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In January, a government-appointed panel recommended that all pregnant women and new mothers be screened for depression . Public health advocates rejoiced, as did untold numbers of women who had not known that maternal mental illness even existed before it hit them like a freight train. But the panel did not mention one possible consequence of a diagnosis: Life and disability insurance providers have sometimes penalized women with these mental illnesses by charging them more money, excluding...

Just finding out about this opportunity, but what a great chance to hear a presentation focused on mental health and ACEs!   Register here for this free event!      

Love this table top conversation between Jada Pinkett Smith, her daughter and mother. Take home message... If you're a mom, don't forget who YOU are to yourself. You weren't always a mom. Your kids need to see this part of you so that they will remember to value themselves when they become parents.  If you have a mom, remind her she's also a beautiful woman.  If you're a partner, help her to find a safe, stress free opportunity to reinvest and rediscover herself. Moms have a...

May is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month and this Sunday is Mother's Day. The day is somewhat bittersweet when I think about it...shouldn't every day be Mothers' Day, just minus the fanfare? How can we promote better mental health for moms during...

  In recent years, there has been a surge  of research into early brain development. Neuroimaging technologies, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), provide increased insight about how the brain develops and how early experiences affect...

Did you know that there is a home visitation program that brings Cognitive Based Therapy to moms via home visitation? Check out this evidence based intervention that has been written up in "Zero to Three"!   http://www.movingbeyonddepression.org/...

Moms are maxed out. Pregnant moms are maxed out, especially for many families who survived the economic recession because many women hold more recession proof jobs. But stress, especially for the pregnant woman isn't such a great thing for the unborn,...

Abstract Research efforts during the past decades have provided intriguing evidence suggesting that stressful experiences during pregnancy exert long-term consequences on the future mental wellbeing of both the mother and her baby. Recent human...

  Having a baby is a huge life alteration – who wouldn’t be at least a bit anxious? The vast majority of women experience mood shifts surrounding pregnancy: Around  80 percent  experience “baby blues,” and in up...

Give them an info graphic to show the connection between toxic stress and health outcomes for moms and babies? Check out the attached 3 handouts!   Have some talking points ready to get the conversation started with prenatal care staff?  ...

In keeping with the spirit of what 2020MOM launched last week at their Spring Forum in LA...let's begin to make the connection between how Adverse Childhood Events impact our future mothers in terms of mental health. If we want our kids to be okay,...

How about incorporating the  10 item Adverse Childhood Experiences(ACE) form into a prenatal visit . A mother's ACE score may help guide providers in determining if a woman's pregnancy is at higher or lower risk for complications. And...