Category Archives: postpartum depression

Petition in Support of the MOTHER’S Act

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Yes, we had a blog day.

Yes, we’ve called our Senators, written them, and speak out daily about the NEED for improved care for women just like us.

BUT… we’re not being heard. Instead, the voices of those who would argue that the MOTHER’S Act will force new mothers to take medication and submit to screening are the ones being heard. The MOTHER’S Act will not force medication on anyone – what it will do is provide the opportunity for every mother to have access to treatment for a PMD if she has one. The method of treatment is up to the mother and her physician (and frankly, if my physician wasn’t on the same page as I was or at least willing to back up his reasoning with some pretty strong fact, I’d find another physician!) and drugs may not be the best route for every mother – but EVERY MOTHER WHO SUFFERS DESERVES ACCESS TO TREATMENT.

Please sign the petition from the Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance in support of the MOTHER’S Act.

It’s urgent that your voice be heard NOW.

Sharing the Journey with Rebecca Powell

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Here it is folks – the final interview for the ladies over at Totally New Moms.

Rebecca is one busy mom – I thank her for taking the time to answer my questions

so thoroughly and eloquently!

Enjoy!

 

Rebecca Ingram Powell

Christian Author and Speaker

WATCH FOR REBECCA’S NEW BOOK–SEASON OF CHANGE: PARENTING YOUR MIDDLE

SCHOOLER WITH PASSION AND PURPOSE–COMING MAY 2009!

Monthly columnist, ParentLife magazine (LifeWay Christian Resources)

 

 

1) When did you become a Christian and what has helped to solidify or sustain your faith over the years?

Raised in the blessing of a Christian home, I came to Christ as a child. At an early age, I wanted Him to be my Savior, and I was eager to belong to Him. During my teen years, I battled an attraction to the world and made many foolish choices. The summer before my senior year of high school, however, God called me to a state of repentance before Him, and it was at that point that I realized Jesus had to reside over my life as my LORD.

A daily time of prayer and Bible study is the key to a growing faith. It cannot be skipped; it cannot be discounted. A faith that can meet the storms of life (and the victories, too) is a faith that is rooted in a daily relationship with Jesus.

2) What do you find to be most challenging about motherhood? The least?

I would have to say that the greatest challenge of motherhood is in raising godly children–kids who are set apart from the worldly culture that surrounds them but who can capably function as effective Christ-followers in the midst of it. And the easiest thing I do as a mom is love my kids. That’s never been hard!

 3) How has becoming a Mother changed you? Has it strengthened your faith in God?

Becoming a mom changed me from a self-centered, selfish young woman into a servant. I learned what it really meant to love another person unconditionally. Becoming a mom helped me understand the love of my Heavenly Father in a much deeper way. I love my children with all of my heart–there is nothing they could ever do to change my love for them. Although my love is nothing compared to how much God loves, it has given me a glimpse of it.

 4) In your opinion, what aspect of Motherhood should be most celebrated?

My children are 16, 13, and 11. They love the Lord, and they love each other. These years are truly a joy. At this point in my life, I believe that having teenagers that I love being with is cause for celebration!

 5) What led you to write Baby Boot Camp?

My husband and I were teaching a Sunday school class for young married couples. Inevitably, with that age group, people begin building their families. One of the young women in the class, Sondra, had just announced her pregnancy. Her younger brother, however, had just enlisted and was going through boot camp. Her concern for him was beginning to overrule her excitement about being pregnant, and she was sharing his needs with our class. She talked about how he was only getting around five hours of sleep each night, and he had to wolf down every meal. She said he didn’t have time for anything, and his drill sergeant was always yelling about something! To me, her brother’s ordeal sounded eerily like new motherhood–no time to sleep, no time to eat, someone always screaming–and Sondra would be facing similar circumstances in less than eight months. I remembered my first days as a mom, and I wondered if the experience might have gone more smoothly if I’d had someone around to cheer me on. A desire was planted in my heart as I realized I’d love to be there for Sondra, every day of the first six weeks, if I could. That very afternoon I began writing what would be my first published book, Baby Boot Camp, a collection of devotionals designed to encourage and support new moms through the challenging first six weeks of motherhood.

 6) What Bible verse(s) would you say has the most inspiration for you as a mother?        

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6). The world offers tons of advice for raising children. Family and friends do, too. But the best place to go for inspiration and motivation in raising our children is straight to God’s Word. Go to His Word, and you will find all the help you need. Ask Him to lead you to resources that are biblically-based. 

 7) How did you come to the decision to homeschool your children? Any advice for other mothers contemplating this route?

Lauren, this could be a very long answer! :) Briefly, however, the decision was made over many years. I was thinking about homeschooling before I even had children. God put people and resources in our path that caused my husband and me to investigate homeschooling as an alternative to traditional education. As time went on, we realized that we were not simply making a decision, we were responding to a call that God had placed on our lives. I frequently talk to moms who are considering homeschooling, and I always tell them to pray, pray, pray! It has to be something you know you are called to do. Also, you must be in agreement with your husband. It will not work if the two of you are not on the same page. I will also say that I do not regret a single moment of my journey as a homeschooling mom!

