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PACEs in Maternal Health

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Yolo County Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) 3 year proposed budget includes MMH and Trauma Informed Care for training!

Yolo County's progressive and collaborative nature once again allows for critical issues to be addressed and proposed for funding. Proud to be in Yolo and thanks to our Yolo County MHSA team and stakeholders for lifting up trauma informed care and Perinatal Mental Health as training needs! While the 3 year budget has not been approved, we are thrilled that these two topics have made it into the proposal under WET funds (Workforce, Education & Training!). As a stakeholder, you have a...

Harvard study - Postpartum Depression symptoms - not a secret to keep to yourself

Importance of universal screening! The worst kept secret for some women because they are filled with shame or simply don't know things can and will be better! For some it's the shame they're afraid of.....this Harvard study explains why it should not be a secret. Time to get it out in the open. Sometimes just asking a mom gives permission to talk! http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/postpartum-depression-worst-kept-secret-2017020811008

When we become mothers, do we forget we are sexual beings too??

This is a fascinating Ted Talk on sexuality for pregnant and postpartum women. Makes you think about one more type of loss that women may experience when they transform into a mother. Loss isn't always bad and is sometimes a necessity even to grow, but not acknowledging loss can contribute to mental health issues for women in all stages of their life. https://www.ted.com/talks/sofia_jawed_wessel_the_lies_we_tell_pregnant_women

How social factors drive up suicide rates among pregnant women [TheConversation.com]

Pregnant women in South Africa who live in poor communities are more likely to consider or attempt suicide than the general population. That’s a key finding from a recent study we undertook at Hanover Park. The research found 12% of pregnant women living in low-resource communities had thought of killing themselves during the previous month. In the same period, an additional 6% of pregnant women reported they had started to enact a suicide plan or attempted to end their lives. Rates of...

The impact of maternal depression

This is an interesting article about the impact of maternal depression children's neural empathic response to others' distress http://www.news-medical.net/news/20170103/Early-exposure-to-maternal-depression-impacts-childrens-neural-empathic-response-to-others-distress.aspx

Reel Love: How Films Helped Me Through Postpartum Depression [NYTimes.com]

Every Wednesday, after my husband left for work, Everest and I headed out for a movie date. “Wild” was a favorite, as were “If I Stay” and “The Hundred-Foot Journey,” because those were quiet, character-driven stories. Everest didn’t much care what was on the screen: He was only 3 months old when we started going to the weekly parent movie mornings at our local theater. These were screenings of new releases that catered to parents with babies – the lights in the theater were turned up, the...

Congress Passes Groundbreaking Postpartum Depression Legislation [HuffingtonPost.com]

Over 400,000 women in the U.S. suffer from postpartum depression each year. Yet only an estimated 15 percent of those mothers receive treatment, and countless women who have suffered from PPD report feeling deeply alone in their struggles. But the federal government is offering families a glimmer of hope for the future of maternal mental health in the U.S. On Nov. 30, Rep. Katherine M. Clark (D-Mass.) announced that her maternal mental health legislation, the Bringing Postpartum Depression...

Violence, Drugs, Mental Illness May Account for Half of Maternal Deaths [PsychCentral.com]

Intimate partner violence, substance use and mental illness may be as threatening to health and survival during pregnancy as medical issues, according to a new study. In the study, researchers from the Boston University Medical Center note that mortality rates for pregnant women are increasing in the U.S. Many are due to medical causes thought to be directly related to pregnancy, such as hemorrhage, thromboembolism and hypertensive disease. Although substance use, serious mental illness and...

Why therapy during pregnancy should be required [WashingtonPost.com]

People frequently consider going to therapy before they make a major life transition, such as getting married or changing careers. But what about when embarking on a monumental shift such as parenthood? Women, who are advised to exercise and watch what they eat while they are pregnant, don’t always think of psychotherapy as an important part of their prenatal care regimen, but it can be critical to the well-being of mother and baby, both during and after pregnancy. For many people, pregnancy...

Depression in pregnancy increases risk of mental health problems in children [ScienceDaily.com]

Depression in pregnancy increases the risk of behavioural and emotional problems in children, says a new review published in The Lancet Psychiatry. The authors of the review, which focused mainly on low and middle income countries, call for urgent interventions for mothers and children. Depression in pregnancy is thought to affect up to one in five women globally in the late stages of pregnancy and shortly after birth. It is characterised by low mood and feelings of hopelessness, and is...

This woman's emotional postpartum depression story is actually incredibly common. (upworthy.com)

My constant companions were irritability, anxiety, an unending feeling of being overwhelmed, and sadness. Pure, shoulder-sobbing sadness. I cried a lot. Sometimes for hours on end — seemingly without reason. I sat on my couch, in my car, in the shower, virtually anywhere — willing myself to feel better. I thought I could fix it. That I could try harder, smile more, eat healthier, get a little sleep. I was certain I had to take care of this alone and that no one could know how horribly I was...

Hillary Clinton’s Comprehensive Agenda on Mental Health [The Briefing—Fact Sheets]

The first bullet under Early Diagnosis and Intervention of today’s release of Hillary Clinton’s mental health agenda is titled “ Increase public awareness and take action to address maternal depression, infant mental health, and trauma and stress in the lives of young children.” It states “We also know that infant mental health depends on children forming close and secure relationships with the adults in their lives, and that too many children are growing up in environments that cause them...

From the moms, partners and kids of all ages - Happy Father's Day!

While it should not just be today that we take time to honor, respect, remember and thank the Fathers of all generations (greats, grands, immediate, adopted, foster, neighbors and all), it is a day to say thank you to all the dads, uncles, foster dads, adopted dads, grand dads, favorite neighbors, and just cool and awesome men in our lives who support the mothers and women in their challenging transitions into and throughout motherhood. We salute all the dads in all generations! And we love...

How to get more low-income moms screened for depression? CMS says, ‘Bill me!’ [CenterForHealthJournalism.com]

In recent years there’s been a surge in awareness of how common and debilitating maternal depression can be. As the research accumulates and media coverage keeps apace, the idea that depression and related disorders can wreak serious havoc on a mother and affect her baby’s development has given fresh urgency to efforts to get moms more help. Among policymakers, growing recognition of the problem has translated into new programs, with a number of states encouraging screenings and treatment.

How Postpartum Depression is Different from Baby Blues [PsychCentral.com]

Today, even though we’ve made much progress, postpartum depression (PPD) still gets confused with baby blues. It still gets minimized and dismissed. Oh, don’t worry. Being sad and sobbing are totally normal. So is feeling frustrated. You just gave birth, after all. You just need some sleep. A day off. A change in attitude. Maybe you should stop putting so much pressure on yourself. Maybe you’re not used to being home so much. You need time to adjust. You need to get used to your new normal.

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