Susan Dowd Stone shares hopeful thoughts on the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS ACT

Susan Dowd Stone submitted the following article to EmpowHer yesterday and I want to help spread this info around because it's so crucial that this much-needed legislation gets passed. Please read below and click here to find out more about Susan and the tremendous work she is doing.

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Attention advocates of America’s mothers and the thousands of courageous women who are experiencing or who have survived a pregnancy or postpartum depression – you have not been forgotten. For among the significant challenges facing the 111th Congress, the issue of untreated maternal depression remains a top priority. One new Congressional focus is the rebuilding of national infrastructure. One might make the analogy that this should include enhancing the healthy infrastructure of our families by ending the preventable plague of maternal mood disorders which continues to ravage over 800,000 women – and their infants and families – every year. The long-term consequences of untreated maternal depression range from chronic illness, child learning disabilities, family stress and economic loss - to death.  

Congressman Bobby L. Rush has reintroduced The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act to the 111th Congress. During the 110th Congress, the legislation had over 130 bi-partisan cosponsors and passed the United States House of Representatives on October 15th, 2007 by a vote of 382-3. I was so very proud to be sitting in the Congressional Gallery on that triumphant day as a unified Congress validated the suffering of millions of American women and families by promising more support to help end this public health crisis. Congressman Rush never forgot the Chicago constituent – Melanie Blocker Stokes – who lost her life to this illness and whose tragic death inspired his decades long devotion to end maternal suffering.  

In the U.S. Senate, Sen. Robert Menendez has been similarly steadfast in his devotion and promotion of The MOTHERS Act. Initially based on New Jersey’s groundbreaking law inspired by PPD Survivor and former New Jersey First Lady Mary Jo Codey and spearheaded to passage by her husband N.J. State Senate President Richard Codey, the passage of this legislation has resulted in increased availability of services, public awareness campaigns and state-wide hot lines responsive to the crisis. While repeated attempts by Sen. Menendez and other senate leaders to pass the bill last fall narrowly missed, one pivotal result was that the national spotlight again became fixed on this incomprehensible Congressional stalemate. 

The resulting new waves of national attention and support for this bill and its clear, purposeful mission have further galvanized public support and public outcry for its passage. The research, education, public awareness campaigns and grants for treatment and supportive services requested in The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act will help to end the untold agony that too often goes unrecognized, undiagnosed and untreated. 

The countless women who walk through my practice door feeling shamed and marginalized for the medical illness they are trying to fight alone must know that these common disorders can afflict anyone - that these illness are treatable - that they did nothing to cause it - that they will be well again! That they are NOT ALONE!  

As president-elect Barack Obama - one of the bill’s initial lead sponsors – takes the nation’s helm this week, we anticipate a timely convergence of forces which will lend impetus to the bill’s passage this year.  

In addition to our legislative leaders, many thanks to all of you who have given voice and time and energy to turn this tide on the ignorance and suffering that has plagued American mothers and their families for decades – your moment is coming. With your renewed support and advocacy, we will pass The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act in 2009!  

SUMMARY OF THE LEGISLATION Section 1: Short title of the bill- The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act.  

TITLE I- Research  

• Encourages HHS to coordinate and continue research to expand the understanding of the causes of, and find treatments for, postpartum conditions. Also, encourages a National Public Awareness Campaign, to be administered by HHS, to increase awareness and knowledge of postpartum depression and psychosis.  

• Sense of Congress that the Director of the NIH may conduct a nationally representative longitudinal study of the relative mental health consequences for women of resolving a pregnancy (intended or unintended) in various ways, including carrying the pregnancy to term and parenting the child, carrying the pregnancy to term and placing the child for adoption, miscarriage, and having an abortion. This study may assess the incidence, timing, magnitude, and duration of the immediate and long-term mental health consequences (positive and negative) of these pregnancy outcomes. 

TITLE II- Delivery of Services 

• Encourages HHS to make grants available for projects for the establishment, operation, and coordination of systems for the delivery of essential services to individuals with postpartum depression. (Entities): Makes grants available to public or nonprofit private entity, which may include a State or local government, a public-private partnership, a recipient of a grant under the Healthy Start program, a public or nonprofit private hospital, community-based organization, hospice, ambulatory care facility, community health center, migrant health center, public housing primary care center, or homeless health center, or any other appropriate public or nonprofit private entity. o (Activities): Eligible activities include delivering or enhancing outpatient, inpatient and home-based health and support services, including case management and comprehensive treatment services for individuals with or at risk for postpartum conditions. Activities may also include providing education about postpartum conditions to new mothers and their families, including symptoms, methods of coping with the illness, and treatment resources, in order to promote earlier diagnosis and treatment.  

