Postpartum Progress

Postpartum Progress Beacon of Hope: Helena Bradford

Today, Postpartum Progress is launching a new monthly feature called the "Postpartum Progress Beacon of Hope".  Each month, I will honor a worthy individual who invests his or her time and energy working to help women who are suffering or have suffered from postpartum mood disorders. The honoree will be someone who has been impacted by PPMD and has since chosen to let their light shine by educating and helping others.  And now (drumroll please) ... introducing the Postpartum Progress Beacon of Hope for February 2007:

Helena Bradford

Helena started the Ruth Rhoden Craven Foundation for Postpartum Depression Awareness in South Carolina after the needless death of her daughter Ruth on December 5, 1999, just two and a half months after the birth of Ruth's first child.  After learning about the illness that caused Ruth to end her life at age 33, and learning that it was totally treatable, Helena and two friends (Elaine Earl and Mary Anna Mullinax) created the foundation in March 2000 because they didn't want other families to suffer the same pain they have.  As a result of their work, there are now four PPD support groups in the state of South Carolina.  (There were none when Helena's daughter died.)  They also host an annual 5k walk/run every year in Charleston.  Among all of her accomplishments, Helena is most proud of the individual lives that have been saved and the families that have been given back their mom, wife, sister or aunt as a direct result of Ruth's death.  She says that helps take a little of the sting away from the intense pain of losing Ruth.  As for the future, Helena would like to see routine screening of all pregnant women for perinatal depression conducted once per trimester by ob/gyns, in addition to national screening of new moms for PPD soon after delivery.  She would also like to see birthing classes include more in-depth information about these illnesses -- symptoms, risk factors and where to find help should PPD surface.

Congratulations Helena, and thank you so much for shining a light on postpartum mood disorders!!!!!!

If you would like to nominate someone to be a Postpartum Progress Beacon of Hope, email me at stonecallis@msn.  Provide me with the person's name, contact information, and why you think they should be chosen as a Beacon of Hope.  Thanks.

One-Day PPMD Workshop in Seattle Coming in March

Heidi Koss-Nobel is offering a one-day PPMD workshop called "Diagnosis and Treatment of Postpartum Mood Disorders" through the Seattle Midwifery School on Monday, March 26th.  The target audience is healthcare providers.  Some CEUs will be available.  Tuition is $125 and space is limited.  To register, please contact the Seattle Midwifery School directly at 1-800-747-9433 or 206-322-8834 or info@seattlemidwifery.org.

Indiana Launches PPD Awareness Campaign

From the Ft. Wayne (IN) News-Sentinel:

“Something’s Not right” is ... the theme of a statewide postpartum depression awareness campaign that starts Thursday [in Indiana] ... The phrase “Something’s Not Right” will be seen in Fort Wayne bus huts, on signs inside city buses, and on billboards, public service announcements, posters and printed literature, in English and Spanish.

A local coalition that includes Neighborhood Health, St. Joe Behavioral Health, the Postpartum Depression Support Group of Lutheran Hospital and Healthier Moms & Babies received a $7,000 grant to develop an awareness and education campaign from the Indiana Perinatal Network, a consortium working to improve the health of pregnant women. A 24/7 hotline will be available for moms and mothers-to-be – and concerned fathers – who want more information on postpartum depression or who recognize help is needed (425-3113).

More Support Groups in AZ and IL

I've added 2 more PPD support groups in Illinois and one in Arizona to the list -- please check it out if you're looking for help in those areas.

Download ppd_support_groups_12507.doc

New PPD Site Full of Resources for Professionals

There is a cool new website that just came out (thank you Wendy Davis for sending me a heads up!). 

MedEdPPD.org was developed with the support of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to provide education about postpartum depression (PPD).  It has two sections.  The section for professionals has interactive presentations and case studies, expert panel discussions, diagnostic tools, research updates, a comprehensive slide library and more.  For those of you who've emailed me in the past looking for more info about introducing screening into your practices or where to get more training, this is a GREAT site for you.  The events section lists all kinds of conferences for people involved in this field. 

The section for "Mothers and Others" is similar to what you might find on other sites, like PSI, but is still helpful.  You never know what site people might land on, so the more that offer great information on perinatal mood disorders, the better!  Please be sure to check it out.

