Self-care! To supplement your nutrition during pregnancy and in the fourth trimester, making smoothies is a great healthy habit.

It is normal to have feelings of anxiety, stress and depression immediately following the birth are not uncommon—these feelings are often re

A story of perinatal mental illness and recovery wrapped in a murder mystery.

Originally posted April 22, 2019. In my work as a perinatal psychotherapist, I have had the honor of hearing many women’s oral histories about their childbirth. I often see women who have nearly died in childbirth, usually due to hemorrhaging. **Due to the confidential and personal nature of my work, I never share personal information about my clients here** Today I wanted to share the confluence of factors gleaned from multiple disciplines intertwining maternal mortalit

Updated March 31, 2022 Dyane's lifelong healing journey with bipolar Dyane Harwood battled depression her whole life and then bipolar disorder after she gave birth. Therapy, lifestyle changes, medication and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) got her life back. She is my shero. Birth of a New Brain , by Dyane Harwood is a very important book. Dyane’s autobiographical account of her life with bipolar disorder is as stunning as Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison’s autobiographical accou

Originally posted November 6, 2017. Perinatal mood disorders are the most common complication of childbirth. 15 – 20 % of women experience symptoms of depression and anxiety during pregnancy and in the first year after giving birth. Postpartum depression is the most common term used, but there are a few differential diagnoses that can be found in the perinatal mood distress category. Postpartum depression (PPD), postpartum anxiety (PPA), postpartum obsessive-compulsive

Originally posted September 11, 2017. Pregnancy and birth are major adult transitions filled with joy, but the transition to parenthood...

Originally posted May 14, 2017. Happy Mother’s Day! Be kind to yourself today. Affirmations by themselves are not all that need to do to...

Originally posted May 9, 2017. May is Mental Health Awareness Month! As of 2017, the World Health Organization lists depression as the top cause of ill health and disability worldwide. Just a few years ago, it was number four on the list. Surprised? I am blown away. Mental health is consistently ignored as an important aspect of overall health. Dr. Margaret Chan, the WHO Director-General says : “These new figures are a wake-up call for all countries to re-think their appro

Originally posted April 10, 2017. Did you know that 99% of women who stop breastfeeding due to medications can actually continue? As a new mother 22 (short?) years ago, I suffered postpartum depression. I was breastfeeding and refused to take any medications for it. I think I would’ve come out of the depression sooner if I had opted for medication. But, I was afraid. There weren’t many studies back then. Now there are a lot of studies on this topic and there’s a lot of i

Radical Acceptance is acceptance of the reality that life is worth living even if there is pain.

Infant massage is a great way to create an oasis of calm time with your baby. It helps promote bonding and calm both mom and baby. Studies show that infant massage decreases stress hormones (in both Mom & baby),

Updated February 19, 2022 Dancing on the Edge of Sanity asks once again How Often Must We Ask for Sensitive Care? It’s easy to connect with Ana Clare Rouds’ personal story of the reality of motherhood in her book, Dancing on the Edge of Sanity . She shares her personal story about her experience with postpartum depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and she eloquently brings out several issues. Her story reminds us that: we need shame-busting! the anxiety,

Originally posted July 28, 2014. Different cultures acknowledge the postpartum period in different ways. In the United States, postpartum is viewed as a time when the new mom is expected to quickly recover and become mobile and get back to “normal” life. There’s a lot of emphasis on healthy pregnancy and birth and how to care for a newborn. However, the physical and emotional transition of the new mom and family are not part of the postpartum conversation in the US. Thi

Originally posted July 25, 2014. I was so fortunate to be able to attend this year’s Postpartum Support International (PSI) 27th Annual Conference at the University of North Carolina (UNC) campus at Chapel Hill on June 18 – June 21, 2014! This is PSI’s Memorial Quilt, which has the names of women who lost their lives due to perinatal mental illness. The quilt is a traveling quilt and requests by PSI members are considered for use at maternal mental health presentation

Featured in Science & Sensibility: One of a Kind: An Interview with Dr. Meltzer-Brody about UNC’s Inpatient Mother Baby Psych Unit Originally posted June 29, 2014. I was a guest writer once again over at Science and Sensibility this week! Take a look below and then mosey on over to Science and Sensibility to read the rest! As Postpartum Support International’s 2014 Annual Conference kicks off this weekend in Chapel Hill, NC, regular contributor Kathy Morelli shares her in

Featured in Science and Sensiblity: Childhood sexual abuse as a risk factor for postpartum depression (Part One) Originally posted June...

Originally posted May 5, 2014. Guest Post Today! Megan Daley! This year again I have the honor of hosting Megan Daley! Megan discusses her challenges with perinatal mood disorders twice in her lifetime. She is presently pregnant with her third child. She talks about her concerns in this pregnancy for her postpartum health and how she is proactively creating a personal postpartum plan. To help others, Megan outlines resources that helped her through her dark times. She

Originally posted April 28, 2014. Guest Post! Nationally Recognized Author Dyane Leshin-Harwood! Today I have the honor of hosting Dyane Leshin-Harwood’s story of postpartum onset of bipolar disorder. Her story is incredibly inspiring. I had tears in my eyes as I read her gutsy story! I guarantee so will you! Please join me in welcoming Dyane’s contribution to the Postpartum Support International’s 2014 Blog Hop! Here’s her story! ***************************************

Link Up: PSI 2014 Blog Hop – Perinatal Mood Disorders: What Helped Me Recover: Self, Family & Community Resources Originally posted April...