TITLE III- General Provisions 

• (Funding): Authorizes $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2008; and such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2009 and 2010.  

• (HHS Report): Requires the Secretary of HHS to conduct a study on the benefits of screening for postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis.  

• (Limitation): The Secretary may not utilize amounts made available under this Act to carry out activities or programs that are duplicative of activities or programs that are currently being carried out through the Dept of HHS.  

SUPPORTERS: Postpartum Support International Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses American Psychological Association American Psychiatric Association Children’s Defense Fund American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists March of Dimes Mental Health America American College of Nurse Midwives National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Suicide Prevention Action Network USA National Alliance on Mental Illness Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs National Partnership for Women & Families OWL- The Voice of Midlife and Older Women National Women’s Law Center

Time got away from me

I know it has been forever since my last blog post.  And it's not because I've not been in touch with the latest PPD-related news and issues.  It's just that life has been way too full and way too fast these days.....

So in the last month, my mom remarried (to a wonderful man who I just adore), the company where I work, EmpowHer, went out of beta and launched a fabulous new version of the site, and I've been dealing with my first holiday season post-divorce.  At the moment, I'm contemplating what it will be like to be alone on Christmas day.  (I had the kids with me over Thanksgiving.)  But I'm not too overly worried about it because if Christmas Day is anything like the rest of the year that has gone by so fast and furious, it will be a fleeting memory before I know it.  My New Year's resolution is to get back on track with my blog here and to stay focused on reaching out to women who need the best information and resources on postpartum depression.

A postpartum depression interview with an extraordinary high school student

I was recently contacted by a high school student named Ashley clear across the country who asked if she could interview me for a high school project. She had chosen to write about Postpartum Depression with the hopes of educating others on how devastating and misunderstood it is. Ashley found me when she came upon this blog and I was so thrilled and honored to help her out. Below are her questions to me and my responses during the interview.


What was your initial reaction to finding out you had Postpartum Depression, how did it impact your life?

My initial reaction, as sappy as it sounds, was crying tears of joy. Receiving a diagnosis of Postpartum Depression had a major impact on my life at the time. I had spent three months suffering horribly, some of that time in and out of the hospital, with so much of my stress wrapped up in the fact that I had no idea what was wrong with me. The doctors caring for me had no idea either, so I felt completely isolated and alone. Being diagnosed was incredibly empowering because at last I could say: here’s what’s wrong with me and it’s treatable. There was a name for my agony. That knowledge literally brought up from the darkest place where I was contemplating suicide to one where I felt some hope.

What symptoms of Postpartum Depression did you have to suffer through, and if you had any, what physical changes occurred as well?

My symptoms were largely gastro-intestinal; mainly comprised of stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, fainting, dehydration, dizziness, major weight loss, lethargy and nausea. The nausea was far more intense than even the worst morning sickness that I’d ever experienced with any of my pregnancies. The most disturbing symptom was the extreme dizziness. The room would start spinning the moment I lifted my head from my pillow. I would have to literally crawl on the floor to make it to the bathroom. I went from being a very healthy and physically active (former marathon runner) 30-year-old woman to being completely debilitated and unable to function. Even the simplest everyday tasks, such as brushing my teeth, were impossible at times.

What impact did your Postpartum Depression have on your family and friends?

It destroyed my relationship with my parents, who did not understand depression (especially PPD) at all. During my second hospitalization for dehydration, my dad called me on the phone and told me to “get off my butt and start taking care of my babies.” I begged my parents to help me and my husband take care of our babies so that I could get out of the house for doctor’s appointments, but they refused and said it was my choice to have the babies, therefore I must deal with the consequences. When I was finally diagnosed with PPD, I needed some financial assistance in order to see a psychologist who was a PPD expert, and when I asked my parents for a loan they responded similarly. It has been nearly twelve years and I haven’t had a relationship with my parents since. I was so deeply affected by their ignorance of the reality of mood disorders and their lack of compassion that I’ve chosen to keep them out of my life. At the time, I was too ashamed about having PPD to tell any of my friends, so I didn’t share or ask for support from them. I think I feared they would react the same way my parents had.

What treatments did you go through for Postpartum Depression and if there were multiple treatments, which ones do you believe to be the most effective?

