Perinatal Pro Weekly Blog

President Barack Obama

Women have guided our country toward prosperity and progress, and our Nation’s success depends on their well-being. While women often play a leading role in making medical decisions for their families, their own health care needs have too often gone unmet. During National Women’s Health Week, we recommit to making health care more accessible and affordable for women across our country.

As President, I have made advancing gender equality in health care a top priority. Through the historic Affordable Care Act, we are reversing many of the worst abuses of the health insurance industry. Beginning in 2014, many insurers will no longer be allowed to charge women higher premiums simply because of their gender, and it will be illegal for most insurance companies to deny coverage to women because they have a pre-existing condition, including cancer or pregnancy. Health plans will also be required to cover maternity care. The law already enables women in new insurance plans to see any primary care provider or OB-GYN, or bring their children to any pediatrician in their health plan’s network without a referral, and it prevents most insurance companies from denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions.

My Administration has fought to make preventive care accessible to all. Under the Affordable Care Act, we eliminated out-of-pocket costs for recommended preventive services such as mammograms, cervical cancer screenings, contraception, and well-woman visits under most plans. In 2011 alone, more than 20 million women received expanded access to these services at no additional cost.

National Women’s Health Week presents an opportunity for all women to prioritize their well-being by scheduling annual check-ups and screenings. To find more information on women’s preventive care, visit www.WomensHealth.gov

As we celebrate the progress we have made, we recognize that American families cannot afford a return to the days when women were over-charged and denied access to critical services. During National Women’s Health Week, let us move forward in pursuit of a fairer, healthier America.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 13 through May 19, 2012, as National Women’s Health Week. I encourage all Americans to celebrate the progress we have made in protecting women’s health and to promote awareness, prevention, and educational activities that improve the health of all women.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA

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Some of the partners of this week’s celebration are:

The National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, BlogHer, Stroller Strides, TEXT4BABY, Speaking of Women’s Health, Strong Woman, North Shore Long Island Jewish Healthcare System, National Council on Aging, Wellpoint, Zumba, Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, Better Hearing Institute, Adora, Amgen, Choose You, Curves, Da Vinci Surgery, Medela, National Bone Health Alliance, National Panhellenic Conference

Susan Dowd Stone, MSW, LCSW

HMHB was the first major maternal-infant health organization to include the issue of maternal mental health among their priorities. Their acclaimed TEXT4BABY program includes – among its messages related to mother/baby well-bring throughout pregnancy and the first year of life – encouragement to mothers to reach out for help should symptoms of depression develop.

The Webinar will take place on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 from 2:00 – 3:00 pm Eastern Time. Featuring therapist, author and maternal mental health expert Susan Dowd Stone, MSW, LCSW, the Webinar will offer an overview of this critical issue for maternal-child health, spotlighting the importance of prevention and awareness. Among the topics to be covered: minimizing the long-term effects of mental health problems, how mom’s emotional wellness can enhance baby’s first year of life, and helpful resources for both providers and parents.

Register by clicking here

Received the following update from Hiltrud Dawson who is Health Promotion Consultant for Best Start Resource Center, a reputable Canadian organization that has long targeted postpartum depression. You do not need to live in Ontario to participate!

On behalf of Lori Ross:

“Are you dealing with stress? Do you struggle with your emotional health? We need YOU to fill out this survey!”

The “Pathways Study” is a community-based research project that seeks to understand women’s* experiences with depression as well as their use of mental health services.

We are recruiting 900 participants of all sexual orientations, abilities and ethno-racial backgrounds to share their experiences by filling out a confidential and anonymous online survey that takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes to complete. About 40 of the 900 online participants will also be asked to do a one hour semi-structured interview with a member of the Pathways Research Team to discuss their experiences.

We are especially trying to reach women who experience multiple stressors associated with their race, class, gender, sexual orientation and/or gender identity. You will be compensated for your participation with a President’s Choice gift certificate, or a donation to charity.

A primary goal of this project is to find out what happens when people seek help or treatment for their emotional or mental health. Our goal is to help make changes to mental health services.

To participate, click here

*Includes trans women.

Hiltrud Dawson

Health Promotion Consultant

Best Start Resource Centre

c/o Health Nexus

180 Dundas Street West, Suite 301

Toronto ON, M5G 1Z8

Phone: 416 408 2249 or 1 800 397 9567 ext. 2250

Direct: 905 388 0181

Fax: 905 388 0181 (call first, please)

h.dawson@healthnexus.ca

www.beststart.org

Shari Lusskin, MD

For the May 8th Conference entitled “Effective Treatment of Conditions Associated with Perinatal Mood Disorders”, two outstanding, nationally known published experts have been confirmed for this full-day event. The best part is, each speaker will cover their topic in depth as they will not be limited to the typical 50 minute per segment time. Plus, there will be ample opportunity to ask questions at the end!

Shari I. Lusskin, MD served as the first Director of Reproductive Psychiatry at NYU Langone Medical Center and New York University School of Medicine from 2003 to 2011. She holds a faculty appointment at NYU as a Clinical Associate Professor in Psychiatry and Obstetrics and Gynecology. She also holds an appointment as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine

As a specialist in Women’s Reproductive Mental Health and psychopharmacology during pregnancy and breastfeeding, Dr. Lusskin has lectured extensively in the United States and Canada, as well as in Europe and India. She has a long-standing commitment to improving understanding of women’s psychiatric needs, both by professionals and the general public. In 2001 she founded the NYU Reproductive Psychiatry Conference. The 6th NYU Reproductive Psychiatry Conference was held on Saturday, October 6, 2007.

