Speaking the secret for maternal mental health

In 2010 after I had my daughter, I found myself overwhelmed with fear and anxiety. All the colors turned black and white. I hated who I had become, and I was certain a mistake had been made, because I was not equipped to be a mother. I was absolutely certain that my children and family were better off without the burden of me. Those days are long past me and I can talk about it all now without the shame and guilt my symptoms imposed on me. I survived. I got help.

But not all new mothers or birthing persons are so lucky. Per the CDC, perinatal mental health conditions are the number one complication of pregnancy and the number one cause of pregnancy-related death.

I remember picking up the book, “Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts,” and wishing that every single new mother and birthing person could read it. Somehow, Karen Kleiman brought the most important insight into the postpartum world with the bright, compassionate, honest and humor-filled pages. She said, “No,” to the unrealistic world of social media and societal expectations that surrounded new parents and instead offered up the invitation to #speakthesecret. Speaking the secret in this book has opened up a dialogue that gives new mothers and birthing persons the permission to be honest about how they feel emotionally and mentally after they deliver.

It’s not enough to declare awareness days or months, or say we care about maternal and infant mortality if we are not actively acting toward a solution.

The Bronson Health Foundation has the most compassionate, smart and generous human beings that understand the importance of new mothers’ mental health. They understand that not only is she worthy of feeling well, but if she is not well, her baby is also not well. They understand that we are not simply handing out a book to new parents; we are handing out recognition of the vulnerability and courage it takes to show up in the world as a new parent and encouraging them to reach out a hand if they need help.

The way our patients, community therapists and fellow Bronson healthcare professionals have embraced this book and the number of times I have heard, “I wish this was around when I had a baby…” is more than I can count.

The support of the Bronson Health Foundation goes far beyond the funding they provide for these books and for our perinatal mental health program. The awareness, the accessibility of information and the hope they distribute cannot be measured!