Tagged With "Pregnant women"
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Comics Shed Light On The 'Scary Thoughts' That Can Come With Motherhood [HuffPost]
Maternal mental health expert Karen Kleiman is tackling the stigma of postpartum depression and anxiety, one comic at a time. Kleiman has a background in psychology and social work and is the founder of The Postpartum Stress Center, an institution based in Rosemont, Pennsylvania, that’s provided support to pregnant and postpartum women for 30 years. Collaborating with illustrator Molly McIntyre , Kleiman has released comics inspired by submissions to the center’s #speakthesecret campaign ,...
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Confronting depression, anxiety, Navy moms with new babies get help in Norfolk [Navy Times]
Kimberly Barnard-Bracey turned to a small group of women inside a room at Portsmouth Naval Medical Center on a recent weekday afternoon. "So what's the topic this week?" said Barnard-Bracey, a licensed clinical social worker. "What've you guys got going on?" Ashley Beer, holding her 7-month-old son, Travis, launched into a story of how she snapped at her husband recently — she was feeling overwhelmed as tasks like cleaning started to add up. "When my kid was that age, I couldn't even get out...
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Congress Passes Groundbreaking Postpartum Depression Legislation [HuffingtonPost.com]
Over 400,000 women in the U.S. suffer from postpartum depression each year. Yet only an estimated 15 percent of those mothers receive treatment, and countless women who have suffered from PPD report feeling deeply alone in their struggles. But the federal government is offering families a glimmer of hope for the future of maternal mental health in the U.S. On Nov. 30, Rep. Katherine M. Clark (D-Mass.) announced that her maternal mental health legislation, the Bringing Postpartum Depression...
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Consequences of Military Sexual Trauma for Perinatal Mental Health: How Do We Improve Care for Pregnant Veterans with a History of Sexual Trauma?
Sharing our recent editorial which includes a call for TIC in maternity care: "Nevertheless, there are ways in which VA may be able to augment the maternity care pregnant veterans receive to empower and facilitate more trauma-informed approaches to obstetric care. These include investing in programs to ensure peer support, possibly through use of mobile health technology; facilitating collaboration with maternity care providers through provision of handheld/electronic maternity records...
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Depression in pregnancy increases risk of mental health problems in children [ScienceDaily.com]
Depression in pregnancy increases the risk of behavioural and emotional problems in children, says a new review published in The Lancet Psychiatry. The authors of the review, which focused mainly on low and middle income countries, call for urgent interventions for mothers and children. Depression in pregnancy is thought to affect up to one in five women globally in the late stages of pregnancy and shortly after birth. It is characterised by low mood and feelings of hopelessness, and is...
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Disparities In Access To Health Care For Women
Disparities in access to health care and outcomes are strikingly different between Blacks and white women, and policy changes being made in Washington will have enormous impacts on women's health . Black women have a much higher risk of pregnancy related complications and deaths a 12 fold higher than white women in New York City, for example. Some is due to poverty and lack knowledge about and access to healthy diets and good care. Read the full article written by Judy Stone: ...
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Effects of Massage on Mental Health [The Psych Talk]
Massage therapy has been praised in recent years due to its effect on both physical and mental health. Massage is the manipulation of soft tissues in the body. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet, or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pain however it can also alleviate some of the symptoms of mental illness and neurological disorders. Depression & Anxiety: In an immune study on breast...
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F.D.A. Approves First Drug for Postpartum Depression [nytimes.com]
The first drug for women suffering postpartum depression received federal approval on Tuesday , a move likely to pave the way for a wave of treatments to address a debilitating condition that is the most common complication of pregnancy. The drug works very quickly, within 48 hours — a significant improvement over currently available antidepressants, which can take two to four weeks to have an effect, if they work at all. Experts say the new treatment will provide immediate relief for...
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Facing Postpartum Depression: The Honesty, Courage and Support It Takes to Seek Help for PPD
“Nobody would believe what an effort it is to do what little I am able” – Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the Yellow Wallpaper, 1892 It is wonderful to see the birth of a child greeted with warm enthusiasm and support. We celebrate the joy of a growing family, and the excitement of a new life. Relatives and friends often provide gifts and extra help. But for some new moms, motherhood brings on many complex emotions besides the happy ones. While we may greet a new baby with happiness and delight –...
