Postpartum Progress

**READER SURVEY** -- Take the Postpartum Progress Reader Survey to Help Improve This Site

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is VERY IMPORTANT.  I need your help.  Now that we're coming up on the 2-year anniversary of Postpartum Progress, I'm conducting a reader survey to find out how to improve the site and make it better for you.  PLEASE, please participate by taking the survey.  If I don't know what your opinion is, I can't make the site as valuable as possible for you.

The survey is only 10 questions.  It takes approximately 3 minutes to complete, so it shouldn't put any burden whatsoever on your busy schedules.  Your identity will NOT be tracked, so all responses are completely anonymous (you have my word on that!). 

Click here to take the Postpartum Progress Reader survey

Mothering Magazine Hosts Live Chat on Maternal Stress & Depression

Mothering Magazine will be doing a Live Chat with Cynthia Good Mojab on  Maternal Stress and Depression on April 27th at 10am Pacific time (1pm Eastern).  In this Mothering Live Chat, “The Hardest Job You’ll Ever Love: Myths and Facts about Maternal Stress and Depression,” Cynthia will talk about depression and its symptoms, myths that can keep mothers from getting the help they need, strategies for coping with the everyday stresses of mothering, and resources for support and more information. Although her talk focuses on mothers, much of the information is also relevant to fathers as they cope with their own or their partner's stress or depression.

Go to http://mommychats.com/mothering/index.htm to go to the chat on Thursday, April 27th at 10 AM Pacific, 11 AM Mountain, 12 PM Central, and 1 PM Eastern.

Ohio Support Group

Ohio has now been added to the list of states with support groups with a group in Columbus.  They say Cleveland will be coming soon ...

Download ppd_support_groups.doc

I've also added their website to the list on the right of your screen of State & Local Organizations.  Thanks for reaching out to me, POEM!

Tags: PPD support groups Ohio

MGH Center for Women's Mental Health Spring Newsletter

Attached below is the Spring issue of Massachusetts General Hospital's Center for Women's Health Newsletter.  It's an email newsletter, so I can't give you a direct link -- you'll have to download it.  This month's features are:

* Relapse of Major Depression during Pregnancy

* SSRI's and Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn

* Withdrawal Symptoms in Newborns Exposed to SSRIs

* Patient Corner: Use of Paxil During Pregnancy

Download spring_issue_mgh.doc

Baltimore TV Reporter May Have Suggested Jewelry as the Remedy for PPD

Melisa Keimig reached out to me this morning to let me know that a reporter named Marty Bass on WJZ, the CBS affiliate in Baltimore, remarked on the air this morning that “buying women jewelry” was the answer for women suffering from postpartum depression.  Keimig sent the following message to the station with a copy to the local newspaper:

"As a young mother who has suffered from the devastating effects of a postpartum illness, I am outraged that he would make such a comment on the air that is absolutely belittling and degrading to all those who have suffered traumatically and their families from this type of illness.  Mr. Bass should be ashamed of himself for making such a comment that would offend any woman who had gone through this ordeal.  I believe he should apologize for this comment and for all those he has offended with his insensitive remarks.  Maybe he should do a little research and read some stories of young women who killed themselves or their children because of their suffering from this very serious illness.  Maybe then he would think twice before making his "comments" about something he obviously knows very little about.”

Bravo Melisa!  Mr. Bass' response was as follows:

I did not say it is the answer to PPD.  I said after birth, as a guy, you best help the healing process begin, and after watching your wife work her hardest for 9 months you better have something more in your hand than a handshake.

A big difference between what happened, and was said, and what you believe you heard.  But it happens, no offense taken.

He goes on to say he understands the reality of PPD.  I would love to get my hands on a tape of the story to see whether he was simply saying men should give their wives gifts, or that men should give women with PPD jewelry so they'll get over it.  Since I haven't seen it myself, I can't say for sure he was denigrating women with PPD.  Either way, Melisa sent him the perfect response:

Mr. Bass:  You would have to understand how this could be misunderstood by women sufferers.  There was a story about postpartum depression being told, and Brooke Shields.  You in turn said three words, buy her jewelry.  In any case whether you meant it or not in that context, it was poor taste to say when discussing a very serious topic such as postpartum depression.

Minnesota Has PPD Support Group

Download ppd_support_groups.doc

The PPD Support Group list has been updated with a group in Minnesota.  Glad to add Minnesota to the list!

