struggle to navigate through on a day-to-day basis.

#PPDChat is back, y’all.

Tomorrow, we’ll be led by the fantastic @littlemamajama (Kristin Novotny) who will just BE with us as we let it all out. (I’ll pop in as I’m able as well) A HUGE thank you to Kristin  for agreeing to host this chat on such short notice. I LOVE this community and how we have all been diving in to make sure everyone is supported. LOVE.

Things this chat WILL be for: 

  • Letting out how WE feel
  • Sharing OUR struggles with what has occurred
  • Holding each other up as we navigate forward
  • Gentle suggestions on how to cope with negative feelings/difficult situations

Things this chat will NOT be for: 

  • Accusations
  • Name-calling
  • Blaming/Shaming

Join us tomorrow as we open up some space on Twitter to process and move forward.

See you there!

Speaking Up, Reaching Out, Inspiring Hope

That phrase.

It’s a powerful one. It encourages us to use our voices to reach out and inspire hope in those who need it most.

Right now, there’s a community that is imploding over a pattern of marginalization of women of color. A pattern that has repeatedly disenfranchised and discarded their efforts and their voices. It’s not okay for that to be happening. Anywhere, let alone in an arena where it’s already difficult for women of color to speak up and reach out because culture tells them not to do so. Culture tells them to be strong. To chin up and just move forward no matter what they are facing.

But.

They too, are human. They too have hearts. They too, have feelings. And they too, MATTER.

This is why we are angry.

This is why we are raising a cacophony of voices which will not be silenced until all is made right and the pattern ceases to exist.

We were told it would change. We were led, like sheep, to the trough of hope, and then that trough disappeared…it was empty. A mirage.

So here we are. Once again. But this time? This time we will not be silenced. We will not be dismissed.

In the meantime, for those who once sought support from Postpartum Progress for women of color and are in need of different avenues for resources, I strongly urge you to start with The Tessera Collective. Graeme Seabrook also has postpartum resources. And I will be re-opening #PPDChat soon as well, because moms don’t need to lose out as this battle wages on. Just because we are entrenched in this, doesn’t mean that Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders will be put on hold. No, they’re gonna keep knocking at the doors of so many and we need to be there to help them speak up, reach out, and inspire hope in their hearts that they WILL get through this.

(If you’re interested in helping me re-open #PPDChat, because I can’t do it alone, please reach out to me either on Twitter or email me. )

If you want to sign a petition to make it right?

Go here.

Want to support Graeme & Jasmine financially as they’ve now lost their PPI income as a result? Go here.

Make a difference.

Farewell, #PPDChat

It’s been a long haul.

It’s saved lives.

It’s empowered so many.

Educated even more.

Brought women together who felt so alone and lost. Created lasting friendships.

In short, it’s been amazing.

But.

Like all good things, it too, must come to an end.

There’s been a lull. And then work got crazy. So I haven’t run #PPDChat for quite some time now. And no one has said a thing. It’s time.

With Twitter on the downward spiral as well, it is definitely time.

There will be no more live #PPDChat sessions. We will keep the group on FB going. But, alas, there will be no more active weekly chats. I simply can’t keep up with it along with my current workload. It’s just not feasible. Anyone who knows me knows that I am massively true to walking the path I preach. Self-care is of the utmost importance to me and quite frankly, right now, I need all the self-care I can garner.

So adieu, to all those who have helped to create #PPDChat into what it is today. It is with a very heavy heart that I write this post as this, this outreach, has been my lifeblood for quite some time now. But like a whisper on the wind, it has faded, and the time has come.

I will always be here, always available. Always approachable. And always, always, full of love for those who are struggling to find answers and light in the dark.

#PPDChat 06.13.16: Dads & PPD

Join us at 9pm ET on Twitter for a chat about Dads & PPDDads matter. Partners matter, period. Today, we’re focusing on Dads specifically because of the upcoming holiday, Father’s Day.

Dads are often the first ones to notice something isn’t quite right. They’re the ones on the front lines with us and their level of support (positive or negative) can seriously affect how well (and how quickly) a mom recovers from her Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorder.

The kicker, however, is that dads are also susceptible to mood disorders of their own as they start out into fatherhood as well – and they’re at an even higher risk of this if mom has her own issues going on.

Tonight, we’ll be discussing a whole range of things involving the way Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders affect the family as a whole, with a specific focus on Dads. I hope you’ll join us at 9pm ET. See you then!

#PPDChat 06.06.16: PPD & The Military

Join us at 9pm ET on Twitter as we examine PPD & The MilitaryMilitary life has an effect on the Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorder experience. There’s an sharp increase in the rate of cases experienced (and again, those are just the ones reported), for instance.

Tonight, we’ll explore this aspect and others that make experiencing a Perintal Mood & Anxiety Disorder either as a soldier or a partner of a soldier challenging. See you tonight at 9pm ET on Twitter!