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For Addicted Women, the Year After Childbirth Is the Deadliest [pewtrusts.org]
Katie Raftery was in a Massachusetts prison for drug-related crimes when she found out she was pregnant with her second child. A longtime heroin user, she was released to a residential drug treatment program where she stayed for seven months, until her baby was born. She got through pregnancy and drug treatment without a hitch and delivered a healthy baby boy with no complications. But at exactly six weeks after childbirth, Raftery said she started feeling lonely, empty and disengaged. The...
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For Community Health Centers, a Hands-On Guide to Building Partnerships [chcf.org]
By Carlina Hansen, California Health Care Foundation, October 15, 2019 Before joining CHCF, I spent almost 20 years as executive director of the Women’s Community Clinic in San Francisco. In my time there, we forged some valuable partnerships to serve our clients and community, including our merger with another community health center, HealthRIGHT 360. It was during the merger process that I learned first-hand one of the biggest challenges to forging such partnerships — and it wasn’t what I...
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From the CDC: National Black Maternal Health Week
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the maternal mortality rate has more than doubled in the United States since 1987 , and approximately 700 women in the U.S. die each year of complications related to pregnancy. In addition, data shows that considerable racial and ethnic disparities in pregnancy-related mortality exist in the U.S. which disproportionately impact black women . We know that about 60% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable , and...
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From the moms, partners and kids of all ages - Happy Father's Day!
While it should not just be today that we take time to honor, respect, remember and thank the Fathers of all generations (greats, grands, immediate, adopted, foster, neighbors and all), it is a day to say thank you to all the dads, uncles, foster dads, adopted dads, grand dads, favorite neighbors, and just cool and awesome men in our lives who support the mothers and women in their challenging transitions into and throughout motherhood. We salute all the dads in all generations! And we love...
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From Treatment to Healing: Inquiry and Response to Recent and Past Trauma in Adult Health Care [Institute of Women's Health]
Abstract: In 2015, a national working group developed and published a conceptual framework for trauma-informed primary care (Machtinger, Cuca, Khanna, Dawson-Rose, & Kimberg, 2015). Since that publication, there has been increasing recognition that childhood and adult trauma underlie and perpetuate many physical and behavioral health conditions seen in health care settings and that addressing trauma could fundamentally improve the experience and efficacy of care for both patients and...
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Grant goes toward improving maternal mental health in Florida [Tallahassee Democrat]
About 15 percent of all mothers in Florida report experiencing depression during pregnancy or after childbirth, but fewer than 20 percent of mothers seek or have access to professional help. Much of the problem lies in the lack of routine screening by prenatal care providers. A new grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration aims to improve maternal mental health outcomes by increasing screening rates and patient access to treatment and resources. Florida is one of seven...
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H.R. 4215 Excellence in Maternal 5 Health Act of 2019
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Introduced in House (08/30/2019) Mr. Bucshon (for himself, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Mr. Burgess , Mr. Bilirakis , Mrs. Brooks of Indiana, Ms. Herrera Beutler , Mr. Long , Mrs. McBath , and Mr. Walden ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To improve maternal health care quality, to improve the training of health care professionals to reduce or prevent discrimination in certain health care services, to...
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Health Benefits of California’s Paid Leave Policy Out of Reach for Black Women [LA Sentinel]
By Tina McKinnor and Ashely Smith, June 13, 2019, LA Sentinel When you type “maternity leave” into Google images, White women dominate the search results. That is not a mistake. The algorithm is a reflection of who has been centered in policy conversations and benefited from paid family leave policies. We know personally: Black women in California are most in need of an inclusive paid family leave program, but least likely to have it. We come from different backgrounds. Tina worked for...
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Helping New Parents Make Room for Uncertainty
A new program for parents and infants, thanks to generous support from Mill Town Capital , is coming to Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The Hello It’s Me Project shines a spotlight on these tender new relationships, investing resources around the birth of a baby with the long-term goal of building a healthy community from the bottom up. When world-renowned child development researcher Dr. Ed Tronick spoke in the spring of 2018 for an audience of a wide variety of practitioners in Berkshire County...
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Helping Women, Babies and Families with a Trauma Sensitive Approach
At the Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health (APPPAH), a celebration of support for the Mother-Baby Dyad and Trauma Healing is happening. All month, there have been lectures by esteemed experts in trauma sensitive and trauma healing approaches. From midwives who are trauma sensitive to baby bodyworkers, from family therapists who know how help you recognize trauma attachment to cultural competencies with marginal communities, you will find it in this free lecture...
