Postpartum Progress

Postpartum OCD Story from Grace Unbound

This is a very moving post from the blog Grace Unbound by a mother who wasn't able to confront her experience with postpartum OCD until her child was 6 years old.  Wow.  I can completely connect with her story, although I was able to get help much sooner thankfully.  I'm so glad she knows she's not "evil" now.  A highlight:

I don’t know the answer to ‘why me?’ Why did I get this disorder that changed the course of my early parenting years? Maybe I’ll never know. I know that it has taught me that secrets held too long leave their mark. I know that in some ways it did make me a better mother because fear gave me the desire to seek out parenting solutions that were gentle. I know it reaffirms the depths of love that my husband has for me, that when I finally told him he didn’t turn away, he didn’t reject me. I don’t know all the answers, but I know the peace that comes from being finally set free.

"From The Hips" Pregnancy Guide Offers Deeper Look at PPD

There is a great new pregnancy guidebook out called "From the Hips: A Comprehensive, Open-Minded, Uncensored, Totally Honest Guide to Pregnancy, Birth & Becoming A Parent," written by Rebecca Odes and Ceridwen Morris.  I think this book rocks and will eventually outsell many of the other books that just cause fear and confusion and frustration for women who are about to become mothers.  (Was anybody else freaked out after reading "What to Expect When You're Expecting," or was it just me?)

My favorite feature? The chapter called "The Postbaby Brain" on pages 188-205.  The authors take an unvarnished look at the feelings moms have about parenthood, both good and bad.  And they actually talk about postpartum mood disorders for 5 pages (!), rather than the usual paragraph or two, even offering a list of symptoms for postpartum depression, postpartum OCD, postpartum panic disorder and postpartum psychosis.  It's nice to see a general interest pregnancy book go into more detail about the variety of symptoms one can experience and recognize that PPD is not a one-size-fits-all illness.  I would have liked them to offer a little more information on how to seek help, but they do provide a list of resources on page 194 that includes Postpartum Support International and Postpartum Progress (wahoo!), among other good sites and books.

Odes and Morris offer ten "anti-rules" for parents-in-progress, which you can learn more about by picking up their book:

1. Everyone's an expert, but you're the authority on yourself and your baby.
2. Confidence is more important than instinct.
3. Strive for imperfection.
4. Parenting is out of control.
5. There's no such thing as a "natural" mother.
6. Shift happens.
7. Babies are people, not problems.
8. Frustration, resentment, anger, exhaustion, exasperation, aggravation, jealousy, nostalgia, regret, etc., don't make you a bad parent.
9. Look forward, not backward. 
10. There is no right way.

AMA Newspaper Focuses on Barriers to Caring for PPD Moms

American Medical News, the newspaper of the American Medical Association has just published a great story on postpartum mood disorders called "Beyond the Baby Blues: A Spectrum of Postdelivery Conditions."  It features myself and a host of fabulous doctors, including Dr. Marlene Freeman, Dr. Shoshanna Bennett and Dr. Katherine Wisner among others.  It covers barriers to care by physicians, which is extremely important given that we're trying to get a bill passed in the Senate asking for more education and training of doctors, among other things.  Here is my favorite quote from the article:

"This is a disease that lives between specialties [obstetrics/gynecology, psychiatry, pediatrics]," Dr. Wisner added. "Patients are running around in circles."

Exactly.

PSI Annual Conference To Be Held in Houston June 4-7

Save the Date!  This year's Postpartum Support International conference will be held in Houston, June 4-7 at the Hilton Americas-Houston.  The event is co-sponsored by the Women's Mental Health Initiative of the Mental Health Association of Greater Houston.  Some of the main speakers include Dr. Margaret Spinelli, Dr. Lucy Puryear, Valerie Plame Wilson and George Parnham.  Registation will begin in March.  I'll be there, and I hope to see you there as well!  For more information, visit www.postpartum.net.

Postpartum Depression By The Numbers

Quick, guess which number is higher:  the number of people who sprain their ankle each year or the number of women who experience a postpartum mood disorder?  Actually, it's about equal.  Surprised?