 8) How did the idea for your joint blog, Totally New Moms with Sue McRoberts and Arlene Pellicane come to fruition?

This was a God thing. I am a sporadic blogger at best, but blogging is something that I enjoy doing, and I think it’s a great ministry. Teaming up with Sue gave me an incentive because I really wanted to help her give her own ministry and book more exposure. Then God brought Arlene in through an email she sent me. We each have different areas of expertise, but we have the same heart for Jesus. I believe that our blog will be a great place for moms to find the information they need.

 9) If there was one piece of advice you could give to an expectant mother (new or experienced), what would it be and why would this be important for her to hear?

 Your daily time with the Lord, whether you have five minutes or fifty, is something that must be highest priority. Moms tend to put this off and many times believe that it just doesn’t matter. But your relationship with Jesus makes the biggest difference in your life and in your parenting! Author Anne Ortlund said that you can soak yourself in His Word if you really want to! Put verses up around the house. Keep a Bible under the sink in the bathroom so you can read from it while your little one plays in the tub. Focus on Him and make your constant prayer, “Lord, teach me to love you.” He is faithful, and He will do it. And you must pray for your child. God knows your child’s needs much better than you do. He also knows His plan and purpose for your child’s life. Leading our children in the way He has for them is their only assurance of being truly fulfilled. Some people look all their lives for that “something” that is missing. They are looking for Jesus. As moms, we have the amazing opportunity to point our children to the Savior, Jesus Christ. That should be our goal every day. In order to do that successfully, we must be sure that our hearts are pointed to His. 

 

On Speaking with Katherine Stone & D. Jeffrey Newport

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Today I was a panelist along with Katherine Stone at a Community Lunch and Learn sponsored by Mental Health America and Skyland Trails of Atlanta.

Dr. Jeffrey Newport was the keynote speaker while Katherine and I both shared with attendees our story and how we had been moved to share with others about our experience. Katherine was wonderful and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting her. (Look for an upcoming interview soon!) Dr. Jeffrey Newport was also terrific and is a great speaker – wonderful sense of humour and very down to earth. His presentation was terrific and once I have a chance to read over and edit my scribbled notes into something coherent, I will certainly be sharing some of them with you!

We had several attendees thank us for sharing our stories afterwards, including a woman recently diagnosed with PPD. That alone made the journey worth it. To be able to reach out not only to women who are currently suffering but to also provide a personal insight to those in the field who are directly dealing with this disorder is an amazing and powerful opportunity. I sincerely look forward to not only continuing with my current work but to being able to have additional opportunities like the one today. God has truly blessed me and I am very thankful!

(Oh, and I also enjoyed having the day off from kiddie-care too! I was gone from about 9a-4p today. Oh the heaven! LOL)

Sharing the Journey with Sue McRoberts

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I have had the good fortune recently to get to know Sue McRoberts, author of The Lifter of My Head: How God Sustained me during Postpartum Depression, and 1/3 of the blogging team at Totally New Moms. The following are 10 questions I emailed to her and the responses I received. Enjoy!

(As a side note, interviews with Arlene and Rebecca from Totally New Moms will be arriving shortly as well!)

Sue McRoberts

1) When did you become a Christian and what has helped to solidify or sustain your faith over the years?
 I became at Christian at the age of 8 but I didn’t really understand it until I was 14.  In college I started really living out my faith.  What has solidified my faith is God’s faithfulness.  He’s always done what he says in scripture he will do.  Seeing God’s consistency and compassion has sustained me.

2)      What made you decide to write your book, The Lifter of my Head: How God Sustained Me through Postpartum Depression?
I went to a local Christian bookstore, looking for a book on postpartum depression from a Christian’s perspective.  There was no such book on the shelf.  After doing some research no one at the store could  find such a book on the Internet either.  The clerk suggested to me that I should go home and pray about  whether or not perhaps God wanted me to write that book.  At first I thought that was the craziest thing I’d ever heard.  God gave me no peace until I started writing!  
 
 
3)      What kind of process did you go through to write your book? What part was the most difficult to write?
Writing from beginning to end what happened to me during my PPD experience was excruciating.  I wrote 95% of my book while I was sick.  I wrote the book as these things were actually happening.  Only editing was done while I was well.  I cut about 35,ooo words from my final manuscript. I had a lot I wanted to share!  The process itself was simple.  I had  a brainstorming notebook I constantly wrote in.  I wrote constantly when ideas would come.  Sometimes at 3 a.m I would do my best writing and thinking.  For me the toughest part was describing the darkest parts of my illness.  I wrote the whole thing in faith that God wanted me to do it.  But I never believed for one second that anyone would relate to my experiences with psychosis.  I was wrong!  Other than that, reading the book in it’s entirety for the audio CD’s was a nightmare.  It’s one thing to write it and edit it over 6-8 months.  To read it in 5 hours was tough emotionally.  Hearing those words come out of my own mouth about broke me. 
 

