June 5, 2024 • 27 mins
Hey everybody I am back! In this compelling podcast episode, I tackle the critical issue of postpartum depression (PPD) among African-American women. Sharing my excitement about returning to podcasting, I introduce a fresh solo format that dives deep into the alarming statistics and unique factors contributing to higher rates of PPD and antenatal depression within the African-American community. Join me for an empowering conversation that aims to break down barriers, foster understanding, and celebrate every small victory on the path to better maternal mental health.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Yo yo yo.
What's going on?
Everybody?
It's your boy, anthony, andwelcome to another edition of
Spade the Podcast.
I am back, y'all back betterthan ever.
Feel rejuvenated.
What's going on y'all?
Um, yeah, I know it's been awhile since I've recorded an
(01:05):
episode, like since February,and here it is almost June.
But I'm good, I'm back and allis well with me.
The stressors and everythingit's all gone down, so I'm all
good, um.
So just wanted to let y'allknow that, um, I'm going to
(01:28):
start recording some episodes,um, on my own and also, of
course, I'm still going to havepanel episodes.
But I just wanted y'all to getto know me, because y'all
haven't ever heard me do my ownum podcast myself without a
(01:48):
panel on me moderating.
So that's what I, you know,want to do and I feel like it's
going to be going to be neat andI'm a little nervous, but this
is actually going to be my firstone doing that.
But I'm a little nervous, butthis is actually going to be my
first one doing that, but I'mexcited and, yeah, I'm super
(02:10):
excited about this particularepisode.
So, yeah, we're going to godive in.
I hope everyone y'all have hada wonderful start of the year
it's finally summer, we finallyhave some nice weather, finally
out the cold, and everythinglike that, because the last time
(02:32):
I talked to y'all was Februaryand it was freezing.
So now it's 80s, 70s, 80s, andI'm loving it.
I'm playing tennis again, soI'm loving it.
But anyway, we're going to goahead and go ahead and get there
(02:53):
.
So I'm going to get started.
But this particular episode thatwe're going to, the topic that
we're going to address today, itactually doesn't get nearly
enough attention and it'spostpartum depression among
(03:17):
African-American women,especially Postpartum depression
or PPD.
It's a serious mental healthservices.
All of these factors create acomplex of web of barriers that
(04:01):
can make, you know, make itharder to seek help, and it can
just be very trying for ourAfrican American mothers.
So in this episode I want toexplore different statistics
(04:25):
that reveals, like, the higherPrelevance of postpartum
depression among theAfrican-American women.
So, whether you're, you know, anew mother, health care
provider or someone wanting tobetter understand the challenges
faced by African-American women, you know, I think this
(04:54):
particular episode is definitelygoing to help you and, you know
, you don't even have to be,like I said, an African-American
woman.
If you're a new mother, thisepisode will definitely help you
.
So I want you to stay tuned,and we're going to dive in and
let's get this conversationgoing All right.
So I'll be right back, let's go, all right.
(05:36):
So, before we get into talkingabout postpartum depression, I
want to introduce you guys to aform of depression that mothers
deal with that affects womenduring the pregnancy.
What and some of you may notknow what it is, and it's called
antenatal depression.
(05:57):
So postpartum depressionaffects females after the birth
of the baby.
Depression affects femalesafter the birth of the baby.
Antenatal depression is a formof clinical depression that
affects women during thepregnancy.
So, according to the NationalLibrary of Medicine, this was in
(06:27):
the year 2020 that theydisclosed this particular
statistic.
Research suggested that 25 to50% of African-American women
experience depressive symptomsduring their pregnancies, which
is eye-opening and it's sad,very sad.
Which is eye-opening and verythat's good.
It's sad, very sad.
(06:49):
But it's also understandablebecause, you know,
african-american women are the Iguess you can say the super
moms, so to speak.
