“These are small snapshots of what postpartum anxiety, and postpartum OCD can look like. What things look like from the outside can be deceiving. This is for all the other moms who have struggled, and continue to struggle, on top of the daily challenges of caring for an infant. I am with you. What it […]
by Ashley
“Nobody would believe what an effort it is to do what little I am able.” -Charlotte Perkins Gilman 1892 NOBODY WOULD BELIEVE… Maybe it’s because nobody’s listening Or maybe it’s because women are not telling us how bad they feel Or maybe it’s because nobody’s asking the right questions Or maybe it’s because women […]
“I know what I’m ‘supposed to do’ to feel better. Everyone keeps telling me the same thing. I should exercise. I should sleep more. I should eat well. I should take the medicine. I know, I know, I KNOW. But something inside my head keeps telling me to push through this. I can get better. I […]
It has been reported that maternal suicide is the leading cause of death during pregnancy and the first year after birth. This is why the current shift in attention toward greater awareness to maternal mental health is urgently necessary and long overdue. We are just scratching the surface, and have far to go, but this momentum toward improved […]
1. Book for new mothers and their treating healthcare providers Dropping the Baby and Other Scary Thoughts: Breaking the Cycle of Unwanted Thoughts in Motherhood 2. Information on scary thoughts and our #speakthesecret campaign What if I’m having scary thoughts? 3. Article by Jon Abramowitz, MD, expert on perinatal OCD Beyond the Blues: Postpartum […]
In light of the recent focus on the inexcusable ways some healthcare providers respond to acute distress in postpartum mothers, let us do some teaching here. Please share and inform your local resources. **NOTE TO ALL HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS** Some postpartum women are afraid to tell you how they really feel. They are worried that you […]
This post was written anonymously by a mom in response to our #speakthesecret campaign. We thought her words would resonate with many of you: “I want to share my personal story of dealing with postpartum depression. The reason I’m doing this now is because in the last 3 months, 2 mothers from my home town […]
Pic credit: The PPSC magic bracelet. You know who you are. Wear it. Believe in it. The Holiday crunch is here. Shopping. Eating. Rushing. Spending. Talking. Family. Friends. Gathering. Too much? Not enough? Too crowded? Too lonely? Excited about it? Anxious about it? Dreading it? Overwhelmed by it? Ambivalent about it? If you have a […]
I wonder, now, why I have such conflicting thoughts about this place. A place I knew as my own sacred space before I was ready for the world or before the world was ready for me. Warm, radiant, transparent plastic encloses the precious gap between me and life outside the box. It is, by design, […]
Experts and postpartum women themselves have long been aware of the interrelationship between postpartum distress and some individual predispositions. We cannot make any claims of direct causality, nor do we have research to back it up. What we have is tons of anecdotal evidence that postpartum women are doing too much. Women who describe themselves […]
When you are in an anxiety-producing moment, it can be tempting to continue to focus on scary thoughts and exaggerated worries. Accepting that anxiety is a part of your life right now and that there are things you can do to help yourself through the challenges will help you gain a sense of mastery over […]
I swear I was possessed. It was like one part of my brain was off on its own with stabbing thoughts that didn’t make sense to the other side of my brain. I felt like a stranger in my own body, almost like I was there and not there at the same time. It was […]
A CAUTIONARY NOTE TO THERAPISTS WHO THINK THEY CAN/SHOULD TREAT PREGNANT AND POSTPARTUM WOMEN IN DISTRESS WITHOUT SPECIALIZED TRAINING This past weekend, I was fortunate to speak at Postpartum Support International’s (PSI) annual conference, whose clear and inspirational mission is posted on their website: “The mission of Postpartum Support International is to promote awareness, prevention and treatment of […]
While sitting with palpable pain in therapy, I am often moved to find some tool, some intervention, some words of comfort, to ease the suffering. When I’m lucky, I find a way to express hope, in some form or another. But today, I could not find the hope. So I sat with the pain. I […]