In so many books, articles and news programs, you hear the statistic -- approximately 10 to 15% of women suffer from postpartum mood disorders (PPMDs), including postpartum depression (PPD), postpartum anxiety/OCD and postpartum psychosis.  What bothers me about that statistic is that it holds no meaning for most people, and because of that I think these illnesses get much less funding and attention than so many of the other prevalent illnesses that strike Americans.  As a result, I decided to do a bit of quick, non-scientific research to help people understand the real impact that postpartum depression is having on the women of our country.

According to the National Center of Health Statistics, there were approximately 4.1 million live births in the United States in 2004.  This statistic does not include fetal losses, including miscarriages and stillbirths.  The National Vital Statistics report indicates that the total number of clinically recognized pregnancies is around 6.4 million.  This is important to know, because all postpartum women are susceptible to PPMDs, regardless of the pregnancy's outcome.

So let's split the difference between the high and low estimates of PPMDs and say that 12.5% of all postpartum women in the US suffer.  This would mean that each year approximately 800,000 women are suffering a serious postpartum mood disorder.  How does that compare with the incidence among women of other major diseases in America?

• Each year approximately the same number of women -- 800,000 -- will get diabetes. (Nat'l Diabetes Information Clearinghouse)
• Each year about 300,000 women suffer a stroke.  (Centers for Disease Control)
• Each year approximately 205,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer.  (National Cancer Institute)

In fact, more women will suffer from postpartum depression and related illnesses this year than the combined number of new cases for men and women of tuberculosis, leukemia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy.  This is not to minimize these other terrible diseases, of course.  I simply want to illustrate just how prevalent postpartum mood disorders are.

Dr. Ruta Nonacs of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School adds, "Postpartum depression is far more common than gestational diabetes.  All women receiving prenatal care are screened for diabetes, but how many pregnant and postpartum women are screened for depression?  PPD is also more common than preterm labor, low birth weight, pre-eclampsia and high blood pressure; in other words, PPD is the most common complication associated with pregnancy and childbirth."

Let me leave you with one last thought:  More women will suffer from a postpartum mood disorder than men will be diagnosed with new cases of impotence (617,715) this year.  Yet you wouldn't know it, considering the overabundance of erectile dysfunction (ED) ads and people falling all over themselves to discuss ED openly.  Why don't PPMDs get the same attention from pharmaceutical companies?  Why doesn't society work as hard to eliminate the stigma of postpartum mental illness?

This really is a big problem, and deserves much more attention that it's getting.

Note:  This article has been revised and updated from a piece I wrote for Postpartum Progress in 2004.  It is crossposted today on BlogHer.

 

Postpartum Progress Opens Up To Guest Authors

Would you like to be a guest author on Postpartum Progress in 2008?  I have decided to open the blog up to some additional voices this year, as Postpartum Progress continues to grow. 

I've thought about doing this in the past, but haven't done it because I've been nervous about offending people if I edit them or choose not to use their articles.  But I've decided to ty and get over that for the sake of diversity.

You can submit your stories/articles to me at stonecallis@msn.com anytime throughout the year.  Here is how I will make choices about what will and won't appear on the blog:

1) Stories should run no more than 700 words.  I try to keep all my blog posts fairly short and easy to digest.

2) The article must be 100% relevant to Postpartum Progress and its readers, meaning it should be focused on postpartum mood disorders (postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis, postpartum OCD/anxiety, postpartum PTSD) or antepartum mood disorders.  As a reminder, Postpartum Progress is written to SUPPORT the women who have suffered or will suffer, and for their families and friends and those who treat them.

3) I will not run any article in which the writer is attempting to sell their product or service.  No shilling.  I will make an exception, however, for published authors of books focused on PPD and related-disorders if they would like to share an excerpt of their book of which they are particularly proud.

4) I will not run any article where I feel the story has already been done many times on Postpartum Progress, so it would help you to be very familiar with the site.  The subject should be a new and fresh take on the issues surrounding PPD and related disorders.

5) I welcome personal stories of people's experiences with PPD as long as they are fairly concise and well-written.  I also welcome brief summations from people who have been able to attend conferences or roundtables or other events that I have not been able to attend, as long as there is some interesting, newsy nugget of info that came out of the event.  And I welcome stories about newly published research as long as it comes from a highly-regarded source.

I hope this makes sense to everyone.  You will, of course, be credited as a guest author for your story, and should you have a blog or website I will be happy to link to it in your article.  I will try and respond back to each person who submits an article to either let you know that it will appear and when, or to let you know why I don't plan to use it.  If I don't reply back it may be because I get too overwhelmed.