They take on everything havingto balance the work life,
(07:13):
balancing taking care of thehome, balancing taking care of
kids, making sure everything istaken care of, but then you're
dealing with so much and notreally taking care of yourself.
So I can really see how theyexperience these types of
symptoms.
And so antenatal depression itcan impact the mental health of
(07:38):
the women and her baby, andresearch shows that infants and
young children of, andantennately depressed, depressed
mothers are more likely to havea difficult temperaments as
well as cognitive and emotionaldelays.
So this type of depression canset in during the pregnancy at
(08:05):
any time and it can continue forweeks and maybe months and, in
essence, if it's not treated, itcan develop into postpartum
depression after the birth ofthe baby, after the birth of the
(08:33):
baby.
And this type of depression isvery hard to get recognized
because when a woman is pregnant, their hormones are, you know,
to be blunt all over the place.
So one minute crying, laughing,you know, it's just everywhere.
But that's why this type ofdepression can go unnoticed and
(08:54):
eventually, if it's unnoticed,it grows.
It can grow into full-blownpostpartum depression after
birth of the baby, like I saidbefore.
So some of the symptoms ofantenatal depression and these
are just some symptoms are youfeeling low or numb, feeling
(09:15):
nothing at all, loss ofconfidence, feeling helpless,
feeling teary-eyed and emotionalangry.
Changes in your sleep pattern.
You don't want to go to sleep,changes in appetite, lack of
interest and or energy,difficult in concentrating,
thinking clearly or makingdecisions, feeling isolated,
(09:37):
having thoughts of harmingyourself, in the baby or other
children.
I've heard that so many timeswhere you know, um, parents like
they feel, like that they'renot going to, but they just have
that thought of, they want tobecause they're just tired.
(10:02):
So tired that's if they haveanother child, because the other
child is just that other childis sensing that mommy has
another being inside them andmommy's not really paying
attention to me and mommy'salways tired.
(10:22):
So that stress for alone ismaking things worse for mom.
Also, another symptom isfinding it difficult to cope and
getting through the day,experiencing panic attacks,
sleeping too much, losinginterest in sex, sex withdrawing
(10:44):
from family, having thoughts ofdeath, mood swings and easily
annoyed and irritated.
So all of these and it's somany more symptoms.
But all of this are symptomsand you know some people they
experience this.
They just think that all theseare just natural hormones and it
(11:05):
goes unchecked.
And so maybe now you understandlike, oh my, these are not
natural symptoms.
I may be dealing with a form ofdepression that I never knew I
was dealing with.
And so now, because I'm dealingwith this type of depression
now and it's gone untreated, I'mnow going through depression,
(11:27):
going through postpartumdepression.
The baby's born and so now I'meven more into a funk.
So how do you treat?
You know, how can we treat thisantenatal depression?
Well, a couple, coupletreatments are safe pregnancy
(11:47):
antidepressants, counseling,cognitive behavioral therapy and
psychotherapy.
Also, of course, have yournetwork.
Make sure you just have a nicenetwork that you can talk to,
you know, that you trust, thatyou can just go to and that can
(12:12):
just help you out in your timeof need.
You know, because pregnancy,that's that's that's a lot to
(12:40):
deal during that time of apregnancy.
My ladies, just make sure youhave that your tribe.
Gotta have a tribe around you.
Gotta have your friends,somebody that you can count on,
(13:01):
that you can depend on to helpget you through these nine
months, because it's tiring andit's, it's, it's, it's, it can
(13:31):
be frustrating.
I I've seen it firsthand withmany different people.
So, um, we shall statistic withyou.
According to the AmericanPsychological Association and
(13:54):
this is in 2022, sorry, it's notan actual statistic, but this
was in an article in theirwebsite Black birthing people
are more likely to experiencelong-lasting mental health
concerns after childbirth thantheir non-Black counterparts.
(14:17):
In this article it was thearticle.
It says research from the ICAHNSchool of Medicine in Mount
Sinai found that 44% of AfricanAmericans reported depressive
symptoms two weeks afterdelivery, compared to 31% of
(14:43):
white women.