4)      Prior to Motherhood, what was the main focus of your life?

I was a teacher and a coach.  My students were my life.  I miss teaching and coaching so much that it’s difficult to express that emptiness in my life.  I’ve filled that with a great husband, three kids, and much ministry but boy do I miss it.
 

5)      What is the hardest part of Motherhood? The easiest?

 The hardest part of motherhood for me is having strong willed kids only to discover that maybe I’m strong willed too.  That can be volatile so I’ve learned to be a little more passive and easy going.   What else is hard for me is that  I can’t make them choose the right things in life.  I can only guide them and that is scary.  I’ve learned to guide them and pray for them but let God take the reigns. It freaks me out to much to try to control these little people.   They aren’t puppets.  I was shocked when I discovered that!

The easiest part for me is playing with my kids.  I love pitching baseball to them, kicking a soccer ball, riding bikes.  My five year old can’t stand when I want to work on reading or math with him.  He sees me as his soccer pal.  So playing is a very important thing in our house. 

6)      How has becoming a Mother changed you? Has it strengthened your faith in God?

 I have three strong willed kids, all of which have worn me out at times.  I’ve learned to focus on what really matters and know what those things are that I will battle on and which ones aren’t so important.  Strong willed kids will get in your face no matter what though.  They love a fight and a challenge.  So I have had to rely on God for strength, creativity in parenting, rest, and most of all some grace for my kids.  It has strengthened my faith in God tremendously.  When my first child got her first spanking at 18 months she looked at me and said, “Is that all you’ve got?”  I knew I was in trouble!  But God has stayed with me!

7)      In your opinion, what aspect of Motherhood should be most celebrated?

 The fact that we  are molding and shaping godly men and women one diaper at a time, one feeding at a time, one school grade at a time, one conversation at a time.  Every day we are impacting our children’s lives.  Mothering matters!   It’s only what you do for Christ that counts.  Leading your kids to Christ, teaching them to walk with and depend on him…these things count.

8)      When you get time to yourself, how do you pamper yourself?
 
I eat breakfast out with my friends, go to dinner and a movie with my husband, or go for a nice  long run.
 
9)      How did the idea for your joint blog, Totally New Moms with Arlene Pellicane and Rebecca Ingram Powell come to fruition?

 I knew when Rebecca agreed to write an endorsement for my book that we would one day work together.  I prayed about it for ages.  I don’t even know if Rebecca knows that.  We both have a heart for girls and women.  That drew me to  her.  Arlene was Rebecca’s special find!  I’m pretty sure the idea started with me and Rebecca talking about it.  Then Rebecca  found Arlene and it took off from there.  I think the three of us have such different styles and personalities, we complement each other well.

10)   If there was one piece of advice you could give to an expectant mother (new or experienced), what would it be and why would this be important for her to hear?

Look for resources around you, they are everywhere.  Printed material, experienced mothers in different seasons of life, your Bible, your doctor, your neighbors.  Listen and learn.  Be open to other’s opinions and take help when it’s offered.  And above all, don’t be so hard on yourself.  We aren’t perfect and that really shows up in our mothering.  But don’t beat yourself up for a decade because you did or said something wrong to your child.  (I’ve done that…)  Kids are resilient.  We aren’t most of the time.  Ask God’s forgiveness and move on.  There’s bigger things to come!   And just think, some day you’ll be entering middle age and you’ll not know where the time went.  Cherish the good, the bad, and the ugly of mothering because it all matters!

Good Mornin’

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I am sitting here hooked up to my pump – gotta leave sustenance for the little one while I’m gone on Friday. Can’t have him starving and screaming. That wouldn’t make anyone happy, now would it?

In an effort to get back into the blogging mood, I’m going to start posting whenever I can grab a second. So forgive me if this is overload at first but I’ve been out of practice for a bit – you know, with the birth of the baby and all.

I have to say that this time around things have been so much different. Being able to laugh and smile and play with Cameron without having to force myself to is refreshing. And I LOVE to pick him up and hold him right on my chest so that his heart is right over mine. I feel as if we are communicating and our hearts are one – it blows me away every time how powerful holding him that way can be for me. I NEVER felt that with either one of the girls. And yes, it does make me sad to think I didn’t really bond with the girls the way I am bonding with him BUT the girls are both happy and get plenty of love now and don’t seem to be scarred at all by that experience. Recently I’ve really been mourning the loss of bonding with Charlotte when she was an infant but lately she’s been very cuddly and huggy so it’s making up for it slowly.

Gotta run. I think I may try to crawl back into bed for a short bit. Pray that I made it!