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| Pregnant Pause
April 12, 2016
I
ssue #58
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Because there is no health without mental health!
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POSTPARTUM CARE:
MORE SUPPORT FOR MOMS
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Following delivery, the standard care for new mothers is one visit to an OB-GYN or midwife at approximately six weeks postpartum. It takes about six to eight weeks for the majority of women to return to "non-pregnant anatomy and physiology," and during this time, women are still at risk for complications like infections, blood clots, hemorrhage, and exhaustion. A recent study found a link between postpartum health complications and an increased risk of developing postpartum depression. Though mothers have indicated that they want and need more care following childbirth, very little work has been done to determine how much care is needed to improve health outcomes.
To assess this need, the University of North Carolina is establishing a new program called The Fourth Trimester Project which aims to determine
measures that can be used to ensure that new moms' healthcare needs are met. The program plans to conduct surveys and follow-up meetings with groups of mothers who have babies under nine months, with the ultimate goal of generating a series of guidelines, policies, and study recommendations for women's postpartum care.
Many healthcare providers note that women's health is still an understudied facet of the postpartum period. To date, very few clinical efforts and studies have been done to address this critical need. Programs like The Fourth Trimester Project are encouraging steps towards prioritizing and improving women's health after giving birth.
To learn more, click
here
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USING AN IPHONE APP TO STUDY POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION
With the recent focus on postpartum depression following the published screening recommendations from the U.S. Prevention Services Task Force, healthcare providers and patients are intent on better understanding this prevalent mental health complication among new mothers.
The Perinatal Psychiatry program at the UNC Center for Women's Mood Disorders is launching a new iPhone app that will be used to recruit women who have experienced postpartum depression, with the goal of collectin
g
100,000 DNA samples to compare to DNA from women who have not experienced this condition. From this, researchers hope to elucidate the biological mechanisms that lead to symptoms of maternal mental illness in an attempt to improve diagnosis and treatment overall.
In the past, studies have been unable to determine clear genetic markers for depression, but the unique circumstances of postpartum depression may allow for more conclusive results. The app, PPD ACT, will be offered for free in the U.S., Australia, and Britain, with the potential to be extended to other countries in the future. Women without phones will be reached through participating clinics.
To read the article about the new study, click here.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Oxytocin levels during pregnancy may predict the severity of postpartum depression: Higher oxytocin levels in the third trimester of pregnancy have been shown to predict the severity of postpartum depression symptoms in women with a history of depression. The results tentatively indicate that this biomarker could be used to identify women who might experience symptoms of depression in the postpartum period and to encourage the initiation of treatment as soon as possible.
To read more, click here.
Women who have experienced postpartum depression may limit family size:
From a study examining data from approximately 300 mothers, researchers found that postpartum depression symptoms, especially from a first pregnancy, were correlated with a decreased likelihood of a woman having a third child. Though this study could not provide a cause and effect relationship, it was one of the first to establish a tentative association between postpartum depression and the number of children a woman will have.
To learn more, follow this
link
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Antenatal depression could be reduced by aerobic exercise: A study of 100 pregnant women who were enrolled in either a 12 week supervised exercise intervention or a control group found that symptoms of antenatal depression could be lessened through aerobic exercise. At the end of the study, those women in the exercise intervention group demonstrated improvements in depressive symptoms in comparison to those individuals in the control group.
To learn more, click here.
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Thank you to the Atlanta Women's Foundation for their generous support of the work of Project Healthy Moms.
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 LOOKING FOR WAYS TO GET INVOLVED?
2) Check out our Facebook page 3) Sign up for our newsletters 4) Contact us to see if there are any current volunteer opportunities at: [email protected] |
SCREENING & IDENTIFICATION TRAINING FOR PERINATAL MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS  Project Healthy Moms' PMAD Screening and Identification Trainings are aimed at healthcare providers (e.g. physicians, nurses, social workers) who come in contact with childbearing women. Through this program, healthcare providers who are involved in maternal and child health are trained to recognize symptoms of the various PMADs and consequences of untreated PMADs. During the training, providers learn how to screen mothers for PMADs and are also educated about treatment options and referral methods. The goal of the training is to ensure that healthcare providers are able to correctly and routinely identify and refer women who may be suffering from PMADs in their practices. To learn more and schedule a training, please contact Sarah Yoss at [email protected] or (678) 904-1968.
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RESOURCE LIST
Did you know that Mental Health America of Georgia has a resource list for pregnant and postpartum women? It is updated regularly and provides contact information for healthcare providers and outlets for self-care for pregnant and postpartum women.
To access the list, visit www.mhageorgia.org/project-healthy-moms/resource-list/
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| WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!
Project Healthy Moms is an important initiative of MHA of Georgia. Perinatal mood disorders are the most common complication of childbirth. In the United States, approximately 20% of new mothers suffer from these devastating illnesses which, if not properly treated, can have a long-term negative impact on the health of not only the mothers, but their children and families as well. Our goal is to increase awareness, identification, treatment, and support of perinatal mood disorders in Georgia, while also reducing the stigma associated with them.
To learn more about Project Healthy Moms, click here.
Project Healthy Moms is only one of many programs developed by MHA of Georgia to further our mission of enhancing the mental health of all Georgians through education, outreach, and advocacy.
Click here to learn more about MHA of Georgia's other programs. Your support will help us continue our work educating Georgians about mental illness, striving to eliminate stigma, and advocating on behalf of people with mental illness in our state. Click here to support MHA of Georgia.
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