I would like you to meet a friend of mine who is a wonderful advocate for women and families suffering with postpartum issues.   I sure hope you check out her blog-Sharing the Journey.  This woman is working her tail off on the behalf of ladies with postpartum illnesses.  She leads a PPD support group in Georgia and works with Postpartum Support International.  She truly has a heart for hurting women, she’s been there and has loads of compassion.  You might want to take the opportunity to thank her sometime if she writes something that blesses you!   She is such a great supporter and cheerleader.  I want to share her words with you from an interview we did.  What a blessing she has been to me personally...thank you Lauren!

Check out unexpectedblessing.wordpress.com.

1. How did Sharing the Journey begin?

 

 Sharing the Journey began on 2007, about a week after we discovered our third pregnancy, which was unexpected. The afternoon I took the pregnancy tests, I handed over child care to my husband and crawled into bed. This couldn't be happening. Not again. I had just gone through the darkest period in my life and had been thinking about tapering both my medication and therapy back quite a bit. I knew that I would not be able to do either for quite some time the instant that second line popped up. And the second line popped up twice. Yes, I took two tests. The first line was very faint. The second time I took the test there was no mistaking the positive result. (And there's no doubting it now - he's got the most beautiful blue eyes ever - I get lost in them quite a bit!)

 

Instead of wallowing, I got out of bed and grabbed Karen Kleiman's book, What am I Thinking? Having a Baby after Postpartum Depression. It's a fast, easy, straightforward read and gave me a lot of hope and strength. One of the things that hit home was that it was OK for me to be scared as long as it was a healthy scare, and not one that overshadowed my every move. Karen's book is what led to the thought process of starting a blog. I wanted to reframe my experience for myself as well as share it with other women who were in the boat along with me, even if not at the same time as me. It's been one heck of a Journey so far and the blog has been even more successful than I could have imagined the first day I started.

 

2. Tell me a little bit about your blog, Sharing the Journey.

 

As I stated above, I started Sharing the Journey to reframe an unexpected pregnancy after having experienced the darkest time in my life. The blog also serves to inform and share with others what I've gone through and the resources I have located along the way. I'm amazed at how well the blog has done. I had 10,000 hits on the one year anniversary and was fortunate enough to do an interview with Karen Kleiman shortly after, the woman who really got me rolling on the blog thing in the first place.

 

The general tone of the blog is informational with lightheartedness, compassion, and faith in the mix. It's just me being me and doing what I do best - sharing and caring through my words.

 

3. You and I have one big thing in common, it drives us both nuts when people lump the "baby blues" in with PPD and PPP.  Can you briefly explain your understanding of the differences between these problems and illnesses?  

 

I'll be as brief as possible as this is definitely an area that I make sure to clarify quite thoroughly.

 

I recently wrote a post about this at my blog. A reporter in Orange County, CA, lumped the Baby Blues in with Psychosis. What drives me nuts is the irresponsibility and obvious lack of what is minor research to discover the differences. Thankfully the information on this is out there and it's extremely accessible.

 

My understanding of the three are as follows:

 

Baby Blues: A little weepy and stressed out shortly after birth. Lasts no longer than two weeks at the most. Surface stuff, really, typical readjustment of hormones to a non-pregnant status. Think about being stressed after a big move. The adjustment to a new home, town, etc. Sure it's frazzling but hey, you're up and running again pretty quickly, right?

 

Postpartum Depression: May come on the scene as Baby Blues but overstays it's welcome. Sinks down pretty deep, interferes with general every day duties and tasks such as hygeine, desires, etc. Typical symptoms can include but are not limited to:

•increased irritability

•fatigue

•over attentiveness to baby

•ignoring baby and self-care

•crying

•anxiety

Now onto Postpartum Psychosis.

 

This is the one that a LOT of people immediately think of as soon as they hear the hushed whispers of Postpartum Depression. I would like to point out that it is extremely rare and even rarer still for an episode of Postpartum Depression to evolve into PPP unless there is an underlying pre-existing mental health problem such as bi-polar disorder or schizophrenia. PPP consists of hallucinations, delusions, and a complete detachment from the real world. A mother with PPP should never be left alone with her child and should be considered to be suffering from a medical emergency. It is possible to recover from PPP but help should be sought immediately. Symptoms can rush in rather quickly and typically PPP presents almost immediately after birth. 

 

Another thing that bugs me is the term Postpartum Depression. It's really an umbrella term and can be somewhat misleading. To be suffering from PPD does not mean you have to be sad, there are a range of disorders within this realm. Everything from Depression to General Anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. OCD is rare as well and is what I suffered from with both episodes. When you have OCD, there are intrusive thoughts - meaning you think something horrible and are immediately disgusted and alarmed that you even had that thought to begin with. (With PPP there is no capability to distinguish - no matter how horrible, your thoughts are real) 

 

 

 

4. What is your greatest joy in working with women with postpartum issues?

 

My greatest joy in working with women with postpartum issues is knowing that this is one woman who won't have to go through what I did without support. It's knowing that I am finally doing what God has been grooming me to do since I was a little girl. He is using my warmth, compassion, and my precious gift of writing to provide solace to new mothers as they struggle just as I did not too long ago.

