Join us this evening as we discuss the need for more and more people to know the signs and symptoms of Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders. We’ll also go over what to ask, how to help a mom get the care she needs, and how to support the whole family as they navigate this issue. See you tonight at 9pm ET!
Tag Archives: mental health
#PPDChat 03.07.16: PPD Around the World
Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders affect women all around the world. Today, we’ll be examining motherhood, Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders, and how they are handled on a global scale.
Why is it important to consider a global understanding of Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders? It is important because in understanding how various cultures treat and handle this issue, we may pick up methods to treat Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders in our own lives.
Tonight’s chat has been pushed back to 8:30pm ET. See you on Twitter!
#PPDChat: 02.29.16: The Great Medication Debate
No, we’re not going to tell you if you should medicate or not. But we will be discussing the various methods women use to treat their Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders. Everything from natural to pharmaceutical medication. The methods vary just as greatly as the women who end up in battle with a Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorder. Yet, many of these women still find themselves judged for whatever method they choose. You know what? It’s all about finding what WORKS for you, not what works for those around you and makes them feel better. They’re not the ones inside your heads.
Please join me tomorrow evening for this chat. We’ll let it all hang out – vent away about any judging you have received, how stigma may or may not have kept you away from a certain method, or what kind of surprising support you received – we’ll be there to hear ALL of it. Because in the end, we’re all just moms who want to get back to living and loving our lives.
See you on Twitter at 8pm ET, y’all!
Ohming Postpartum Depression Away
The sunlight flowed into the room, bouncing off the parquet floor and spiraling up toward the white walls as women began to stroll in, bedecked in yoga pants, nursing tops, and covered in infants. Soft music played in the background as the waterfall in the front of the room bubbled and sputtered to life.
A woman entered the room once all the mothers were settled and latched their infants. She sat down in the front, her curly hair spilling down her back, nearly reaching the floor. As she adjusted her body into a seated pose, she began to hum as she reached her arms toward the ceiling, which was sprinkled with skylights to invite even more warm rays into the meditation room.
The mothers hummed along with her, deeply breathing in the soothing surroundings and welcoming the excise of the chaos of their lives outside of the room. Breath in, exhale out. Breathe in, ohm out. OHMMMMMMMMM.
For forty five minutes they did this, breathing in, breathing out, letting their minds clear of everything and anything that might possibly distract them from their current state of bliss. OHHHHMMMMMMMM.
Upon closing, the waterfall slowed, the chimes ceased as the water no longer washed over them. Their guide stood, and made her way to the exit.
The women gathered their things, and went on their way. They’d be back tomorrow, they said to each other. For now, let’s all go to Whole Foods and buy only organic foods and supplements because we absolutely cannot let this motherhood thing get us sad. And then, we’ll meet in the garden at the park to pray fervently to keep the negative feelings away from our hearts.
With a spring in their steps and a clear path ahead of them, they all wished each other Namaste as they meandered away to fulfill their guaranteed destinies of avoiding depression after giving birth…without turning to the evils of medicine or therapy like that one mother over there. She cheated, they said, among themselves, as they unlocked their cars and settled their infants in for the quick drive to the Whole Foods. She’s not Ohm like us.
If only it were THAT easy, right?
Oh, I’ll just eat right. I’ll meditate, I’ll pray, I’ll do everything right and *I* won’t get depression after the birth of a child. And if I do, it’s totally big pharma’s fault because all they want to do is sell me drugs which will get me better.
STOP.
Nope. Hippocrates wrote about postpartum depression way back in the day – (you know, old school.. the father of modern medicine theology/ethics?) so this isn’t some new-fangled disorder created by Big Pharma just to get you to part with your money.
There’s been an irresponsible post by Marianne Williamson on Facebook regarding the recent announcement recommending mothers be screened for depression both during and after pregnancy is like giving stigma a nice fat hug. Follow the money, she says. Meditate more, she says. Pray more, she says. LOVE more. But dear heavens, leave big Pharma out of any possible solution because they prescribe meds like candy.
Know what, Marianne? We tell moms to run like hell from doctors who practice medicine that way. We empower them to rule out physical causes before just popping a pill. We tell them that hormonal changes are normal and what to look for beyond those changes. We follow the research. We follow the stories of the mothers who share them with us. We do not muffle their voices. We do not minimize their pain or magnify their shame.
And yet – in one fell swoop, you’ve managed to do exactly what you did not want to do – muffle voices. Do you have any idea how difficult it is for a new mother to speak up about experiencing anything besides joy and happiness after the arrival of a new little one? It’s incredibly difficult. We fight for it every single day. It’s exhausting. But if it helps one..just ONE mother – it’s worth it.
I do want to clarify that if meditation, nutrition, and prayer worked for you – that’s fantastic. I’m truly happy for you. But. It’s important to remember that not all solutions work for all mothers and to discredit one method of treatment which has helped so many is to do a disservice to those it has helped. It’s like giving Stigma a big fat hug and shaming millions into silence because they dared to take meds that HELPED THEM.
Ohm all you want if it helps. Ohm it away. But.
Be open to other methods. Don’t judge others for their journey to wellness.
Because when we do that?
We hurt all of us.
#PPDChat 01.11.16: That Pesky Thyroid
Did you know that the thyroid can cause issues that mirror several symptoms of Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders? It absolutely can. But – not a lot of people know it can. This is why tonight’s chat is SO important. I hope you will join us as we discuss the various ways in which the thyroid can cause symptoms which mimic PPD, how to deal with them, how to push your doctor to test for them, and why it is important to test for any thyroid issues.
Look forward to seeing you this evening at 8pm ET on Twitter!