Dr. Lusskin is the Director of Psychopharmacologic Agents for the Reproductive Toxicology Center, a Non-Profit Foundation. The Reproductive Toxicology Center operates Reprotox®, a computerized data base on the reproductive and developmental effects of drugs and other chemicals, biologics, and physical agents .

Shari will discuss Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and the most serious of postpartum disruptions, Postpartum Psychosis. Among the nation’s leading perinatal psychiatrists, this incredible opportunity to learn from her extensive clinical experience and knowledge based should not be missed!

Equally renown and among the most sought after conference speakers on postpartum mood disorders is Boston based Jeanne Watson Driscoll PhD, PMHCNS-BC. Jeanne is a Board Certified Clinical Nurse Specialist in Adult psychiatric-mental health. She is President and owner of JWD Associates, Inc., as well as a member of The Mica Collaborative in Wellesley, Massachusetts. She provides psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy for women who experience mood and/or anxiety disorders through the childbearing years. Jeanne will talk about Bipolar Disorder and PTSD.

Both clinicians will discuss the role of medication in PPD treatment including references providing the latest research on the safety and efficacy of pharmacotherapy among this population.

The event will take place at the Chart House Restaurant, Pier D-T, Lincoln Harbor in Weehawken, NJ. This location is easily accessible from NYC via Port Imperial Ferry Line, Light Rail from Hoboken, or by car (there is ample parking). The event will run from 8 AM to 4 PM. For further information please call 201-876-8900. The cost of the conference is only $75.00 for non-members and $60.00 for members of the Hudson Perinatal Consortium. Social workers and those requesting Professional Education units will receive 6 CEU’s.

From Katherine Stone:

Postpartum Progress needs your help.

I write today because I’m personally asking you to support the work of Postpartum Progress. I know you have trudged the dark and lonely road of postpartum depression, either as a sufferer, a family member or someone who cares for new mothers.

I must tell you that nothing makes me more anxious or, quite frankly, sick to my stomach, as asking for donations. Well, one thing makes me sicker: the fact that today only 15% of all women with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders ever receive professional treatment. This means that each year hundreds of thousands more women and their children may suffer from the negative effects of untreated PPD and related illnesses for the rest of their lives.

Postpartum Progress will change that with your help. We are developing a compelling national awareness campaign for postpartum depression, as well as new and improved patient education materials (the kind new moms won’t throw away!), and new uses of technology to reach suffering moms no matter where they are.

On October 5th, the day when more children are born each year than any other day, I am asking you to do one of three things:

1) Make a donation to Postpartum Progress. Any amount is welcome.

2) Ask at least 2 other people who love you and know what you went through – people who’ve come to know that postpartum depression is real and that all women deserve to have access to the best information and help – to make a donation today in your name.

3) Refer us to contacts at organizations that can help us with our work.

If you are financially unable to donate, send us your prayers or moral support so that we may find the right people to help us make major change.

Every single person who donates this week will be honored on our website (unless you prefer to remain anonymous). We are a 501c3, so your donation is tax-deductible.

Today’s the day. Please help us build stronger families, one mom at a time.

While it is acknowledged that loss during pregnancy and the postpartum can be a risk factor for the development of PPD, the general reference is to loss of human relationships. When an important family member or close friend dies while a mother is pregnant or after delivery, a significant support in that mother’s life is lost.

The mother may have imagined how her baby’s life would have been enhanced by this cherished relationship, or how the wisdom and experience offered by this person would have helped her through new mothering. A connection is severed, reducing the new mother’s circle of social support. It is not hard to appreciate the impact of such losses and understand the connection to emotional suffering.

But what about the significance of animal loss? Many expectant mothers are deeply bonded to their animals. It is not unusual for partners to have adopted animal companions prior to having children. And those animals share in the bonding of these unions… sometimes, animals are even present at the marriage or commitment ceremony of couples! Many couples describe their animals as their children, even after giving birth to a human infant.

Yet animal companion loss continues to suffer from a sort of disenfranchised grief. The grieving person is told to “get over it” and that they can always adopt another creature. After all, it was “only” an animal.

Tell that to a growing percentage of pet owners who suffer through devastating grief when they lose a precious animal companion. For some, that animal held cherished memories, or provided unconditional support when times were tough. An overwhelmingly loving presence in most lives, such losses are not easily processed. The animal may have gone through the pregnancy with the mother, sensing her status and already becoming protective of her and her unborn child. Or it may have welcomed the new infant with the family, quickly becoming a first line nanny!

In my practice, I have had many mothers talk to me about such losses during or after pregnancy and the devastating grief that follows. Others may express guilt, feeling that the baby’s arrival left little time to devote to the animal companion whose needs became secondary to that of the infant. For such families, the loss of an animal companion can represent a major challenge that could lead to transient or clinical depression.

The subject of animal companion loss can bring a wide variety of reactions. For those who have experienced this devastation, it brings validation, connection to others who have endured this loss and choose to express the depth of their attachment to their departed friend.

But for those who have not had this kind of relationship with a family pet, they may inadvertently dismiss such reactions as unhealthy and overblown, further alienating someone who is deeply grieving.

If a pregnant or new mother you know has recently lost a precious pet, please support her through this loss with understanding and validation. Ask about it, ask about the animal’s life and meaning. Be willing to listen.

Here is a wonderful article on pet loss. If you would like to learn more, please click on over to the this story by
Andrea Kahn which also describes my own work on this important topic.. One way to advocate and extend understanding of this form of loss is to send feedback or commentary to the publication. So if you are moved and have had this experience, do leave Andrea a comment.