Immediately after my diagnosis, my obstetrician put me on an anti-depressant, Prozac, and it started working quickly. In only two weeks I felt nearly like my former self and I was able to take care of my babies and function well around the house. I also immediately began seeing a psychologist who specialized in PPD. Talk therapy helped enormously and I continued seeing her regularly (first once a week and then eventually once every two weeks) for about a year until I felt I was completely recovered. In addition, my psychologist recommended that I start writing in a journal, which I did, and also found very helpful. In fact, I credit that as the official start of what became my career in writing. I had never dreamed of becoming a professional writer, but after journaling and writing extensively about my PPD experience, I found that I loved writing so much that I became a freelance journalist.

In addition to talk therapy and taking Prozac, my psychologist recommended that I take a class of some sort or join a book club, etc, to have an excuse to get out of the house and do something just for me. I signed up for my first yoga class, one evening a week at the time, and that in itself made a major impact on my life. Not only was I getting out of the house by myself, I was doing a wonderfully therapeutic form of exercise that has taught me a great deal about the mind/body connection. I still do yoga regularly and my kids have done yoga since they were small.

Where there times when you would just want to give up because everything just seemed so stressful and overwhelming?

YES. There were many times when I couldn’t raise my head from my pillow and I’d think that I was so worthless that my life wasn’t worth living. I truly believe that if I had gone on much longer without a diagnosis that I wouldn’t be here today.

How do you feel when people assume that Postpartum Depression is just the “baby blues” and that “everyone goes through it, so it’s not a big deal”?

Whenever I hear or read the term “baby blues,” it makes me extremely angry. It's a load of crap. That term was created either by a man, or by a woman who never experienced a perinatal mood disorder. It’s like saying cancer is just a mild discomfort. And PPD is indeed a big deal since women have died from it since the beginning of time. They’re still dying.

Did you ever feel like people would judge you unfairly when they found out you had Postpartum Depression?

Yes, I totally felt like I would be judged since there’s still such a stigma surrounding mental disorders. The reason I began speaking out about my PPD experience is because I got so tired of hearing how women are still suffering every day, being misdiagnosed or left undiagnosed. And their children are suffering, both emotionally and cognitively. I don’t believe we’re any further along in decreasing the incidences of PPD than we were in 1996 when I had it.

Do you feel that after your recovery, you are a changed person or generally the same as you were before you knew you had Postpartum?

I am a completely different person. I feel like I’m more compassionate in general, but especially when it comes to mental disorders. I actually look at my PPD experience as a gift in a way because I’ve learned so much about my body and how to cope better with stress.

A few years after I suffered from PPD, one of my children was diagnosed with both Asperger’s Syndrome and Tourette’s Syndrome. Since I had worked so hard to educate myself on my own mental disorder, it was easier to understand and deal with the challenges that my child faced.

How do you feel about the controversy that erupted between Brooke Shields and Tom Cruise a few years ago?

I’m really glad it happened because it did a great deal to raise awareness of PPD among the general public. (It also demonstrated what an idiot Tom Cruise is and how that particular way of thinking needs to stop.)

Is there anything else you would like to tell the class regarding Postpartum Depression?

The main thing that I would like to express is that PPD is not only treatable, it is preventable as well. Many women don’t realize this, especially if they’ve already suffered from PPD. They assume they’ll have it again, and roughly 30% of women in this category even consider abortion when they find they’re pregnant again, rather than face PPD another time. I write a lot about PPD prevention on my blog and share my story of having a wonderful postpartum with my fourth baby in 2001, several years after my horrible PPD experience. As in most cases, knowledge is power, and I was truly empowered when I became pregnant my fourth (and last) time around. I knew what my PPD symptoms looked like, knew to watch out for them, knew to ask for help, to set up a strong support system of loving family and friends, and most of all, to take care of myself through the pregnancy and birth. For more information and access to some resources that I think are really great, you can always visit my blog or e-mail me.

Ashley, I cannot thank you enough for tackling this important topic and spreading awareness through your work. The more we talk about PPD, the more women and medical professionals will be educated so that one day we can bring an end to this devastating disorder.

When you have a subsequent pregnancy

When I was pregnant with my fourth baby, I was pretty nervous about possibly going through another bout of PPD. I'd had such a horrible crash after my third and I'd heard all of the dismal statistics on how common it is to have a repeat PPD experience. But I was determined to beat it. The difference between my third postpartum and my fourth was knowledge. I was empowered by knowing what to expect, being aware of my PPD symptoms and preventive measures that I could take to avoid them.

So, I made a list of everything I needed to have in place so that I could experience the kind of postpartum that every mom envisions -- you know, where you're glowing and healthy, constantly cooing over your baby and relaxing pristinely in your designer maternity loungewear and talking to your friends about how to lose those extra ten pounds.

Okay, so maybe no postpartum is close to that vision, but still, it is possible to have a relatively peaceful and happy postpartum, even with your fourth baby, and even when you've previous suffered from PPD, because I did it.