 

5. What exactly is PACE?

 

PACE is the local peer support group/organization that I run. We meet once a month to provide a safe space for mothers who are struggling to come together and vent their frustrations without fear of being judged or stigmatized. PACE stands for Postnatal Mood Disorders Acceptance through Compassion and Education. I am also working to get some education modules out into the medical community. My unexpected pregnancy the first year of PACE really threw off my schedule of goals for the organization but I am slowly getting things back on track and have some really great goals in mind.

 

6.  What has been your experience in how people in your community and family  perceive postpartum issues and illnesses?  Have you seen good support from the medical community?  

 

I'll go with family first. My parents have been extremely supportive - not only with my work but while I was suffering as well. My mom came down to help with the girls when I was hospitalized and my father also provided strength through his words and knew just what to say to me at the right time. My husband's parents had a hard time with my first episode but we all did because we didn't really understand what was going on with me at the time. Now that I am doing much better and have not (PRAISE GOD) experienced PPD this time around and have been working so closely with PPD and educating myself, the education (and publicity) has been viral within the family and we are all now able to deal with things in a much more positive light. In fact, my mother in law is proud to be able to refer people to me. And to me, that speaks volumes because I have truly worked hard to get to where I am today.

 

7.  What fuels your passion for  helping women with PPD?

 

One thing that fuels my passion for helping women with PPD is my faith in Christ. If this had been a year ago I probably wouldn't have said that because my relationship with the Lord wasn't as close as it is now. He has really been moving and grooving in my life and I'm getting it. Another thing that really fuels me is the refusal to let another woman suffer alone if I can do anything to prevent that. Sometimes I wonder if I've taken on too much - but then something wonderful happens in each of the areas I'm active and it's all worth it. Not only do I run my local organization and keep my blog, but I also volunteer with iVillage at their PPD board, at the Online PPD Support Page Forums, and I also volunteer with PSI as a Coordinator for the state of GA. I am on maternity leave with PSI right now though - enjoying the blessed time with my new little one. (He's asleep on my chest as I'm typing right now, actually)

 

 8. What is one piece of advice you'd give women going through PPD right now?

 

Don't give up. Don't be ashamed to ask for help. And above all, do NOT blame yourself. This is something that just happens. Yes, there are risk factors - socio-economic to birth experience to underlying physical conditions - but it just happens, even to those who are outside the risk factors. Just as you can't guess who will get cancer by passing them on the street, you can no more predict which pregnant mother will experience PPD the same way. The best care is preventitive care. Learn what you can about PPD while pregnant. Put an action plan in place and know what you'll do if it rears it's ugly head. Lean on your faith - God is there for you in times like this, even if you're not aware of His presence, oh yeah, He's there.

 

And last but certainly not least, know that you are not alone. There are lots of other women out there who have been where you are and want to offer you a helping hand. Take it and pull yourself out of that deep dark hole. You can do this!

 

9.  Concerning motherhood, what has been the most surprising thing about raising kids?

 

There's a phrase I used to use when interviewing: "Hit the ground running."

I am amazed that every morning I am truly able to hit the ground running. I have done more on the spur thinking and acting than I care to even calculate.

 

I've also been surprised this time around by what a true joy a newborn can be. I had not known the peaceful romantic newborn infant period prior to this one and let me tell you - I am treasuring it dearly and certainly not taking it for granted at all!

 

10.  What is your greatest frustration as a mother?

 

My greatest frustration is my horrible habit of projecting adult like personas and responsibilities onto my kids instead of letting them just be kids and then getting upset when they well, act their age.

 

I'm working very hard on this and am doing better in this area. God and I still have a lot of work to do in this department though.

 

11. Can you tell us a little bit about your husband and kiddos?

 

This Saturday will be our six year anniversary. We've been together for eight. And we've learned more about each other these past few months than ever before. My husband is a wonderful strong man. He's wonderful with the kids and has an amazing sense of humor. His "class clown" trait is one of the biggest reasons I fell in love with him even though I cringe when he brings it out in public! He is also a recovering drug addict and is doing a terrific job, really growing in his relationship with the Lord and our family. It's been amazing to witness.

 

My kids? I've got a four year old, a two year old, and an almost six month old. They are the absolute loves of my life and I am thrilled that I am their Mommy. It's not easy but even on the rough days there's a joy that's deep down in my heart as I watch them really enjoy the life they've been blessed with.

 

12. How can we be praying specifically for you and your work?

 

I would just ask that prayers be lifted up for our continued journey through my husband's recovery and that my work and family be continually steered by God through His strength and wisdom.