New GA & IN PPD Support Groups

More support groups ... hooray!  The more the better.  I've now added Athens, Ga and Hobart, IN groups to the list.  You can find them here:

Download ppd_support_groups_11807.doc

More Pics Posted to Surviving & Thriving Album

Thanks to Alena K. of NY and Nan P. of NC for sending me their family photos for the Surviving and Thriving Mothers Photo Album!  To see them, look for the album link on the right-hand side of your screen.

If you are a perinatal mood disorder survivor and want a picture of your now-happy self and family in the album so that others can see that we CAN survive, please email me your photo at stonecallis@msn.com. 

Postpartum Stress Center Holds Clinician Training

The Postpartum Stress Center in Rosemont, PA, is holding a quarterly training for clinicians in private practice who are interested in specializing in perinatal mood disorders.  The event is March 2-3.  For more information, click here:  http://postpartumstress.com/professional_training.html

Mom Shares Her Story

This is from a mom out there who shared her story with me, and I thought you'd want to read it.  I highlighted my favorite sentence, since it is so descriptive about how many of us feel while we're experiencing postpartum mood disorders.  Many of you will recognize yourselves in her:

I found this website the other day.  I too have had a hard time talking to anybody about this.  I have 3 very young childen (ages range from 3 months to 3.5 yrs).  I was diagnosed early thanks to the pediatrician who insisted I go see my dr for PPD. I reluctantly went and now am ever so grateful because while I am not 100% yet I feel soooo much better than I did 3 months ago today.  I was put on Paxil and at first I did not get any better.  It turns out that the dosage was too little for me so I had to double it.  I can tell you that getting help for this disease has been the hardest thing I have ever done.  I had to admit to myself and others that I no longer had control of my feelings and actions on a regular basis.  At first I was ashamed.  I did not want to admit that at any point I could sink to such lows that I did not feel I would ever get back up again.  I used to lay on the living room floor wishing that I would get sucked into it so I could disappear.  I wanted to climb into bed and lay there until I disappeared.  I would stay in bed for hours during the day.  It would take me 4-5 days to change my clothes and take a shower.  Sometimes when it was time to make dinner I would lay on the kitchen floor for over an hour until I would be able to stand up and cook.  I have had thoughts of suicide.  I have put a knife to my wrist with a full hand of pills.  My subconscious was reaching out to my husband but the right words for him to understand still have not come out of my mouth.  He still does not understand exactly what goes on inside of me.  He has tried many times but just can't.  I think that the only people who truly understand are the ones that visit this website to post their own experiences with this disease.  I used to get so tense that I would try to reach into my arms to pull the bones in my forearms out.  I would get in the car and drive to get away.  I could not focus.  When I went back to work I would lay my head down on my desk for sometimes an hour at a time.  I just could not get my act together.  I have been seeing a therapist who has helped me tremendously.  Since my kids are so young and so close to each other in age I have a tremendous fear of being alone with all 3 of them.  I can't face the responsibility for taking care of all 3 of them.  I am so afraid that I will be busy with the baby and something will happen to the other 2...they will fall and get hurt, they will do what kids their age do and just get into kid-type trouble.  I have been slowly getting better.  It helps tremendously that my baby is a very calm baby.  She does not easily cry.  She will cry and fuss with a dirty diaper and/or when she is extremely hungry.  In the beginning of my depression I felt so guilty...I thought that God had given me such a good baby because he knew I was going to have a hard time and that I would not be able to handle a generally fussy baby on top of my 2 and 3 year olds.  That guilt still stays with me.  I have been lucky that I have not had too many thoughts/feelings of hurting the kids.  When it comes to those feelings my mind focuses on myself.  I just want the depression to go away.  Last week I convinced myself that I wanted the feelings to go away so bad that I almost didn't care about whether my family missed me or not.  Today as I was getting my daughter ready for her first dance recital I looked around the house as I was trying to get all 3 kids dressed and thoguht out aloud..."this family could not survive without me".  My husband instantly agreed knowing that the responsibility of work and taking care of all 3 kids and their numerous trips to dr's for checkups and dance class and soon preschool would be too much for him to keep up with.  I admitted to him that I had put together a calendar loaded with all activities (regular and sporadic) as well as the birthdays of all our extended families' birthdays so that he would be able to carry on in case I did commit suicide.  He didn't say it in so many words but I could tell that he was shocked, confused, and touched all at the same time.  He doesn't understand me...my mother tells me to "hurry up and get over your baby blues"...and in the meantime I feel like a sinking ship.  I was quietly laying on the living room floor tonight...resting, not because I was having a meltdown moment.  My husband asked if everything was alright.  I responded with..."yeah, just tired".  He said he was asking because he did not think I was having a meltdown but wasn't sure if something was wrong.  For the first time in forever it felt like he might be slowly picking up on my feelings.  He went on to state..."usually if you are having a meltdown you have a blank stare..like you are an empty shell".  My response was..."that's funny...that is exactly how I feel when I have a meltdown".  Meltdown is what I call it when I am having a hard time dealing with my depression.  I feel like I am on the way up the ladder back to who I once was.  I think that I may even end up better for having this disease.  It has changed how I view things.  I think I manage the kids and their behavior better now.  I'm not sure if it is the antidepressants or if it is just me maturing as a woman.  My 10-11pm obsessive cleaning sure has left my house in the best shape it has ever been in.  I have started exercising.  I have lost all the baby fat but still would like to lose another 60 pounds. 