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Helping women have a better birth and breastfeeding experience during COVID
We at Better Beginnings are actively working to help women have a better birth and breastfeeding experience. Our virtual doulas are available everyday to support women one-to-one through their cell phones. This service is free to the mother call 415-663-6852. We also have taken the Breastfeeding Cafes virtual and continue to see women one on one for serious problems on Mondays by appointment (this requires pre-screening for risk factors). Women need to know their rights during this pandemic...
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Re: How a famous hospital turned around its low rate of screening moms for depression [CenterForHealthJournalism.org]
I commend Cedars Sinai for the incredible work they are doing and we can all learn from successful models that screen, refer, diagnose and link to services. We need to learn from them and look closely at all the pieces they put in place to make it work because it can work! BUT.... One of my biggest concerns about proposed legislation which requires an unfunded mandate for screening is this...There has been and continues to be a HUGE shortage in system capacity to refer, diagnosis, treat and...
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Re: A good New Year's Resolution: Moms need to remember themselves.
You're so welcome. I am so blessed to have a whole army of amazing women, mothers, friends and colleagues to help me remember to take time for myself and remember ME. Happy new year to one of those amazing ladies
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“2020 Mom Project” promotes awareness of perinatal mood disorders [Scopeblog.com]
Having a baby is a huge life alteration – who wouldn’t be at least a bit anxious? The vast majority of women experience mood shifts surrounding pregnancy: Around 80 percent experience “baby blues,” and in up...
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4th Annual Bay Area Maternal Mental Health Conference
By UCSF Continuing Medical Education, December 12, 2019 This is the fourth annual conference here in the Bay Area focusing on maternal mental health and well-being, with speakers from throughout the area covering important topics that will improve the care our patients are receiving. We welcome anyone with a personal or professional interest in maternal mental health. Participants will: Review the state of the current opioid crisis in this country and learn about tools to help identity...
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9 Women Who Have Experienced Postpartum Depression [Glamour.com]
It’s estimated that one in nine women will deal with postpartum depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Chrissy Teigen is not the only star to have learned she had the condition: it can really happen to anyone—famous women included. While postpartum depression is a highly-personal experience and not everyone is comfortable speaking out about it, these strong mamas chose to share their stories—and we can all learn something from them. [For more of this story,...
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A Brief Overview of Post-Partum Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (mathewsopenaccess.com)
Note: Parenting with ACEs can present us with extra challenges. Being pregnant, giving birth and breastfeeding can all be difficult for many of us. The stresses all parents experience can be compounded depending on our own emotional and physical well-being and the support we have (emotional, financial, family, community). In addition, we might have to consider thing such as going on, staying on or going off of drugs for some period of time during and following pregnancy. We don't talk a lot...
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A community-based approach to supporting substance exposed newborns and their families
This information brief highlights a community-based approach to supporting families and newborns affected by substance use. MA EfC developed this brief to address the profound intersection between the Massachusetts opioid crisis, Federal mandates for the development of Plans of Safe Care for substance exposed newborns, and, the MA EfC focus on increasing social connectedness as a means to reduce child maltreatment.
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'A Lifeline' For Doctors Helps Them Treat Postpartum Depression (NPR)
By Ruth Chatterjee, January 15, 2020, for Morning Edition For 1 in 7 pregnant women and new moms, things can feel off. They can have trouble sleeping or feeling connected to their baby, feel weepy, have low energy. They could be clinically depressed, and depression during or after pregnancy is very treatable if it's diagnosed. But only a small percentage of those women get the treatment that they need. Massachusetts is trying to change that. NPR's Rhitu Chatterjee has this story about how...
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A Message from the President of the Illinois Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics
Dear Illinois ACE Connection members, Children and families from all demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds in Illinois experience trauma, adversity, and chronic stress. Social determinants such as where we live, work, and play, can further exacerbate positive or negative physical, emotional, and behavioral health issues. The critical factor that determines if a child, family, and/or community can manage trauma, adversity, and chronic stress successfully is resilience : the process by...
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A staggering one-in-three women experience physical, sexual abuse [un.org]
24 November 2019, UN News Here is the grim reality, in numbers: A third of all women and girls experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, half of women killed worldwide were killed by their partners or family, and violence perpetrated against women is as common a cause of death and incapacity for those of reproductive age, as cancer, and a greater cause of ill health than road accidents and malaria combined. The prevalence of the issue, “means someone around you. A family...