Wow, they also said that, uh,why black women face higher risk
but receive less treatment.
Pregnancy and new motherhoodfeatures a rollercoaster of
emotions.
The highs are sky high, whilethe sadness, weepingness and
rapidly changing emotions thatresults from the rough shift in
(15:23):
hormones following the birth,which is a known fact, which is
a known fact.
So African-American womenexperiencing postpartum
depression often face specificdifficulties that can impact
(15:45):
their mental health and overallwell-being, and some key
challenges for that are one thecultural stigma.
So in many African-Americancommunities, mental health
issues can carry a stigma andmaking women less likely to
discuss their feelings or seekhelp.
There's often a culturalemphasis on you know nothing is
(16:05):
wrong.
They are going to keep goingand going and going and not
(16:28):
really helping.
You know themselves, oranything like that, and
themselves or anything like that, and there's often that
cultural emphasis on strengthand resilience which can
discourage admitting tostruggles with postpartum
depression Under diagnosis andunder treatment.
African-american women are oftenunder diagnosed and
undertreated for postpartumdepression due to healthcare
(16:51):
disparities and biases in themedical system.
This can lead to prolongedsuffering and lack of
appropriate interventions.
Also, access to mental healthservices barriers such as lack
of insurance, financialconstraints, geographical
limitations, can hinder accessto quality mental health
(17:12):
services.
Additionally, there may be, youknow, like a shortage of
culturally competent healthcareproviders, meaning Black
healthcare providers.
So you got all of these, youknow, white doctors or whatever,
but they're not really payattention to what our Queens
(17:37):
want, want, you know, they'rejust treating them like a number
or whatever.
There's like rushing them toget them out.
I that this is on anothersubject, but I dealt with a
white doctor that um didn't wantto hear me out with my
epileptic problems and wanted meout.
I had an issue going on andinstead of really listening to
(18:02):
what I was saying and he justtreated me like I was nothing
for real, for real, and I endedup leaving that neurologist
because I mean he was rated soquote, unquote high, but I mean
he was good at what he did.
However, if I don't feel aconnection with you, you just
(18:23):
treat me like a number.
Why am I going to stay thereand I end up finding a black
doctor, a black neurologist.
So that's what you know is kindof the problem with our women.
Like they feel the same waythat I felt why come here, why
go see a physician if I'm notbeing heard?
(18:45):
You know Socioeconomicstressors higher rates of
poverty, single parenthood andjob insecurity can increase
stressors.
Higher rates of poverty, singleparenthood and job insecurity
can increase stress levels whichcontribute to the onset of
severity of postpartumdepression.
And, most importantly,discrimination.
(19:08):
Experiences of discriminationand biases in the healthcare
settings can lead to mistrustwithin the healthcare providers.
You know experiences ofdiscrimination and biases in the
healthcare settings can lead tomistrust within the healthcare
providers.
You know all of us um haveexperienced um some form of
discrimination.
If you are, if you're anAfrican American, you have
experienced that in yourlifetimes in some form or type
(19:31):
of way of your you.
If not you, your family hasexperienced that.
It's just inevitable and again,this can lead to mistrust in
the healthcare providers.
And it's also this mistrust canresult in delayed care seeking
and poor communication withhealthcare professionals seeking
(19:55):
and poor communication withhealth care professionals.
And then these feelings ofvulnerability and distress
causes distress during thepostpartum period.
But addressing these challengesrequires different approaches
and one can increase anawareness and education about
postpartum depression and thiscan go back as far as
(20:26):
community-based.
So a good thing as far ashelping with that is
community-based support groups.
Maybe that can be formed whichwill play, like I guess, a
critical role in providing thenecessary support and resources
for mothers, so mothers can bandtogether and form like these
(20:50):
neighborhood organizations orFacebook groups.
I want to go back and talk aboutsome symptoms.
