Placental Encapsulation – Effective for the Prevention of Postpartum Mood Disorders?

Who has heard of or experienced Placental Encapsulation? I want to hear from YOU! This concept is very intriguing and I want to know what you think.

Disclosure: the following link below contains a detailed explanation and pictures of the process of Placental Encapsulation.

http://www.cafemom.com/journals/read/1577334/Placenta_Encapsulation_Instructions_w_Pictures?next=11#comments

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Perfectionism and the Depressed Mother

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/isnt-what-i-expected/201109/the-paradox-control-learning-let-go

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Postpartum Depression vs Psychosis….understanding the difference

Glad this topic is getting mainstream coverage but check out the comments below that clarify the difference between PPD and psychosis. Depressed mothers are not always psychotic, there is a spectrum to PPD.

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/alpha-consumer/2011/06/14/postpartum-depression-finding-affordable-help

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Love this!

“Postpartum Depression is a flaw in chemistry, not character”.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Interesting study that examines effect of abortion vs having a baby on mother’s mental health

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/26/abortion-mental-health_n_814582.html

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Quieting unwanted thoughts – what works and what doesn’t

Adapted from Karen Kleiman’s new book:  Dropping the Baby and Other Scary Thoughts

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/isnt-what-i-expected/201102/quieting-unwanted-thoughts-what-works-what-doesnt-work

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Gwyneth Paltrow and Postpartum Depression

Another celeb in the news about her experience with PPD. It is more common than most people think.

http://omg.yahoo.com/blogs/thefamous/gwyneth-paltrow-on-postpartum-depression-i-felt-like-a-zombie/324?nc

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Gwyneth Paltrow on Postpartum Depression

Another celebrity speaking out about her PPD experience. Sheds light on the fact that suffering from PPD is not always what people expect.

http://omg.yahoo.com/blogs/thefamous/gwyneth-paltrow-on-postpartum-depression-i-felt-like-a-zombie/324?nc

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Maternal Mental Health – NIH

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20974776

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

One in eight mothers feels like she is holding on by a thread

As a clinician whose passion is working with Prenatal and Postpartum Mood Disorders (Postpartum Depression) I am always encouraging practitioners who come in to contact with mothers to use the Edinburgh Scale to evaluate how mothers are doing emotionally. In my field we know that mothers are hesitant to come out with how they are “really” feeling, even if they are asked. The Edinburgh helps cut through the shame and guilt and gives us a quick look into how a mother is really feeling.

A true story. Recently I held a group at my office. There were six women in attendance. The group was cohesive, women were sharing and supporting one another. They were all open to being screened for depression, so I administered the three minute Edinburgh scale.

The results were just as research indicates – one woman was suffering in silence tremendously. She had not spoken up within the group or to me on her own, but when given the inventory, she answered authentically.

She is now a client and states that she is very grateful for the work we are doing because she is feeling better. We KNOW that women feel better when they are given a supportive, safe, nurturing environment to talk about how they really feel. We know that normalizing their feelings, encouraging small changes and mothering the mother works.

Just wanted to share this success story with all of those who might be suffering – you are not alone AND you can feel better. There are complex dynamics that can contribute and you need not walk around feeling guilt and shame about how you truly feel.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment