Postpartum support Compass Perinatal Peer Support Fridays 10:30 a.m. - Noon Broadway Coffeehouse, Dallas Room 1300 Broadway St. NE, Salem www.postpartum.net
Mother Heart Counselling Jennifer Ungarwulff 602B Front St. Suite 5, Silverton www.motherheartcounselling.com
She Soars Psychiatry, LLC Audry Van Houweling 602B Front St. Suite 5, Silverton www.shesoarspsych.com breastfeeding went right. I was determined that that’s what we would do so I used donor milk and a Supplemental Nursing System until my supply was enough for him. It was devastating to feel like a failure. When I got pregnant again,
I was never really over my PPD and spent the entire pregnancy loving a baby I was carrying but really struggling with depression the whole time.”
There’s no support for childcare and preschool culturally. We’re not supporting you – there’s no support for you.” Dumitrescu agrees and suggests one method communities can aid new mothers is by not waiting until they ask for help. Instead, she recommends banding together in support and commandeering daily chores like house cleaning, laundry and cooking dinner.
Wolterman explained that she never sought treatment for her depression and instead made excuses for how she felt, telling herself she was “fine.” According to Ungarwulff this kind of denial is common and can make it difficult to recognize which women are suffering. “It’s the idea that being a mom should be easy – that it’s not really work – it sort of undermines the value of mothers,” she said. “It’s part of that ‘women need to be perfect’ in the world. They’re not allowed to be imperfect or struggling.” Ungarwulff thinks the solution lies in community support for families – and mothers in particular. “People don’t live in the same city or state as their relatives,” she said. “A lot of people don’t get paid maternity leave.
she said. “Everybody feels guilty when they take time for themselves, but it doesn’t have to be super extreme. It’s always good to take care of yourself.” Ungarwulff also urges women who are newly pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant to be proactive in discussing their personal risk factors for postpartum depression with their doctor, midwife or a mental healthcare provider and to come up with a preliminary plan.
“Because if you ask her, ‘what can I do?’ you’re just adding another decision to five billion decisions she’s already making,” she said. Ungarwulff also suggests women make time for self-care. Although it can seem overwhelming to a new mother; good nutrition, 25 to 30 minutes of mild to moderate exercise every day, aromatherapy, sad lights and support groups can all be helpful ways of boosting both physical and mental health. “I know what it’s like, and it’s not easy,”
“The earlier you go in the better,” she said. Van Houweling also advised mothers to treat themselves and each other with compassion and to avoid the pitfalls of expecting perfection. “I think there is a lot of comparison, judgment, and continued stigma that is made even more immediate by social media,” she said. “Women can be hard on “Aneach d theother. Making room for authenticity said it y and would admission of struggle is so important n’t lasin t!”order that women can feel truly supported.”
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