So some symptoms I want to goover is the baby blues.
So baby blues that last only afew days to a week or two after
delivery.
So that is mood swings, anxiety, sadness, irritability,
(21:15):
feelings of overwhelmed crying,reduced concentration, appetite
problems and trouble uh,sleeping now.
Postpartum depression um issometimes now.
Postpartum depression issometimes confused with baby
(21:38):
blues.
But postpartum depressionsymptoms are severe mood swings,
excessive crying, difficultybonding with your baby,
withdrawing from family andfriends, loss of appetite,
(21:58):
inability to sleep or sleepingtoo much, overwhelmed fatigue,
reduced interest and pleasure inactivities that you used to
enjoy, intense irritability andanger.
Intense irritability and anger,fear that you're not a good
mother, feelings ofworthlessness, shame, guilt,
(22:18):
inadequacy, diminished abilityto think clearly, severe anxiety
and panic attacks, thoughts ofharming yourself and your baby
(22:44):
and recurrent thoughts of deathand suicide.
So these are just very, verystrong, strong symptoms.
So what are some treatments forpostpartum depression?
So, again, treatments areantidepressants, counseling
therapy and also exercising,relaxing, fun activities.
And again, like I said earlier,that support network is very,
(23:06):
very super important.
Is that network, your tribe, iseverything and will help get
you through this trying time.
And also I wanted to Throw thisnote in here, especially for my
(23:26):
breastfeeding parents theirbaby isn't latching and they
(23:48):
feel like that they're, you know, worthless or they're not doing
something right because thebaby isn't, um, isn't latching
on, or they feel like that thebaby, their baby, doesn't love
them and they're a horriblemother.
I'm just going to tell youdon't feel like that, that baby
will love you.
It takes time with breastfeeding.
(24:09):
Go see your um, go see alactation consultant, um, go to
the WIC program.
Go to the WIC program and umand see if you qualify for WIC
and then make sure, sure you goahead and look to get a
(24:32):
scheduled appointment forbreastfeeding classes.
It's in talking with thebreastfeeding peer, counselor
and lactation consultant, etc.
Educate yourself, consultant,et cetera.
(24:53):
Educate yourself and then alsoset realistic expectations,
because it's important to makesure you set realistic
expectations, not only foryourself and also for your baby,
understanding that it's okaynot to have everything perfect.
Remember that it's okay not tobe perfect and to experience a
range of emotions.
You're going to experience arange of emotions, it's okay.
(25:14):
It's going to be okay.
Try to avoid alcohol and drugs.
Those substances can worsendepression and interfere with
medications you might be takingfor your postpartum depression.
And then also be patient withyourself.
(25:36):
Recovery from postpartumdepression it takes time.
So be kind to yourself.
Acknowledge your progress, evenif it's just a small little
thing.
Acknowledge it.
Acknowledge your progress, evenif it's just a small little
thing.
Acknowledge it.
Give yourself dailyaffirmations.
You know, no matter.
Acknowledge the progress, nomatter how small it is.
(25:58):
Give yourself dailyaffirmations.
Involve your partner.
If you have a partner, involvethem in the journey.
Encourage them to learn aboutpostpartum depression.
(26:18):
Be honest, be open.
Don't try and hide it.
Don't try and don't be ashamed.
And you know.
Remember postpartum is atreatable condition and seeking
help is a sign of strength.
It's not a sign of weakness.
Remember that and if you orsomeone you know is struggling
(26:46):
with postpartum depression again, don't hesitate to reach out to
a health care provider, healthcare professional or support and
guidance.
So I hope this episode, I hopeyou guys learned something from
it, and I look forward to doingmore one-on-one episodes with
you guys.
Okay, so again, be kind toyourself, stay true to yourself.
It's going to be okay.
Be patient, love yourself.
(27:06):
You got this, see y'all.
Thank you Bye.
Yo yo yo.
What's going on?
Everybody?