I know this was a long comment.  I know that every woman's experience is different.  I just hope that some of the words I have left tonight may help somebody else in the future.  Good luck to all of you who suffer from a form of PPD or whose partners suffer.  The best advice I was given during the past 3 months has been..."if everything else is too hard to face...focus on making it through the day.  Whatever it takes to physically get through the day.  Don't worry about anything else than ending the day with the same headcount you started it with". 

Upcoming Events & Conferences

There are some perinatal mood disorder trainings coming up that you may have not heard about yet, so here they are:

El Camino Hospital and PSI International will be hosting "Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders: Assessment and Treatment" in San Jose, California, February 2-3, 2007.  CME/CEUs are available for MDs, RNs, PhDs and CSW/MFTs.  For more info, click here.

Also, the Spectrum Health Perinatal Depression Conference and Certificate of Course Completion will be held February 8-9 in Grand Rapids, MI.  For additional information please contact Amber Kelly at 616-391 1422 or Nancy Roberts at 616-391-1771.

NIMH Looking for Women in Greater DC Area for Important PPD Research

The National Institute of Mental Health needs women living in the greater Washington DC area (including Maryland and Virginia) to consider participation in PPD research to help determine the cause of PPD.  I myself have participated in a research study with Emory University here in Atlanta, and I think it is so important to do it if you can in order to help all the women who come after us. 

NIMH is currently conducting several studies of PPD, including assessment of the role of genetic factors in the vulnerability to experience PPD, the role of hormone levels or changes in hormone levels as a trigger for PPD, and the antidepressant efficacy of estradiol in PPD.  Anyone interested in learning more about these studies should contact Linda Simpson St. Clair, M.S.N. at 301-496-9576.

I have attached a document below with specific info on each study.  Please check it out and help if you can.

Download currentstudiesofpostpartumdepression2.doc

NBC Comedy "Scrubs" Includes Storyline on PPD

Many thanks for the heads up from Genara about the PPD storyline on the NBC sitcom "Scrubs".

In the upcoming episode this Thursday, January 11 (9pm EST), Carla, one of the main characters (played by Judy Reyes), is struggling to admit that she may have postpartum depression and Turk (played by Donald Faison) encourages her to seek help.  Even though Scrubs is a hit comedy on NBC, I have been assured by NBC Entertainment Sr. Press Manager Tracy St. Pierre that the subject of postpartum depression is taken very seriously in the storyline.  Good for them for helping to provide more awareness on this issue!!!!  Be sure to tune in, Ladies!

Support Group in Maine

This is the first support group from Maine on my list.  I'm sure the women in Maine will be happy to see it.  Check out the list below.

Download ppd_support_groups_1607.doc

Contact Congress about Melanie Stokes Act

Postpartum Support International (PSI) is making a major push to get people to contact their congressmen regarding the Melanie Stokes Act.  If you're a regular reader of Postpartum Progress, you've heard this from me before and hopefully have already done it, but if not, NOW'S THE TIME.

This from Susan Dowd who heads up PSI:

Yesterday, January 4, 2007, Congressman Bobby Rush reintroduced the Melanie Stokes Act to the 110th Congress as H.R. 20.  It is crucial that we generate additional momentum for passage of this bill by placing calls to our local Congressmen encouraging their support of the legislation.