The key to my last, successful postpartum was having a strong support system in place. Since our extended family is so spread out geographically and I didn't have the luxury of having relatives to lean on, I brought in a postpartum doula to help me for three weeks after our baby was born. Doula is a Greek word and means "woman who serves." A postpartum doula can help in so many ways, basically being a post-birth helper. My doula helped with the baby at night, watched over my C-section incision as it healed, helped identify any symptoms of PPD, handled the laundry, cooking, watched the baby when I needed to spend time with my older children, but most importantly, she listened to me and helped me gradually get back on my feet. She and I were a team and that support was priceless. She stressed that I need to take of myself and recover so that I could take care of my new baby and the rest of my family. Paying for a postpartum doula was the best money that my husband and I have ever spent.

One of my dreams for all new moms in the future is that they all can have the choice of having a postpartum doula.

If you're looking for a doula in your area, feel free to e-mail me and I'll help you find out your options; kdavispark@gmail.com.

Does PPD end?

I was just reading some blogs written by women who are suffering from PPD and one of them asked if PPD ever goes away. Just that one statement brought a rush of memories. I remember that feeling so well -- like you're in this tunnel that keeps getting smaller and darker, with no light in sight. When I was in the throes of PPD, I couldn't even remember what it was like to feel good. I couldn't remember what "normal" was. And I couldn't imagine being that way ever again.

But PPD does end. You do reach light and leave the tunnel. Some women crawl out of the tunnel on their own. Others are lifted up and carried out by their family or friends. But it does end.

In my situation, it was a little of both. I crawled and at the same time leaned on those around me who offered their unconditional love and support. The thing that began to shatter the darkness was knowledge. I was so horribly ill and yet had no idea what was wrong with me. Beginning on the day I came home from the hospital with my beautiful baby daughter, my world started disintegrating. I was hit with intense nausea, worse than any morning sickness ever was. I experienced seemingly endless vomiting and diarrhea and quickly lost my "baby" fat and any reserves I had. I was dizzy the second I tried to lift my head off my pillow. When I did make it out of bed, I often fainted. I gave up breastfeeding my daughter after a week because every time I brought her to my breast, I had to run for the toilet. By the second week I was in complete dispair. Not only did I have my newborn daughter to care for, I also had a 13-month-old son! I was an instant and utter failure, not being able to even get out of bed.

My obstetrician was on maternity leave, so the doctor filling in for her sent me to a gastroenterologist since my symptoms were mainly G.I.-related. This particular doctor was supposedly the best G.I. specialist in Dallas. He checked me over thoroughly (colonoscopy, endoscopy, etc., etc.) for cancer ---- countless tests and two 3-day hospitalizations later, he was done with me. He could find nothing wrong with me and literally threw his hands up and shrugged at me.

By this time, my daughter was 3 months old. I was unable to be a mom, a wife, much less a healthy person. I couldn't drive anywhere. I couldn't keep food down. I couldn't do anything but lay in bed. I wanted to die.

During my last hospital stay, a nurse quietly suggested that I read a book called "Postpartum Survival Guide" by Anne Dunnewold. I didn't know much at all about PPD and was stunned to think that I might have it. I didn't realize I was depressed.

My parents had responded to my situation by cutting me off -- they chose a "tough love" stance because they thought being sick was all my choice.... that I was lazy or simply unwilling to function as a mom. Even though they told relatives not to help me, an aunt wasn't willing to let me suffer without help. I told her about the book recommended by the nurse and she agreed that PPD could be a possibility. I read every page of the book and saw my story in its pages. I couldn't believe it. My aunt encouraged me to get into therapy and offered to help me with child care so that I could get out of the house. I called the book's author, Anne Dunnewold, a psychologist who happened to have an office in Dallas. Although she was completely booked six months out, when she heard my story she agreed to see me within the week. That meeting changed my life. Anne not only suggested medication to help me get out of the tunnel, she also suggested yoga. I started taking Prozac, signed up for a weekly yoga class, and remained in therapy for a year, although my PPD symptoms magically disappeared within a couple of weeks of seeing Anne that first time.

It was the knowledge of PPD that empowered me. I finally had a name for what was wrong with me. At that point I knew my life wasn't over. It was the support of my aunt that helped me get to therapy. It was the combination of therapy, medication and yoga that saved my life.

For anyone who is suffering from PPD, I promise you that you can get better. Don't lose hope. You will get your life back. I did, and not only that, I had a subsequent pregnancy and never experienced PPD again. Knowledge is everything ---- PPD is absolutely preventable.