It's your boy, anthony, andwelcome to another edition of
Spade the Podcast.
I am back, y'all back betterthan ever.
Feel rejuvenated.
What's going on y'all?
Um, yeah, I know it's been awhile since I've recorded an
(01:05):
episode, like since February,and here it is almost June.
But I'm good, I'm back and allis well with me.
The stressors and everythingit's all gone down, so I'm all
good, um.
So just wanted to let y'allknow that, um, I'm going to
(01:28):
start recording some episodes,um, on my own and also, of
course, I'm still going to havepanel episodes.
But I just wanted y'all to getto know me, because y'all
haven't ever heard me do my ownum podcast myself without a
(01:48):
panel on me moderating.
So that's what I, you know,want to do and I feel like it's
going to be going to be neat andI'm a little nervous, but this
is actually going to be my firstone doing that.
But I'm a little nervous, butthis is actually going to be my
first one doing that, but I'mexcited and, yeah, I'm super
(02:10):
excited about this particularepisode.
So, yeah, we're going to godive in.
I hope everyone y'all have hada wonderful start of the year
it's finally summer, we finallyhave some nice weather, finally
out the cold, and everythinglike that, because the last time
(02:32):
I talked to y'all was Februaryand it was freezing.
So now it's 80s, 70s, 80s, andI'm loving it.
I'm playing tennis again, soI'm loving it.
But anyway, we're going to goahead and go ahead and get there
(02:53):
.
So I'm going to get started.
But this particular episode thatwe're going to, the topic that
we're going to address today, itactually doesn't get nearly
enough attention and it'spostpartum depression among
(03:17):
African-American women,especially Postpartum depression
or PPD.
It's a serious mental healthservices.
All of these factors create acomplex of web of barriers that
(04:01):
can make, you know, make itharder to seek help, and it can
just be very trying for ourAfrican American mothers.
So in this episode I want toexplore different statistics
(04:25):
that reveals, like, the higherPrelevance of postpartum
depression among theAfrican-American women.
So, whether you're, you know, anew mother, health care
provider or someone wanting tobetter understand the challenges
faced by African-American women, you know, I think this
(04:54):
particular episode is definitelygoing to help you and, you know
, you don't even have to be,like I said, an African-American
woman.
If you're a new mother, thisepisode will definitely help you
.
So I want you to stay tuned,and we're going to dive in and
let's get this conversationgoing All right.
So I'll be right back, let's go, all right.
(05:36):
So, before we get into talkingabout postpartum depression, I
want to introduce you guys to aform of depression that mothers
deal with that affects womenduring the pregnancy.
What and some of you may notknow what it is, and it's called
antenatal depression.
(05:57):
So postpartum depressionaffects females after the birth
of the baby.
Depression affects femalesafter the birth of the baby.
Antenatal depression is a formof clinical depression that
affects women during thepregnancy.
So, according to the NationalLibrary of Medicine, this was in
(06:27):
the year 2020 that theydisclosed this particular
statistic.
Research suggested that 25 to50% of African-American women
experience depressive symptomsduring their pregnancies, which
is eye-opening and it's sad,very sad.
Which is eye-opening and verythat's good.
It's sad, very sad.
(06:49):
But it's also understandablebecause, you know,
african-american women are the Iguess you can say the super
moms, so to speak.
They take on everything havingto balance the work life,
(07:13):
balancing taking care of thehome, balancing taking care of
kids, making sure everything istaken care of, but then you're
dealing with so much and notreally taking care of yourself.
So I can really see how theyexperience these types of
symptoms.
And so antenatal depression itcan impact the mental health of
(07:38):
the women and her baby, andresearch shows that infants and
young children of, andantennately depressed, depressed
mothers are more likely to havea difficult temperaments as
well as cognitive and emotionaldelays.
So this type of depression canset in during the pregnancy at
(08:05):
any time and it can continue forweeks and maybe months and, in
essence, if it's not treated, itcan develop into postpartum
depression after the birth ofthe baby, after the birth of the
(08:33):
baby.
