The DBT PLEASE skill focuses on caring for the body as a foundation for emotional balance - an especially important practice fore the fourth trimester.

Originally posted May 1, 2018. Postpartum depression changed my life. I let my postpartum depression go untreated for a long time after I gave birth and I shouldn’t have done that, I suffered needlessly and caused my husband to suffer needlessly. I did go to a therapist, who very kindly referred me to a female psychiatrist (over and over again!).But, I refused to go see this psychiatrist, as I was nursing my son. My nursing times with him were the best times of the day,

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

Originally posted October 15, 2013. Losing a baby through miscarriage or stillbirth leads causes an increase in suffering, including disbelief, grief, shock, denial, anger, sadness and anxiety. These strong and primal emotions can take a toll on your marriage relationship. Recent research published by Dr. Katherine Gold and her colleagues in the journal, Pediatrics, indicates that couples who experience miscarriage or stillbirth have a greater chance of divorce than coup

Originally posted October 10, 2013. It’s October 10, 2013 and I’m again honored to be participating in PsychCentral’s World Mental Health Blog Day. I have a busy mental health practice and an active perinatal mental health blog. I have advanced training in trauma work and people come in to talk about many different types of trauma. So I felt like I couldn’t let 2013 World Mental Health Day go by without taking pause to acknowledge the tragic incidents in Washington, DC la

Guest Post by Heidi Koss The following piece is a personal reflection shared by a guest contributor. Individual experiences vary, and this story is offered as one person’s lived perspective rather than clinical guidance. Today I am humbled to share a guest post from Heidi Koss, LMHCA. Many of you know Heidi Koss from her professional persona. She was featured on this blog in April, 2013. She runs a busy psychotherapy practice in Washington state and is an activist in the

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 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

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 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 : Heidi Koss, LMHCA, has been an activist in many areas of Maternal Mental Health for two decades. She has volunteered for Postpartum Support International (PSI) of Washington for sixteen years and is the Postpartum Support International Washington State Coordinator. She runs a busy Marria

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

Stigma and Fear Around Perinatal Mental Illness Stigma remains one of the most powerful barriers to treatment for mental illness — especially during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Research consistently shows that people living with mental illness are stereotyped as unstable, incompetent, or incapable of functioning in daily life. These cultural attitudes don’t just exist “out there.” They become internalized. Shame becomes self-stigma. Now imagine being a new mother — e

Originally posted January 26, 2013. I’m re-posting my previous blog about my experience with postpartum depression for Stand Up For...

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

This post originally appeared in Science and Sensibility This article is part of a three-part series examining EMDR as a treatment for childbirth-related PTSD. Part Two: Clinical Opinions Regarding the Safety of using EMDR to Process Traumatic Material During a Subsequent Pregnancy to Treat PTSD (onset childbirth) There is a lack of specific empirical research to support the safety or lack of safety about incorporating EMDR into a trauma treatment plan for a pregnant woman

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