Being pregnant is hard. Giving birth is hard. Parenting a newborn is hard. When all is said and done, there's nothing more rewarding than bringing a tiny human into this world. But it is hard. If you find yourself struggling with postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety, surrounding yourself with the right resources is crucial. Having this support in place before you give birth is even better. You'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it, right?
For Maternal Mental Health Week 2022, we're sharing a roundup of some of the best mental health resources available to postpartum parents. Do you have a resource we should know about? Drop it in the comments!
Podcasts
Happy As A Mother: Hosted by psychotherapist Erica Djossa, this podcast teaches strategies to help you cope with the psychological and emotional load of motherhood. We especially love her interviews with other prenatal and postpartum professionals including other psychologists, pediatricians, fertility specialists, lactation consultants, and more.
The Motherly Podcast: Hearing from other moms who have been through what you're going through can be incredibly validating during the 4th trimester and beyond. This podcast taps into those honest conversations about motherhood.
The Hey Girl Podcast: While this podcast isn't lead by a mental health professional, Alex Elle is a beautiful guide into the world of self-care and emotional wellbeing. Her words are uplifting, realistic and applicable to all women.
Online Resources
Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance: This nonprofit is a wealth of resources for advancing health equity. It focuses on initiatives that specifically address racial and economic inequities, striving to ensure that all women and childbearing people are routinely educated about and screened for maternal mental health conditions, as well as have access to quality care.
Postpartum Support International: PSI is the world’s leading organization in advocating and educating about maternal mental health issues and providing support to women and families affected by these illnesses. A few things they offer postpartum mamas:
- Free weekly call-in and online support sessions.
- Coordinators and/or chapters in all 50 states to provide connections to local resources.
- Peer mentor program, which pairs moms (and dads) in need of support with a trained volunteer who has experienced and fully recovered from a maternal mental health disorder.
- Provider directory of mental health professionals with advanced training in maternal mental health.
Support Groups
Online Therapy
Amwell: This is one of the online therapy options that highlights its expertise in diagnosing and treating PPD online with therapy, psychiatry, and/or medication. Plus, it offers access to care seven days a week and accepts insurance.
Rethink My Therapy: PPD can affect not only your mental health, but also your relationship with your partner and family. Rethink My Therapy specializes in treating postpartum depression, but also offers individual, couples, and family therapy, as well as psychiatry.
Instagram Accounts
@mothercarejourney: An occupational therapist creating a safe space for maternal mental health and helping moms find healthy ways of coping.
@psychedmommy: Dr. Ream, who tapped into her own experience as a new mom, has helped hundreds of moms with her perinatal mental health courses and resources.
@akoma_counseling: Did you know mental health therapists aren't required to study perinatal health? Shivonne Odom took that extra step to become a licensed Perinatal Mental Health Clinician so she could provide support to all mothers. Watch our interview with her here.
@dralicepsyd: If you're struggling with anxiety, Dr. Alice is a great resource. She also offers Telehealth in 28 states through her private practice Postpartum Link.