And this type of depression isvery hard to get recognized
because when a woman is pregnant, their hormones are, you know,
to be blunt all over the place.
So one minute crying, laughing,you know, it's just everywhere.
But that's why this type ofdepression can go unnoticed and
(08:54):
eventually, if it's unnoticed,it grows.
It can grow into full-blownpostpartum depression after
birth of the baby, like I saidbefore.
So some of the symptoms ofantenatal depression and these
are just some symptoms are youfeeling low or numb, feeling
(09:15):
nothing at all, loss ofconfidence, feeling helpless,
feeling teary-eyed and emotionalangry.
Changes in your sleep pattern.
You don't want to go to sleep,changes in appetite, lack of
interest and or energy,difficult in concentrating,
thinking clearly or makingdecisions, feeling isolated,
(09:37):
having thoughts of harmingyourself, in the baby or other
children.
I've heard that so many timeswhere you know, um, parents like
they feel, like that they'renot going to, but they just have
that thought of, they want tobecause they're just tired.
(10:02):
So tired that's if they haveanother child, because the other
child is just that other childis sensing that mommy has
another being inside them andmommy's not really paying
attention to me and mommy'salways tired.
(10:22):
So that stress for alone ismaking things worse for mom.
Also, another symptom isfinding it difficult to cope and
getting through the day,experiencing panic attacks,
sleeping too much, losinginterest in sex, sex withdrawing
(10:44):
from family, having thoughts ofdeath, mood swings and easily
annoyed and irritated.
So all of these and it's somany more symptoms.
But all of this are symptomsand you know some people they
experience this.
They just think that all theseare just natural hormones and it
(11:05):
goes unchecked.
And so maybe now you understandlike, oh my, these are not
natural symptoms.
I may be dealing with a form ofdepression that I never knew I
was dealing with.
And so now, because I'm dealingwith this type of depression
now and it's gone untreated, I'mnow going through depression,
(11:27):
going through postpartumdepression.
The baby's born and so now I'meven more into a funk.
So how do you treat?
You know, how can we treat thisantenatal depression?
Well, a couple, coupletreatments are safe pregnancy
(11:47):
antidepressants, counseling,cognitive behavioral therapy and
psychotherapy.
Also, of course, have yournetwork.
Make sure you just have a nicenetwork that you can talk to,
you know, that you trust, thatyou can just go to and that can
(12:12):
just help you out in your timeof need.
You know, because pregnancy,that's that's that's a lot to
(12:40):
deal during that time of apregnancy.
My ladies, just make sure youhave that your tribe.
Gotta have a tribe around you.
Gotta have your friends,somebody that you can count on,
(13:01):
that you can depend on to helpget you through these nine
months, because it's tiring andit's, it's, it's, it's, it can
(13:31):
be frustrating.
I I've seen it firsthand withmany different people.
So, um, we shall statistic withyou.
According to the AmericanPsychological Association and
(13:54):
this is in 2022, sorry, it's notan actual statistic, but this
was in an article in theirwebsite Black birthing people
are more likely to experiencelong-lasting mental health
concerns after childbirth thantheir non-Black counterparts.
(14:17):
In this article it was thearticle.
It says research from the ICAHNSchool of Medicine in Mount
Sinai found that 44% of AfricanAmericans reported depressive
symptoms two weeks afterdelivery, compared to 31% of
(14:43):
white women.
Wow, they also said that, uh,why black women face higher risk
but receive less treatment.
Pregnancy and new motherhoodfeatures a rollercoaster of
emotions.
The highs are sky high, whilethe sadness, weepingness and
rapidly changing emotions thatresults from the rough shift in
(15:23):
hormones following the birth,which is a known fact, which is
a known fact.
So African-American womenexperiencing postpartum
depression often face specificdifficulties that can impact
(15:45):
their mental health and overallwell-being, and some key
challenges for that are one thecultural stigma.