Informative First Thursday Teleconferences Offered By MedEdPPD

I think I've written about this before -- at least I hope I have -- but Dr. Ruta Nonacs was kind enough to remind me of the First Thursday teleconferences held by MedEdPPD.  Here's a link to her post on A Deeper Shade of Blue about these informative sessions.  The next one is Thursday, February 7, and will feature Dr. Margaret Spinelli of Columbia University discussing postpartum psychosis and infanticide.

The Future Is Bright

I had the opportunity this weekend to retell the story of my experience with postpartum depression/OCD.  Even though it has been six years, it astounded me how the feelings rise up and bubble over -- it surprised me that I cried.  I guess it just goes to show what an intense and indelible experience PPD is for everyone who goes through it.  It also served to remind me how different I am today than I was during those dark hours. 

I am so unbelievably happy to be a mom.  It is truly the best job I've ever had or will have.  My children are my oxygen.  Is it easy every day?  Of course not.  When my 20-month old decides to remove her diaper and spread its contents around her crib, I pray for mercy.  When they throw tantrums in public, I want to tell onlookers that they don't belong to me.  But then my funny little six-year-old tells me "Mom, just five more gallons and I'll be as tall as you", and I feel like the luckiest, happiest person in the world.

For those of you reading this who are going through postpartum depression right now I hope you can find some hope in that.  I went from being someone who thought I never should have been a mother, to being someone who delights in motherhood.  You will too. 

5 Things Every New Mother Should Know About PPD

I was recently asked to put together a list of things women should know about postpartum depression.  I thought a lot about what I went through in 2001 with postpartum OCD, and the things I wish I had known that I believe would have lessened the severity of my experience.  While the list below certainly doesn't cover everything, I think it's a good start and I hope it will help many women in their journey as new mothers.

PPD can and often does happen.

Many pregnancy books and childbirth educators gloss over postpartum mood disorders.  They minimally describe the symptoms and emphasize how rare it is.  Actually, 10-15% of new moms experience these illnesses, and some studies report it may be as high as 25%.  My childbirth educator told our class that we really needn't spend too much time worrying about it, so I didn't, and thus I was completely unprepared for what hit me.

Postpartum depression is only one in a spectrum of postpartum illnesses.

Postpartum mood disorders include postpartum depression (PPD), postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder (PPOCD), postpartum psychosis (PPP) and postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder.  PPOCD is often characterized by intrusive thoughts, which are disturbing unwanted thoughts.  When I experienced my first intrusive thoughts -- about smothering my infant son with the burpcloth -- I had never heard of such things.  No one ever told me they were possible.  I was convinced I had just gone permanently crazy, and it never occurred to me that I had PPOCD.  If I had been better informed, I would have felt comfort in knowing what was wrong and that immediate treatment was available.  Instead I kept quiet for weeks because I was afraid I'd be locked up forever and lose my family.  (For more information on each illness and its symptoms, visit the Postpartum Support International website at http://www.postpartum.net/brief.html )

Symptoms can appear anytime during the first year after birth.

Many women think that if they start feeling bad when their child is 3 or 4 months old, or even older, that it can't be related to postpartum depression.  Apparently, even the DSM-IV, the manual that psychiatric professionals use to diagnose psychiatric illnesses, states that your illness can only be diagnosed as postpartum if the symptoms show up within the first four weeks after birth.  This isn't necessarily true.  Postpartum mood disorders can occur any time within the first year after the birth of your baby, though it is true that most are diagnosed within 2 to 4 months postpartum.

Ask your friends and family to be prepared.

It's important to talk about the possibility that you might experience some form of postpartum mood disorder with the people closest to you.  Ask them to educate themselves.  Sometimes we can't see that we're acting differently, or we try to convince ourselves we're fine and purposefully ignore our symptoms.  In that case, it often takes someone close to us to point out that we might need help.  Neither my husband nor my mother knew about what to look for or what to do about it, which made it harder on all of us.

The sooner you get treatment the better.

Many recent studies show that children of mothers with postpartum mood disorders who go untreated for long periods can be negatively impacted over the long term with behavioral problems.  A study published in 2006 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/295/12/1389), for instance, found that children of mothers who have received 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.  You MUST push past the fear and speak up to lessen the impact of these illnesses on yourself and your children.  You must be willing to say how you are feeling and seek treatment so that not only you, but your whole family can heal.