Please, without delay, determine your local Congressman by clicking on the link below and immediately placing a call to their office, strongly requesting their support for passage of H.R. 20. We have a window of opportunity to finally enact protections for all women which will include assessment, treatment and education about perinatal mood disorders. Your call could elicit the deciding vote.

Contact Congress

Heidi Koss-Nobel of PSI Washington makes an important point:

It only takes 10-20 messages from constituents for a legislator to consider a topic "significant" by their constituents.

So if you've been putting it off because you think your call really won't matter, you're wrong.  You and 10 or so of your closest friends and family could make an enormous difference. 

NM and NY PPD Support Groups

Again, an updated support group list, with new groups in Santa Fe, NM and Brooklyn, NY. 

Download ppd_support_groups_1507.doc

Updated Support Group List

Two PPD support groups have been added to the list: one in Joliet, IL, and one in Ft. Worth, TX

Download ppd_support_groups_1307.doc

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of you fabulous moms and PPD advocates out there!  I hope you had a good holiday.

This year it is my goal to widen my work as an advocate for postpartum depression.  I hope to generate even more readership for Postpartum Progress, the most widely read blog in the U.S. on postpartum mood disorders.  I hope you'll let other women know about it so they have access to all the information I've been compiling over the last 2+ years.  And I hope you find it helpful.  If not, or if you have suggestions, email me ASAP! at stonecallis@msn.com.

I also hope to start a support group for the Southside of Atlanta.  I wanted to start it in the fall, but I procrastinated.  Now that Madden is 10 months old, I think I can handle it.  I just need to get started and put the word out. 

I'd also like to ask that you be patient with me as I get quite a large number of emails from individuals.  It may take me a few days to get back to you but it is NOT because you are not important.  Each of you is VERY important and I love to hear from you and hear your stories and try to be supportive in whatever way I can.  Hearing from you is my favorite part of what I do.  It's just that, with the baby, I'm not able to check email every single day.  I try to do it two or three days a week and spend a couple of hours on it -- I've spent two hours this evening, for instance.  So please, please continue to email me.  Lay it on me!  Whatever you've thought or experienced, don't worry -- I've heard it all and I'm not shocked.  However bad you feel, it's okay with me.  Whatever help you need, I'll try and see if I can find someone somewhere who knows where you can get it. 

I feel like 2007 is going to be a great year for us.  Let's hear it for passage of the MOTHER'S ACT very soon, for more support groups to be started, and for an enormous reduction in the number of deaths from 2006.  Love you all!!

-- Katherine

PPD Sufferer Kidnaps Kids After Giving Them Up For Adoption

The Toronto Sun had a very interesting story on January 3rd about a woman who gave up her twin babies for adoption while suffering from postpartum depression, and has now attempted to kidnap them a year and a half later.

" ... [Allison] Quets was arrested Friday in Ottawa, accused of kidnapping 17-month-olds Tyler Lee and Holly Ann Needham. An FBI warrant had been issued after the children were not returned to their adoptive parents after a scheduled visit in Raleigh, N.C., Christmas Eve.

Quets gave them up for adoption in 2005 shortly after they were born. At the time, she was suffering from severe postpartum depression. She tried to reverse the adoption hours after signing the papers and has been fighting for custody since."

So she kidnaps them and takes them from North Carolina across the border to Canada.  I'm in a quandary about this one.  I hate that she was allowed by those around her to make such a grave decision as giving up her children for adoption when she wasn't in the right mind to make such decisions.  And I hate that the adoption wasn't reversed immediately before much harm could be done to anyone involved.  But now that they've been with their adoptive parents for so long it's hard for me to imagine them being given back, and she didn't help matters with the kidnapping although I can understand her desperation.  If I somehow didn't have my kids I would certainly go to great lengths to get them back.  This is such a sad story all the way around and another example of the havoc that PPD wreaks.

State Senator Pushing Screening Legislation for NY

From The Journal in the state of New York: 

"Legislating postpartum depression screening could help destigmatize a threat to many new mothers, and encourage treatment.

State Sen. Thomas Morahan, head of the Senate's Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, is pushing legislation that mandates postpartum screening for all new mothers and calls for educational/informational programs about PPD for new moms, dads and other family members as they leave the hospital.

We applaud his efforts to treat what is an illness, not a weakness ...

We are not talking about the common baby blues. These are illnesses that are as deserving of medical attention as gallbladder problems or a heart murmur."

Thank you, NY State Senator Morahan!!