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All hands on deck (from a distance): remote care for traumatized moms and babies
Dear colleague, Coronavirus is forcing providers and allied professionals serving mothers and babies to make unprecedented decisions. Should pregnant women needing care go through our hospital quarantine entrance? Should moms deliver without partners, family or doulas present? Be sent home early before key screenings or jaundice treatment are completed? To make matters worse, our systems aren't ready for basic remote care of mothers and infants now "socially distanced". Prenatal, post-partum...
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An Insurance Penalty From Postpartum Depression [NYTimes.com]
In January, a government-appointed panel recommended that all pregnant women and new mothers be screened for depression . Public health advocates rejoiced, as did untold numbers of women who had not known that maternal mental illness even existed before it hit them like a freight train. But the panel did not mention one possible consequence of a diagnosis: Life and disability insurance providers have sometimes penalized women with these mental illnesses by charging them more money, excluding...
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Anger overlooked as feature of postnatal mood disorders [sciencedaily.com]
Women in the postpartum period should be screened for anger in addition to depression and anxiety, new research from the University of British Columbia suggests. Although anger has been recognized as an element of postpartum mood problems for some women, it has not been well studied and is not included in the widely used Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale screening tool. In a review of existing research, UBC nursing PhD student Christine Ou found anger to be a significant feature in...
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Are we massively underestimating how many women have postpartum depression? [centerforhealthjournalism.org]
What if far more women experience postpartum depression than we think? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 11 percent of women experience symptoms of depression after their baby is born. But that’s starting to look like a huge underestimate. [For more on this story by Adam Wolfberg, go to https://www.centerforhealthjournalism.org/2019/02/21/are-we-hugely-underestimating-how-many-women-have-postpartum-depression? ]
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As Kentucky’s Only Black Woman in the Legislature, I Have a Plan to Address Racial Maternal Health Inequities (River City News)
March 30, 2020, River City News The following op-ed is written by State Rep. Attica Scott (D-Louisville) As the only Black woman member of Kentucky’s state legislature and single mother of two, I know the importance of representing all of my constituents and leaving no one behind. Far too often in Frankfort, bills are passed and signed into law that will actually harm children who look like mine, hurt moms like me who know what it’s like to live paycheck-to-paycheck or no check-to-no check,...
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Assembly Appropriations Committee Advances Maternal Health Bills that Address Disparities in NJ Maternal Mortality Rates [Insider NJ]
Assembly Appropriations Committee Advances Maternal Health Bills that Address Disparities in NJ Maternal Mortality Rates (TRENTON) – As part of a statewide effort to address disparities in maternal mortality rates between African-American and white women, and to reverse the trend that ranks New Jersey 47 th among the states in maternal mortality with 37.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, a maternal health package introduced last month continues to advance in the Assembly with 16 measures...
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Association of Exposure to Civil Conflict With Maternal Resilience and Maternal and Child Health and Health System Performance in Afghanistan [jamanetwork.com]
By Nadia Akseer, Arjumand Rizvi, Zaid Bhatti, et al., JAMA Network Open, November 8, 2019 Key Points Question: Is conflict severity associated with the performance of health systems and population health outcomes in Afghanistan during the 2003 to 2018 reconstruction period? Findings: In this survey study of 64 815 women in Afghanistan, notable health and health system improvements were made despite increasing conflict after 2010. However, regions with greater conflict had lower gains in...
Comment
Re: Doulas & Covid-19: A toolkit for doulas (DONA International)
We at Better Beginnings are actively working to help women have a better birth and breastfeeding experience. Our virtual doulas are available everyday to support women one to one through their cell phones. This service is free to the mother. 415-663-6852. We also have taken the Breastfeeding Cafes virtual and continue to see women one on one for serious problems on Mondays by appointment (this requires pre-screening for risk factors). Women need to know their rights during this pandemic so...
Comment
Re: A community-based approach to supporting substance exposed newborns and their families
Hi Alex, Centering Pregnancy is the model you are referencing, and there is tremendous evidence of the benefits for families, and fiscally for healthcare organizations. HERE is an example. Centering empowers patients, strengthens patient-provider relationships, and builds communities through these three main components: health assessment, and interactive learning community building. Additionally, there is a Centering Pediatrics model that is similar. HERE is more information. This LINK...
