Perinatal Mental Health: Lessons We’ve Been Learning

by Brita Johnson

One of the core tenets of our work at Bridgetown Baby is growth. As doulas, we help our clients grow their confidence as parents; as lactation consultants, we support parents with feeding counsel to ensure their babies are gaining and growing and thriving. And as practitioners, we have a focus on professional growth that hones our awareness and our skills so that we are constantly learning how better to serve our clients.

Continuing education is built into our weekly virtual lunch gatherings, our social justice study group, the Slack channel we use to share and gather resources, and the requirements of the governing bodies through which we’re certified. Far from being just a requirement, though, our engagement with continuing education is part of the curiosity and commitment that’s a shared value at Bridgetown Baby.

Recently, four of our team members attended a two-day training offered by Postpartum Support International (PSI). PSI works to ensure that all families have access to information, social support, and informed professional care to deal with mental health issues related to childbearing. The training (Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care) gathered together nurses, midwives, doctors, doulas, lactation consultants, psychiatrists and other professionals to delve into perinatal mental health challenges: what forms they take; contributing factors; how to identify when families need help; and resources for parents experiencing these challenges.

The training was intensive, and intensely emotional - after all, helping families to grow and thrive is at the heart of what we do, and the stakes are high when new parents face significant emotional challenges. Our four Bridgetown Baby team members kept a side channel open to process what we were learning. There were a few key take-home messages for us:

It’s real. As many as 1 in 5 moms and as many as 1 in 10 dads experience mental health challenges in the period from conception through the first year after birth. With symptoms that can range from mild discomfort to life-threatening, perinatal mood disorders impact families cross-culturally at similar rates and do not discriminate on the basis of socioeconomic status. Many factors can contribute to mental health challenges for new families, including hormonal changes, genetic predisposition, psychological factors, and social and environmental realities such as trauma and structural racism. It’s not your fault if it happens to you.

It’s manageable. There are many proven methods of support for mental health challenges in the perinatal period. Social support networks, such as support groups and virtual circles, help parents set their experiences in the context of other families’ realities, compare notes, share resources, and receive referrals to other forms of support. Compassionate, evidence-based support from therapists can help new parents explore and work through challenges that are common in the perinatal period: changing identities, expectations vs. reality, reducing perfectionism, communication and conflict resolution, and feelings related to grief and loss. And medication, managed by a psychiatric practitioner, can be a valuable tool to address acute symptoms; then, from a place of stability, the individual and their family can work on building strength and coping mechanisms to move forward on solid ground. With help, you will be well.

Education and planning ahead are protective factors. Individuals enter parenthood with significant assumptions and expectations about what it is to be a parent and a family. These can be related to how pregnancy will go/feel, what the experience of labor and delivery will be like, roles and goals as mothers, and roles and goals as fathers. Lived experiences frequently do not map to these assumptions, giving rise to disappointment, self-doubt, guilt. Parents do better with support to explore those assumptions, get a realistic picture of pregnancy and early parenting, plan ahead for support around any preexisting mental health challenges, and create a postpartum plan to meet the emotional and material needs of the new family. Having resources in place creates a softer landing and reassurance for new parents: you don’t have to go it alone.

All together, this is why we do what we do as postpartum doulas and lactation consultants. We celebrate the joys of welcoming a new baby and we recognize the very real challenges of the perinatal period. We work to normalize those challenges, provide meaningful material and emotional support, and provide referrals and connections from our extensive web of resources to reassure new families that they are never alone in their struggles. And by bringing light to these struggles, we are part of a broader effort to reduce the stigma that surrounds perinatal mental health challenges and often keeps families from seeking the help that would ease their journey.

We are grateful for the opportunity to learn, together as a team and as part of a broader community of professionals who are moving the needle on perinatal mental health. It’s an honor for us to help families get the support they need for the healthy start they deserve.

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NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES:

Postpartum Support International provides a wealth of resources accessible anywhere in the world, including specific supports for moms, dads, partners & families, queer parents, military families, postpartum psychosis, loss & grief, adoptive and birth mothers, incarcerated women: postpartum.net, 800-944-4773

OREGON RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES:

Brita Johnson is a Certified Postpartum Doula with Bridgetown Baby. She’s mom to two big kids and values her role as guide to her family and to new families across the Portland Metro area.

Baby Blues Connection, Portland/Vancouver: babybluesconnection.org, 800-557-8375. One-on-one phone/text support, support group for moms, support groups for dads

WellMama, Lane County: wellmamaoregon.com, 541-525-0495. One-on-one text support, virtual support group, specialized support groups for infertility, loss, multiples, NICU families

Compass Perinatal Peer Support, Lincoln, Marion, Polk, and Yamhill Counties: compasspps.com, 971-301-2678. One-on-one phone/text support, virtual support group, rural community outreach

Becoming Us: bbsuarez.com/events/becoming-us-before-and-after-baby-classes/. Virtual classes to support in navigating the transition to parenthood, communication challenges, etc.