National Depression Awareness & Health Screening Month
Paying tribute to the life of a dear mom
The words I read in an email from the principal of my kids’ school left me reading it over and over again. As I processed what it meant, I felt sick and was flooded with emotion. A dear mom that I knew from our church and school community tragically died after a struggle with postpartum depression following the birth of her third child. She left behind a loving husband, and three beautiful daughters, 5, 3, and 4 months.
This did not happen, this can’t be true, I thought.
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.
It is different than having postpartum blues, in which women recover more quickly. Postpartum depression lasts longer and causes trouble with the mom’s ability to return to normal function. Unlike previously thought, directly asking if a person has had suicidal thoughts does not mean that it would be the cause of that ideation for that person. It is quite the contrary. It reduces the stigma and helps them to feel supported.
There are wonderful resources out there as well. There is Postpartum International Support which offers support groups for postpartum moms:
https://www.postpartum.net/get-help/psi-online-support-meetings/
In working with so many postpartum moms over the years and being a mother of 3 myself, I believe that we need to keep looking for opportunities to help our fellow moms out there. This mother will always have a fond place in my heart as I continue to pray for her and her beautiful family. Please reach out if you have more ideas on ways Klein PT can help.
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