National Depression Screening Day To Be Held October 11

National Depression Screening Day is Thursday, October 11, 2007.  For more information on where screenings will be held, or on how to host a screening yourself if you are a qualified professional, click this link.

Postpartum Progress on Yahoo! Wahoo!

I'm very excited to share with you a post that appeared on Yahoo! last week, written by Dory Devlin, about Postpartum Progress.  Each one of you really makes this blog what it is and I thank you for your presence and your readership!!  Check out the link here ...

P.S.  The story links to the Postpartum Support International website as well!

New Home for the Completely Updated Nationwide Support Group List

I have moved the U.S. PPD Support Group Listing to the Pages Section of this site, which you'll find to the left of your screen.  From now on, this is where this listing will be housed at Postpartum Progress.  It is completly updated and has many more listings now.  I encourage you to click here if you're looking for a group in your area that will offer you moral support as you go through this illness!

Also, please take an active part in this site by letting me know if any of the information on these lists changes.  If a group stops meeting, tell me.  If you call a phone number or send an email and it doesn't work, tell me.  If you start a new group, tell me.  It is CRUCIAL that the information be correct so that suffering women can get the help they need as quickly as possible without having to make a lot of phone calls.  Thanks everybody!!

Guest Author: MommaSteph of MomSquawk

Following is a very honest piece about intrusive thoughts and postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder, written by MommaSteph, a blogger at Mom Squawk.

I would never put my baby in the dishwasher.

But I've thought about it.

I've thought about putting the baby in all sorts of major household appliances: the washer, dryer, fridge, microwave, oven. I don't have a trash compacter, but if I did, well, that probably would have occurred to me, too.

And I'm not particularly unusual in this regard.

I remember the first time I had a violent intrusive thought about my first baby. It happened shortly after I had brought him home. My brother and his children were just leaving from a visit. I stood at the window holding Henry up and waving goodbye. My brother turned to wave and smile back. And suddenly I thought, "What if I dashed Henry's head against the radiator? How quickly would what happened register on David's face? How quickly could he get in here to get the baby away from me? When would his kids realize what had happened?"

It all occurred to me in a flash. I started to sweat, my heart started to beat quickly, and I moved away from the radiator. I was horrified, ashamed, disgusted, and scared. Was I one of those crazy women? How could I have such an awful thought? And how could I protect my baby?

From there, it just got worse. And I told no one -- how could I? What if they took my baby away?

For the rest of this EXCELLENT article, click here to go to Momsquawk!

FSU Conducting Study on PPOCD

Here is a link to a story from the Tallahassee Democrat on a study being conducted by Florida State University on the occurrence of obsessive compulsive symptoms after women give birth.

Searching for Inspirational Items For Suffering Moms

Aside from the Postpartum Depression Links page I've newly started, which you can find on the left of your screen under "Pages", I'm also creating an Inspiration for Moms page that will feature quotes, songs, poems and anything else that might give moms comfort during their suffering.  LADIES, f you have a song, quote, poem, bible passage or any other little item that helped you get through this terrible experience, and would like to share it with other moms across the country and the world, let me know and I'll add it to the page.  Email me at stonecallis@msn.com.  Thanks!

New Atlanta Area Support Group

I'm very excited to say that I'm starting a PPD support group for women in Atlanta.  (We need one around here!!)  It will serve mainly moms on the South side of the city, but women from all over are welcome to attend.  It will be held on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of every month at the Starbucks in Peachtree City located at Rt. 54 and Broken Bow Ct from 10am-11am.  This Starbucks has conference rooms, and we will be in a conference room and not out in the retail space. (Note:  You are not required to buy coffee.)  The first meeting will be held on Monday, August 27th.  The meetings are free and open to women who are up to one and a half years postpartum and are suffering or think they may be suffering from a postpartum mood disorder.  I also welcome survivors who'd like to be part of helping the group.  Babies are welcome for those who don't have childcare.  Call 404-538-4649 if you need more info or plan to attend.

