Postpartum Progress

Mom Shares Her Methods For Surviving Postpartum PTSD

"Imagine the terror of it - all of a sudden realizing that you’re a shattered mirror. I couldn’t watch television. Every pregnant woman screaming for an epidural on a sitcom made me want to smash the TV. A commercial for the local hospital’s “birth center” made me want to chew my own limb off to escape. I couldn’t stay in the same room with women who began discussing their births ..."

From the website Heal My PTSD comes the story of a mom who experienced postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder and her description of how she got through it.

Where Are All the Women with PPD? Right Here.

The next time one of you tells me you feel like no one else has PPD but you, I'm going to point you toward this posting and remind you that women with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders are EVERYWHERE.  They're just not wearing a big sign around their necks to make it obvious.  But trust me, they're all around you.  You are definitely NOT alone.  Just look at all the Warrior Moms writing about their experiences with postpartum depression and related illnesses in the last few days ...

The mom at Rosy Colored Glasses has a beautifully written 2-part piece on her experience with PPD.  Here's part 1 and here's part 2.  If you've had a baby with food allergies, or been frustrated with breastfeeding, or moved houses, or been surprised at the irritability and anger that can come with PPD, or spent 12 hours a day with a belt sander (ok, maybe not that), then you may see yourself in her story ...

Najma at A Bug's Life writes about her experience with PPD, including being away from her family in Pakistan, infertility, an emergency C-section, a baby with sleep problems, and negative body image ...

Melanie at Soggy Granola Mom talks about Jenny's Light

Hattie at Mommy Musings is reminded of her PPD experience through conversations with others

The Trial of Labor blog has a post about PPD and PTSD after pregnancy loss

The mom at C Shell begins to write her PPD story, including a 16-day hospital stay

Impact of Birth Trauma on Breastfeeding

Here's an article about a study conducted by Cheryl Beck on the impact of birth trauma and postpartum PTSD on breastfeeding ...

New Public Radio Piece "BORN" Looks at the Postpartum Experience in America

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to sit down with one of the award-winning producers of the public radio documentary "BIRTH" to discuss the postpartum period and motherhood in America for their new radio production called "BORN".  The piece has now been completed, and I'm really excited about it.  I was able to listen to it last week, and I think it is just fabulous.  They have done a beautiful job of helping to normalize the difficult experiences all new mothers have. 

"BORN" is an hour-long public radio journey created by Thin Air Media about the postpartum experience in contemporary American life, looking at how our society supports new mothers and families after a child is born.  It is nationally distributed by Public Radio International (PRI) and available to public radio stations from September 2008 to September 2009 at Content Depot. 

Even though they aren't identified on the program, some of the voices you'll hear, in addition to mine, are Dr. Louanne Brizendine, author of "The Female Brain", Dr. James Leckman, director of Research at Yale University's Child Study Center, Joan Blades, founder of MomsRising.org, psychotherapist Carol-Merle Fishman and Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, author of "Mother Nature: A History of Mothers, Infants and Natural Selection". 

If you would like to purchase a copy of the program for $20, click here. 

Solace for Mothers Offers Two Online Communities for Birth Trauma

Jodi from PTSD After Childbirth has informed me that a new online community group has been started for the people around women who have experienced birth trauma.  It is offered by Solace for Mothers and can be found at http://www.solaceformothers.org/advocates-forum.html.  They describe it as a safe landing space for family, friends and professionals to discuss their own experiences following unexpected birth outcomes.  This is a public forum.  Solace for Mothers also offers a private forum for mothers who have had challenging childbirths.