I quickly recounted the last encounters I had with her, trying to recall if I noticed any signs of depression. I could only recall her love and kindness, always. She was so patient with her girls, and took the time to listen to anyone around her. I was inspired to be a better mom whenever I was around her.
Her girls already exude her kindness, and her oldest (in my son’s class), is known for always checking on anyone upset and telling them that she loves them. However, the girls have been robbed of feeling the comfort of their mom’s arms, kissing their boo-boos and helping them do all their “firsts”. This mom’s life on this earth ended all too soon.
So, all I keep thinking since this horrible tragedy and knowing how many postpartum moms we see at Klein Physical Therapy, is “What more can I do??” Ironically as I was pondering this, an email came through from Herman and Wallace (pelvic health continuing education company) entitled “October is National Depression Education and Awareness Month”. Education and Awareness are some small steps we can take to identify this. We at Klein Physical Therapy are committing to an increased level of education on this topic, and plan to add screening questions to our evaluations and assessments.
Postpartum Depression occurs in 6.5% to 20% of postpartum mothers.