Top Hospitals in U.S. for Psychiatry

U.S. News & World Report has its Best Hospitals feature in this week's issue.  They also rank hospitals based on specialties, including Psychiatry.  I think it is important for women to know which hospitals in the U.S. excel in Psychiatry, given that we need to know where we can go for the best treatment.  I know some of them excel in the treatment of postpartum mood disorders, like Massachusetts General Hospital, New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, Emory University Hospital, NYU and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.  I'm going to look into the others to find out what reproductive psychiatry programs they may have and report back to you.  In the meantime, here is the list of the top 22 hospitals in the United States in the area of psychiatry, as reported in U.S. News & World Report.  Rankings were determined solely by reputation.

1.  Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

2.  Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD

3.  McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA

4.  New York-Presbyterian Univ. Hosp. of Columbia and Cornell, New York, NY

5.  UCLA's Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Los Angeles, CA

6.  Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital, Baltimore, MD

7.  Menninger Clinic, Houston, TX

8.  Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

9.  Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT

10.  Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Stanford, CA

11.  University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA

12.  Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, GA

13.  Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC

14.  Austen Riggs Center, Stockbridge, MA

15.  Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis, MO

16.  NYU Medical Center, NY

17.  University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, San Francisco, CA

18.  Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

19.  Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH

20.  Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX

21.  Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT

22.  Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, NY

Need Help? PSI Offers Free and Anonymous PPD Info Sessions Via Phone

If you have questions about PPD, either because you are concerned about yourself or a loved one, or want to know more as a provider, there is a wonderful free service offered by Postpartum Support International.  You can talk with a PPD expert about resources, symptoms, options and general information about perinatal mood disorders from the privacy of your own home, thanks to toll-free informational sessions.   You won't need to pre-register or even give your name, if it's important to you to remain anonymous. 

These sessions are held on Wednesdays at either 3pm or 9pm EST.  They are limited to the first 15 callers.  For the call schedule and access codes you'll need to participate, visit www.postpartum.net or call 1-800-944-4773.  And if you do call, let them know you heard about it on Postpartum Progress!!

Surviving Moms, Send Me Your Pics!

The Surviving & Thriving Mothers Photo Album is an online photo album of strong, competent, fabulous mothers who have recovered from postpartum mood disorders.  The women pictured in this album show countless others that you can recover and live a vibrant and happy life.  I am so indebted to all of the moms who have added their pictures, including the most recent mom, Samantha G.  Ladies, if you want to add yourself, please email me a jpeg of you and your child or children to stonecallis@msn.com!!

Ladies, Send Me Your Blog & Website Addresses So I Can Link To You

I am going to create a new page in Postpartum Progress that links to women who have blogs or websites that are either specifically about postpartum depression, or have included stories about experiencing postpartum depression.  If you have one of those blogs or sites, please email me at stonecallis@msn.com.  Tell me about your blog or website, and give me your URL web address.  Thanks!  I look forward to linking with you!

Back From BlogHer '07 With Great News

I just got back from BlogHer, the largest blogging conference in the world, attended by approximately 800 women bloggers (and a few men).  Anyway, it was FANTASTIC and it gave me so many ideas about how to improve Postpartum Progress and make it even easier to use and more helpful.  I also hope to work with some of the people I met to help get more information out to women around the world on postpartum mood disorders.  Just a few of the many interesting people I got to talk with about PPMDs include the manager of online strategy and programs for Planned Parenthood, the women who are launching themotherhood.com, the depression writer for Beliefnet.com, the people at Revolution Health, a blogger for Yahoo!, the editor for Urban Baby, and the president of the National Organization for Women.  There is so much great work to be done, so keep tuning in so that I can let you know what progress is made.

Registration Opens for NYU Reproductive Psychiatry Conference

The 6th annual NYU Reproductive Psychiatry Conference will be held on Saturday, October 6th, from 8am to 4pm in the Farkas Auditorium of Alumni Hall at the NYU School of Medicine.  The conference will provide information on the latest in research, premenstrual mood disorders, perimenopausal mood disorders, perinatal depression and bipolar disorder and the latest in prenatal diagnostic testing.  It is being sponsored jointly by NYU and the North American Society of Psychosocial Obstetrics & Gynecology, and in cooperation with Postpartum Support International. The target audience is psychiatrists, ob/gyns, pediatricians and other health professionals who care for women.  CMEs are available.  For more information, and to register, go to www.med.nyu.edu/cme.

P.S.  This just in!  Dr. Shari Lusskin tells me that Dr. Manny Alvarez of FOX News will be the keynote speaker. 

New Support Group in Memphis

Download ppd_support_groups_71307.doc I've added a new support group in Memphis, TN to the support group list.   

University of Michigan Needs Qualified Participants for Two Perinatal Mood Disorder Studies

For those of you living in Michigan, the University of Michigan is conducting two studies related to perinatal depression.  This would be a great opportunity to participate in important research and also to benefit from the care offered by a wonderful medical school.  If you know anyone who might be appropriate, please let them know.

The first is a study looking at the affect of interpersonal therapy on depression and/or anxiety in pregnant women.  It is open to women who are currently pregnant, and have a history of depression or anxiety disorders or are currently experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety.  You will receive up to 16 sessions of interpersonal therapy free of charge as part of this study.  The locations for the study are Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.  Click here for detailed info.

The second study is designed to learn more about communication between moms and babies and children's social development during early childhood. They are studying mother’s health issues during pregnancy, baby’s development, and how mother and baby interact with one another during baby’s first year. They will also be looking at hormones in blood and saliva to see how stress impacts mothers and babies both positively and negatively...and how healthy moms cope with stress.  This study is open to women who are less than 26 weeks pregnant and live within 60 miles of the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor.  Click here for detailed info.

To Georgia PPMD Survivors & Practitioners

Calling ALL women in Georgia who have survived a postpartum mood disorder, including postpartum psychosis, postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, postpartum OCD!!!!  (Or if you're a Georgia practitioner who treats a lot of these women.)  Please email me at stonecallis@msn.com.  It's very important.  Will explain later!  Thanks.

-- Katherine

Postpartum OCD & Anxiety Get The Focus

Here's a link to a good story from the Ann Arbor News about postpartum OCD and postpartum anxiety.  Following are highlights from the article by Jo Mathis:

"Postpartum depression has gotten all the press, grant money, and research, and relatively little is known about other mental health conditions in the perinatal period (the weeks before and after pregnancy), according to Michelle Van Etten Lee, training director for cognitive behavioral therapy at the University of Michigan's Psychological Clinic.

Onset of conditions such as OCD is most common during stressful times, said Van Etten Lee. About 30 percent to 40 percent of treatment-seeking women with OCD in their childbearing years date the onset of their disorders to pregnancy or the postpartum, she said.

There is also evidence that hormones play a role in anxiety conditions showing up during pregnancy or postpartum, Van Etten Lee said ...

Van Etten Lee said that just as there's not a lot of research on perinatal disorders, there's not much that looks specifically at treatments for anxiety disorders in perinatal women. ...

Women whose symptoms are significantly distressing or impairing to them, or for whom anxiety is taking significant amounts of time in their lives, should seek treatment, Van Etten Lee said."

More Moms Join The Surviving & Thriving Photo Album

I am completely gleeful to let you know that I've posted two more photos in the Surviving & Thriving Mothers Photo Album -- Melissa N. and Kristin G.  The album is getting bigger, which is fabulous because it means there are more and more happy faces to show those who are suffering that you CAN get through this and become a fullfilled, happy and healthy mom.  I know you don't believe it's possible, but just look at all these beautiful, shining faces who are living proof!!!!!!!  If you want to be part of the album, email me at stonecallis@msn.com.

Upcoming Event in Asheville Features My Psychiatrist!

The Mountain Area Health Education Center in Asheville, NC is hosting an evening for prescribing clinicians called "Postpartum Mood Disorders: A Systemic Approach to Biopsychosocial Treatment" on Thursday, August 16, from 5:30 to 8pm and an all-day conference on Friday, August 17, from 8:30am to 4:45pm..  The key speaker will be Dr. Jeffrey Newport, associate director of the Emory Women's Mental Health Program here in Atlanta and also my psychiatrist!!!!  I have firsthand knowledge that Dr. Newport rocks.  Dr. Judy McKay, a psychiatrist specializing in perinatal mood disorders from Columbia, SC, will also present.  Continuting education credits will be available, and the program is aimed at physicians, nurse practitioners, psychiatrists and physicians' assistants.  The fee to attend on the 16th is $65.00 and includes dinner, and the fee for the 17th is $99.  To register, go to www.mahec.net.