Postpartum Thyroiditis, Pre-eclampsia, Scary Thoughts: An Interview with Jennifer This interview shares one mother’s personal experience with postpartum mood challenges. It is offered to increase awareness and reduce isolation, not as clinical guidance. In 2012, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jennifer, the founder of Organic Baby University . As a mental health professional specializing in Maternal Mental Health, Jennifer’s story has both personal and professional inter

Because these women and their stories are so extraordinary, for me personally, this is the most meaningful article I ever researched and wrote up. As I worked, I was literally choked up with feeling, emotion, pride and wonder at ALL of their accomplishments! If you are experiencing depression or anxiety during the perinatal period of your life, the blogs listed here are rich with support, information, available resources and kindness! The bloggers listed here are power

Originally posted July 29, 2013. This is a love letter to all of you hard-working women who fill so many various roles in your family and work life! I feel so connected to so many of you even if we haven’t met in person…. I’m posting a heart-felt “good-bye for now” love note from the BirthTouch® blog for the month of August. I’m taking some time and space to “plant daffodils” with my family to have many more years of sunshine blooms for the soul. I love the summer and

Originally posted June 24, 2013. Guest Post: Today I am pleased to have Leighann Adams of Multitasking Mumma guest posting here today. Leighann is a mom and a self-identified Postpartum Depression blogger. She says the Postpartum Depression blogging community helped her a whole lot when she needed information and support. She found blogging to be therapeutic for her; now she gives back to others via blogging and awareness campaigns. Leighann’s post is about her inner pr

Originally posted June 7, 2013. Behind the Scenes Spotlight: Leslie Butterfield, Ph.D. Biography: Leslie Butterfield, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist specializing in pre and perinatal psychology and women’s health. She also works tirelessly in several not-for-profit organizations. She is on the Board of the Prevention and Treatment of Trauma in Childbirth (PaTTCH) and volunteers in various capacities for Postpartum Support International (PSI), including serving as the

Spring was a great time for Women’s Reproductive Health events in New Jersey. I was fortunate enough to attend and also was invited to present at La Leche League of the Garden State’s Annual Conference in Jamestown, New Jersey. I also went to an event hosted by St. Clare’s Hospital and the Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey. I had so much fun meeting and seeing some virtual colleagues/friends, such as Ruth Callahan and Colleen White at LLL

This post shares one mother’s personal experience with postpartum mental health challenges. It is offered to reduce isolation and encourage support-seeking, not as clinical guidance. In this personal narrative, Megan Daley shares her experience of postpartum depression and anxiety, including the challenges she faced and the steps she took toward recovery. Struggling Through the Darkness & My Journey to Recovery I used to have a vision in my mind of what it would be like to be

This post shares a personal reflection related to perinatal experience. It is offered to foster understanding and connection, not as clinical guidance. Comparing Scars The course of a marriage is often turned, sharply, by incidents that might pass in a moment but can define them for years, until another incident becomes another corner. Looking back on my marriage, there are three of them that I now realise shaped our new family. The first was during late pregnancy with ou

So, I kept it quiet that I suffered from postpartum depression for many years. I was ashamed that I suffered from depression and mostly ashamed about my episode of postpartum depression, as I had a baby to take care of and somehow this condition marked me as not a good mother.

This post is part of an ongoing series of conversations with professionals in the perinatal mental health field. It is offered to share perspectives, not as clinical guidance. Biography: Suzanne Swanson, Ph.D., is an activist in many areas of Maternal Mental Health. Since 2006, she has been the Postpartum Support International (PSI) Minnesota Coordinator. By 2007, along with a collective group of perinatal mental health professionals, she helped form the Pregnancy and Po

This post is part of an ongoing series of conversations with professionals in the perinatal mental health field. It is offered to share perspectives, not as clinical guidance. Biography: Jennifer Moyer experienced postpartum psychosis when her son was eight weeks old. She has put in the hard work of personal recovery and has built a life filled with the love of her family and her determination to leave a positive imprint in this world. She has focused her efforts on being

Bio: Dr. Pec Indman is a internationally recognized expert in the field of mental health related to pregnancy and postpartum. In 2002, she was one of the first professionals, along with Dr. Shoshona Bennett, to author a book about postpartum depression. In her private psychotherapy practice, she works with clients experiencing fertility challenges, pregnancy loss, depression and anxiety during pregnancy or postpartum. Dr. Indman is the Chairperson of the Education and Trai

Meet these wonderful Individuals who are Sending Positive Vibes out into the world! They Rock the world! I am tons of grateful for my intelligent and loving friends in the birth community who have agreed to help me share my work throughout February, March and April! Simone Magaletta-Snyder (New Jersey). A rockin’ wise birth woman! Mom, doula, childbirth educator, and massage therapist of DoulaSimone will be sharing her well-educated thoughts on the books and talking to

Originally published November 5, 2012. Unless you live under a rock and don’t go out at all, you have to know that Jersey Shore’s Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi is a mom! Her baby boy, Lorenzo, was born this August. Snooki has been showing him off in beautiful pics on her official Twitter and Facebook feed. Snooki became famous as a fightin’ boozin’ bad-girl with her group of pals on the show, Jersey Shore . Millions scrutinized her as she rumbled with her frenemies living in thei

Prenatal Yoga: A Mind-body Practice to Benefit Your Pregnancy For pregnant women seeking safe, evidence-informed mind–body practices, prenatal yoga has been studied for its potential benefits. In 2008, 66 pregnant women were randomized into two groups of 33. The experimental group underwent 6 one-hour classes of prenatal yoga, inclusive of asana (yoga poses), breathwork and meditation, from gestation weeks 26 – 37. This group was also practiced yoga at home 2 -3x a week,

Originally posted October 15, 2012. Benedetta Leuner, assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Ohio State University, released a new study on Saturday, 10/13/2012, during a talk at Neuroscience 2012, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, in New Orleans. Using rats, Leuner and her colleagues study the effects of pregnancy on the brain. In a study released last year, Leuner and her colleagues found that the brains of unstressed new rat mothers had a

I’d love to share with you a chapter from new book, BirthTouch: Shiatsu and Acupressure for the Childbearing Year. It’s available on Amazon for purchase So – good question – how much stress in pregnancy is too much? Like many things in life, the question of how stress affects a woman’s pregnancy does not have a simple answer. Because each individual has her own emotional and physical tolerance for stress, exactly how much stress is a causative factor for depression and an

I met Ivy at Postpartum Support International’s Conference in 2011. She had such a nice feeling about her. Her accessibility, strength, humility and intelligence were quite strongly evident. Of course I had to kindle her book when it came out. Ivy, as she says, gives us a picture of the “ordinary postpartum depression” experience. But her personal story is about so much more than postpartum depression. I had a lot of emotions as I read her personal story and learned about

This is Part One of a two part interview with Walker, Karraa This interview highlights the perspective of a professional working in the field of perinatal mental health, sharing clinical insight, experience, and approaches that support women and families during the childbearing year. “ Pregnant and postpartum women are particularly vulnerable to mood and anxiety disorders, and it is life threatening.” How Long Must We Ask for Compassionate Care? Why aren’t our childbirth we

How Long Must We Ask for Compassionate Care? Why aren’t our childbirth websites and our perinatal mental health websites linked? Part One of an interview with Walker Karraa MFA, MA CD(DONA) This interview highlights the perspective of a professional working in the field of perinatal mental health, sharing clinical insight, experience, and approaches that support women and families during the childbearing year. “ Pregnant and postpartum women are particularly vulnerable to moo