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Re: Improve Birth and Perinatal Outcomes with a Trauma Sensitive Approach
Kate, Thank you so much for sharing this important information regarding the work and focus of APPPAH. Often the preconception period is under appreciated as a key time to support women of reproductive age. Imagine helping women prepare for the birth of her baby and equipped to bond, attach, and care for the baby. This makes so much sense when compared to waiting until women and families struggle enough to come to the attention of social services. A Nobel prize winning economist developed a...
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Re: Postpartum Depression: Why The Word ‘Should’ Is So Dangerous [HuffingtonPost.com]
Thanks for sharing-we educate our NICU parents about Postpartum Mood Disorders as some people have described increased anxiety, intrusive and unwanted thoughts instead of or in combination with depressive symptoms. We also refer to the statistic (from Perinatal Support Washington) that 1 in 7 women AND 1 in 10 men experience PPMD. Paternal PPMD is real and needs attention as well.
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Lifelines: How Yoga is Helping Women at N.H. State Prison Manage Trauma During COVID-19 [nhpr.org]
By ALEX MCOWEN & PETER BIELLO • MAY 7, 2020, NHPR.org Because of COVID-19, the New Hampshire Department of Corrections suspended all visits and volunteer services at the state’s prisons on March 16, more than 7 weeks ago. Nicole Belonga has been serving time at the New Hampshire State Prison for women in Concord for 11 years. She says these efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus have cut off almost all contact with the outside world, making stressful prison life even more so.
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Experts Fear Increase in Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders [nytimes.com]
By Pooja Lakshmin, The New York Times, May 27, 2020 After going through a harrowing bout of postpartum depression with her first child, my patient, Emily, had done everything possible to prepare for the postpartum period with her second. She stayed in treatment with me, her perinatal psychiatrist, and together we made the decision for her to continue Zoloft during her pregnancy. With the combination of medication, psychotherapy and a significant amount of planning, she was feeling confident...
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2020 Mom Founder and Executive Director Joy Burkhard to Serve as Expert Advisor for AHRQ Rural Postpartum Mental Health Challenge (2020MOM)
May 21, 2020, News and Announcements, 2020 MOM & AHRQ Washington, DC – In May, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality ( AHRQ ) announced that Joy Burkhard, MBA was selected to serve as an expert advisor for their Cross-Sectional Innovation to Improve Rural Postpartum Mental Health Challenge. The challenge aims to drive both proposal and narrative submissions, allowing the initiative to highlight success stories in rural postpartum mental health and encourage future innovative...
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Can Paid Maternal Leave Help Address the Disparities in Maternal Mortality? (NIH)
By Rada Dagher, Ph.D., M.P.H. Posted on June 28, 2020 , National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. Maternal mortality rates in the United States have reached an all-time high. While these rates have dropped globally in the last few decades 1 , in the United States, they have more than doubled between 1987 and 2015 2 . The picture is even grimmer for racial and ethnic minority communities, where African American and American Indian/Alaska Native women have the highest...
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Pregnant in a pandemic [washingtonpost.com]
By May-Ying Lam, The Washington Post, June 30, 2020 For women who are pregnant amid a pandemic, a recession and racial turmoil, the future is an anxiety-stirring unknown. They began their pregnancies in the “other world” that promised baby showers, gender-reveal parties, visits with grandparents and browsing stores for onesies. Now, they contemplate how they would handle a novel coronavirus diagnosis, prepare to give birth while wearing a mask and fight through old traumas that the virus has...
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Unbecoming an Armadillo: Recovering from Trauma with EMDR
Unbecoming an Armadillo By: Victoria F. Burns, PhD, LSW Victoriafrances49@gmail.com Instagram: @betesandbites “When you are traumatized, you are basically in a permanent defensive mode” — Gabor Mate I’m sitting across from Meg on her charcoal grey love seat. My forearms are resting on a velvety mustard-yellow throw cushion and I’m holding crescent shaped pulsers in each hand. Meg’s my psychologist; a rare gem who specializes in chronic illness and trauma. Every two weeks, we spend an hour...
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Structural Racism and its Impact on Black Maternal Health (New Security Beat)
By Deekshita Ramanarayan, July 21, 2020, New Security Beat. “The past months have been profoundly difficult for our nation, and for Black communities in particular,” said Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) at a recent March of Dimes event on the impact of structural racism on maternal health. COVID-19 has highlighted health outcome inequity caused by race and racism. Though Black people constitute 13 percent of the U.S. population, the CDC estimates they represent over 30 percent of...