Tags: postpartum depression Minnesota support group

Brooke Shields & Katie Holmes Deliver Babies

Brooke Shields had baby number two, another girl, yesterday.  We wish her well and our thoughts are with her!  I hope she has a PPMD-free experience, but if not we know she will be under good care with lots of support around her.

Katie Holmes, fiance of outspoken antidepressant critic Tom Cruise, also delivered her baby girl yesterday.  We also wish her well and hope she has a PPMD-free experience!

Tags: postpartum depression Brooke Shields Katie Holmes

Link Between PPD and Colic

Here is an interesting story on the link between PPD and colic from Karen Kleiman's blog: click here.  I had no idea there was a link, but I can tell you my son had colic and my daughter doesn't, so my personal experience definitely reflects the results of the study. 

Tags: postpartum depression colic

ABC's World News Tonight Covers "Controversial" NJ Law

Tonight on ABC's "World News Tonight", they covered the new law in the state of New Jersey requiring every new mother to be screened for depression after birth.  I'd give you a link to the story directly, but it's not up yet on the ABC website. 

The story focused on the fact that physicians in NJ must ask new mothers a set of questions before they leave the hospital and again a few weeks later (I'm assuming at the 6-week checkup).  What really burned me up is that the angle of the coverage was that the law is controversial.  They interviewed a woman (a professor and physician at Northeastern University, I think) saying that you shouldn't dictate by law which medical conditions doctors should screen for.   Playing the devil's advocate, she asked whether PPD is worse than other conditions people may suffer, like thyroid disease, that aren't required by law to be screened.  I suppose I can see her point, but the law is less of a medical issue to me than an educational issue.  Here's why I think this law is a good one:

• Who else is going to inform new mothers about these illnesses but their doctors?  Currently, I believe women are not informed properly by their obstetricians about the symptoms of postpartum mood disorders and what can really happen.  If it's mentioned at all, they usually just state that you might get weepy and feel extra tired and sad, but that you'll most likely get over it in a few weeks.  No one ever mentioned intrusive thoughts to me - not a book, or an ob/gyn or a primary care physician, not a birthing class teacher, not anyone.  So instead of thinking I had a postpartum mood disorder, I simply thought I had gone crazy and wasn't meant to be a mother.  If we're not educated enough to identify the illness for ourselves, a medical professional has got to do it. 
• Because of the shame of this illness, even if we were informed we might not tell anyone unless probed by a helpful professional. 
• This isn't a primary care physician or a general practitioner we're talking about, so the problem of screening for PPD and not screening for other illnesses the general population might experience seems to me to be a strange argument.  They're simply asking OB/GYN's to ask about symptoms of an illness mothers may suffer, just like they check our blood pressure and the heartbeat of our babies while pregnant. They watch us for preeclampsia and gestational diabetes, so why shouldn't they watch us for postpartum mood disorders? 

I worry that coverage like what appeared on the news tonight will simply serve to muddy the minds of our Congress and retard even further the passing of the Melanie Blocker-Stokes Bill.  Is it so controversial that it's not worth potentially saving the lives of a mother from suicide or children from infanticide?  It seems to me that New Jersey is simply pushing doctors to do what they should have been doing anyway, but haven't done because they're uncomfortable having to talk about these things.  I am grateful to New Jersey for being so proactive.

Grants for Treatment Services of Postpartum Women with Substance Abuse Problems

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has announced the availability of FY 2006 funds for grants to expand the availability of comprehensive, high quality residential treatment services for pregnant and postpartum women who suffer from alcohol and other drug use problems, and for their minor children impacted by prenatal and environmental effects of maternal substance use and abuse.

It is expected that that $3.4 million will be available to fund up to 8 awards in FY 2006. Annual awards are expected to be $500,000 per year in total costs for up to three years. The actual amount may vary, depending on the availability of funds.  The grants will be awarded by SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.

WHO CAN APPLY:  Domestic and public and private nonprofit entities such as state and local governments; federally recognized tribes; state recognized tribes; urban Indian organizations; public or private universities and colleges; community- and faith-based organizations; and tribal organizations.

HOW TO APPLY:  Applications for No. TI-06-008 are available by calling SAMHSA's clearinghouse at 1-800-729-6686, or by downloading from www.Grants.gov or www.samhsa.gov.  Applicants are encouraged to apply on line using www.Grants.gov.

