Postpartum Depression in Black Women Is a Silent Epidemic By Rochaun Meadows-Fernandez with Medium

Black women are at a higher risk for mental health issues post-birth, and less likely to get the help they need

By Rochaun Meadows-Fernandez with Medium

When Imani Bates, 31, realized she had lost control over her pelvic and gluteal muscles shortly after giving birth, she felt profoundly disconnected from her body.

“I woke up and I couldn’t move them,” she says.“They were in complete paralysis. I panicked.”

Adjusting to dramatic physical changes so soon after birth triggered feelings of ineptitude for Bates, and catalyzed the onset of postpartum depression. “I began crying and blaming myself for having a natural, vaginal birth,” she recalls.“I thought my body failed me. I felt completely inadequate. I remember looking at my son and thinking he should have a better mother than me.”

Recent research on postpartum depression (PPD) suggests a link between the physical pain that new mothers experience and their risk for PPD. In a 2018 study, researchers concluded that the pain experienced by women following birth, rather than during labor and delivery, may be the primary culprit. But data on PPD risk often overlooks the ways that race and racism might increase the chances that Black women experience birth-related depression. That’s despite the fact that Black women are at an increased risk for childbirth complications, bias during medical care, and even maternal death.

For the full article read here.

Comments

We Need to Talk About the Rising Trend of Suicide in New Moms by Beth Ann Mayer with Parents.com

We Need to Talk About the Rising Trend of Suicide in New Moms Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among new moms. Experts explain warning signs, the link between postpartum depression and suicide, and how to get help. Thanasis Zovoilis/Getty Images There's a cliché: The day your child is born is the best moment of your life. But regardless of feelings in the delivery room, the period that follows can be fraught with stress, anxiety, and depression. Left unchecked, these emotions can turn tragic. A study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in June examining maternal death 12 months after delivery, looked at more than a million women who gave birth in California hospitals between 2010 and 2012. It found 300 had died during follow-up—and suicide was the seventh leading cause. It's a reality affecting mothers across the nation: Research published by JAMA Psychiatry in 2013 found suicide is t...

'I thought the staff were trying to kill me': the illness that can haunt new mothers - by Gary Nunn with The Guardian

'I thought the staff were trying to kill me': the illness that can haunt new mothers by Gary Nunn Experts are divided over what causes postpartum psychosis, which can leave mothers of newborns detached from reality Sarah Hayes, who has suffered from postpartum psychosis, with her son Alex, who was a few months old at the time. When Sarah Hayes’ son Alex was born 24 years ago, she wasn’t just happy – she was euphoric. “I couldn’t believe Alex was mine. Even after 30 hours of labour, I was full of energy,” she says. “I was so elated, I couldn’t switch off and sleep.” That lack of sleep lasted six nights straight. In the middle of the night, she would write poems. “It was so out of character,” she says. When back home, Hayes, now 49, believed she saw herself on TV. It was a news story about a woman who had won the lottery and hadn’t known. It showed Sarah and her family. She excitedly called up to her mum, who was visiting. Continue reading...

How I Changed from a Toxic Mom-Manager to an Encouraging Soul Builder - positiveparentingsolutions.com

How I Changed from a Toxic Mom-Manager to an Encouraging Soul Builder Guest post from New York Times bestselling author, Rachel Macy Stafford There was a time in my life when I barked orders more often than I spoke words of love … when I reacted to small everyday inconveniences as if they were major catastrophes … when normal human habits and quirks raised my blood pressure to dangerous levels. Rather than nurturing my family members, I took it upon myself to manage my family members until there was no room to bend or breathe. My artistic, busybody, dream-chasing older daughter’s desire to start projects, try new recipes, and leave trails wherever she went received disapproving looks on a daily basis. My stop-and-smell-the-roses younger daughter’s desire to buckle in stuffed animals before we drove off, accessorize every part of her body before walking out the door, and move at a snail’s pace drew exasperated breaths and annoyed frowns. ...

Search This Blog