Mental health advocates share postpartum resources available to new parents

PUTNAM COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - An incident involving a mother being charged in connection with her child’s death after she faced several health issues is sparking a conversation.

Mother arrested in connection with death of 16-day-old baby

Mental health advocates are working to break down the barriers when it comes to parents’ new health.

Wendy Davis, a mother of two, said she can relate to the challenges of being a new parent. Davis was diagnosed with postpartum depression.

Davis said she suffered from anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, and depression.

“I thought I wouldn’t make it. I thought I might die. I thought there was no hope for me. I thought that I was failing. I thought there was some club of motherhood that I wasn’t in, and I shouldn’t be,” Davis said.

Davis is using her experience to help other new parents spot the often silent signs of postpartum depression through her work as the Executive Director of Postpartum Support International (PSI), a perinatal mental health organization.

Advocates said a common barrier many face is speaking up to get care. Davis encourages family and friends to check on that new mom or dad often.

“Don’t be afraid of the conversation. Don’t start with you know, I think you may have postpartum depression. Start with I see you’re working so hard... and I have heard about this, and it’s not your fault. There’s a phone line we can call. There’s a text line, let’s just text it,” Davis said.

Anyone can call the National Maternal Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA.

It’s a free resource that connects parents with counselors, many of whom have a lived experience with postpartum depression.

Pregnant and postpartum parents can also call the PSI Helpline for support and resources at 1-800-944-4773 (English and Spanish), text “help” to 1-800-944- 4773 (English), 971-203-7773 (Spanish), or visit postpartum.net. One new resource this year is the app, Connect by PSI, which provides free resources in the palm of your hand.

“What we need is to be able to reach parents and say you’re OK, we got you. You’re going through some temporary, treatable, and it’s not your fault,” Davis said.

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