APPLICATION DUE DATE:  Must be received by May 16, 2006

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:  Applicants with questions on program issues should contact Linda White Young at 240-276-1581 or e-mail Linda.white-young@samhsa.hhs.gov.  For questions on grants management issues, contact Kimberly Pendleton at 240 276-1421 or e-mail Kimberly.pendleton@samhsa.hhs.gov.

Thanks to Helena Bradford for sending me this.

Upcoming Satellite Broadcast on Treating Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy

On Wednesday, May 17th, Massachusetts General Hospital's Department of Psychiatry will present a satellite broadcast on psychotropic drug use during pregnancy.  The purpose of the broadcast is to discuss the treatment of psychiatric disorders during pregnancy.  The program is described as follows:

Though the last decade has brought considerable interest in women's mental health, systematic data informing the clinical decisions regarding psychotropic drug use for women who wish to become pregnant or who are pregnant are lacking. The course of psychiatric disorder during pregnancy has yet to be sufficiently delineated and growing evidence suggests that pregnancy is not necessarily a time of emotional well-being for patients and the prevalence of psychiatric illness in women during their childbearing years is significant. Safe ways to use psychotropic agents including antidepressants, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics and benzodiazepines need to be developed. [They will also discuss] why delineating the relative risks of untreated psychiatric illness during pregnancy versus the risks of prenatal use of psychotropics is necessary if women and their doctors are to make informed decisions about using these agents during pregnancy.

Participants can listen to the broadcast via telephone, or watch it via webcast or satellite.  The event is aimed at physicians, pharmacists and nurses, and participants can receive continuing education credits.  To register, use this link. 

This is certainly topical for me, as I was treated for depression during my pregnancy to help avoid suffering PPD right now as I raise my brand new baby girl.  I would imagine those women who experienced a postpartum mood disorder with their first child will be particularly interested in the results of the discussion as they consider whether to have another one.

Thanks to the Postpartum Progress Network & Updates on Indiana

I know it's not titillating news for me to keep posting updates to the PPD Support Group list, but I feel it's so important to the women out there who need help and understanding from those who know exactly what they're going through.  Birdie Meyer, PSI Coordinator of Indiana, was wonderful to send me a complete update of all the groups in Indiana (of which there are many!) - Ft. Wayne and Bloomington are new groups that have been added. 

Download ppd_support_groups.doc

I really appreciate the help of all of you in the Postpartum Progress "network" in sending me information and news to post on the site.  You help make it so much better!

Tags: PPD support groups Indiana postpartum depression

Study Reveals Less Incidence of Depressive Disorders Among Children Whose Mothers Are Successfully Treated for Depression

A new study reinforces the importance of seeking and maintaining medical treatment for moms with postpartum depression.  The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, has found that children of mothers who have received successful treatment via medication for major depression or anxiety are less likely to be diagnosed with anxiety, disruptive and depressive disorders themselves, compared to children of women who remain untreated.  The study states its conclusion as follows: 

Remission of maternal depression has a positive effect on both mothers and their children, whereas mothers who remain depressed may increase the rates of their children's disorders. These findings support the importance of vigorous treatment for depressed mothers in primary care or psychiatric clinics and suggest the utility of evaluating the children, especially children whose mothers continue to be depressed. 

Tags: postpartum depression research antidepressants

Updates

I've updated the support group information for Washington and Florida.  The updated list is attached below.

Also, I've added a link to PSI of Washington in the Local & State People Who Care section to the right of your screen.

Download ppd_support_groups.doc

Tags: PPD support groups postpartum depression Florida Washington

Annual PPD Run in Michigan

Christine Hughes in Michigan has informed me that she is planning a PPD fundraiser run for Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids.  The 2nd Annual PPD4PPD 5k/10k/25k Run/Walk, which stands for Pounding Pavement and Dirt for Postpartum Depression, is scheduled for July 29, 2006 at 7:30 am at Independence Park in Canton, MI.   Their website, www.dirtroaddivas.com, has all the info about the run, as well as last year's details, and people can register to participate at www.active.com.   The registration fee is $10.

Last year's event succeeded in raising more than $2000.  They're hoping to beat that this year, with all proceeds going to the Postpartum Support Group of Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan Health System's Social Work-OB Department. 

Tags: PPD events Michigan