So in many African-Americancommunities, mental health
issues can carry a stigma andmaking women less likely to
discuss their feelings or seekhelp.
There's often a culturalemphasis on you know nothing is
(16:05):
wrong.
They are going to keep goingand going and going and not
(16:28):
really helping.
You know themselves, oranything like that, and
themselves or anything like that, and there's often that
cultural emphasis on strengthand resilience which can
discourage admitting tostruggles with postpartum
depression Under diagnosis andunder treatment.
African-american women are oftenunder diagnosed and
undertreated for postpartumdepression due to healthcare
(16:51):
disparities and biases in themedical system.
This can lead to prolongedsuffering and lack of
appropriate interventions.
Also, access to mental healthservices barriers such as lack
of insurance, financialconstraints, geographical
limitations, can hinder accessto quality mental health
(17:12):
services.
Additionally, there may be, youknow, like a shortage of
culturally competent healthcareproviders, meaning Black
healthcare providers.
So you got all of these, youknow, white doctors or whatever,
but they're not really payattention to what our Queens
(17:37):
want, want, you know, they'rejust treating them like a number
or whatever.
There's like rushing them toget them out.
I that this is on anothersubject, but I dealt with a
white doctor that um didn't wantto hear me out with my
epileptic problems and wanted meout.
I had an issue going on andinstead of really listening to
(18:02):
what I was saying and he justtreated me like I was nothing
for real, for real, and I endedup leaving that neurologist
because I mean he was rated soquote, unquote high, but I mean
he was good at what he did.
However, if I don't feel aconnection with you, you just
(18:23):
treat me like a number.
Why am I going to stay thereand I end up finding a black
doctor, a black neurologist.
So that's what you know is kindof the problem with our women.
Like they feel the same waythat I felt why come here, why
go see a physician if I'm notbeing heard?
(18:45):
You know Socioeconomicstressors higher rates of
poverty, single parenthood andjob insecurity can increase
stressors.
Higher rates of poverty, singleparenthood and job insecurity
can increase stress levels whichcontribute to the onset of
severity of postpartumdepression.
And, most importantly,discrimination.
(19:08):
Experiences of discriminationand biases in the healthcare
settings can lead to mistrustwithin the healthcare providers.
You know experiences ofdiscrimination and biases in the
healthcare settings can lead tomistrust within the healthcare
providers.
You know all of us um haveexperienced um some form of
discrimination.
If you are, if you're anAfrican American, you have
experienced that in yourlifetimes in some form or type
(19:31):
of way of your you.
If not you, your family hasexperienced that.
It's just inevitable and again,this can lead to mistrust in
the healthcare providers.
And it's also this mistrust canresult in delayed care seeking
and poor communication withhealthcare professionals seeking
(19:55):
and poor communication withhealth care professionals.
And then these feelings ofvulnerability and distress
causes distress during thepostpartum period.
But addressing these challengesrequires different approaches
and one can increase anawareness and education about
postpartum depression and thiscan go back as far as
(20:26):
community-based.
So a good thing as far ashelping with that is
community-based support groups.
Maybe that can be formed whichwill play, like I guess, a
critical role in providing thenecessary support and resources
for mothers, so mothers can bandtogether and form like these
(20:50):
neighborhood organizations orFacebook groups.
I want to go back and talk aboutsome symptoms.
So some symptoms I want to goover is the baby blues.
So baby blues that last only afew days to a week or two after
delivery.
So that is mood swings, anxiety, sadness, irritability,
(21:15):
feelings of overwhelmed crying,reduced concentration, appetite
problems and trouble uh,sleeping now.
Postpartum depression um issometimes now.
Postpartum depression issometimes confused with baby
(21:38):
blues.
But postpartum depressionsymptoms are severe mood swings,
excessive crying, difficultybonding with your baby,
withdrawing from family andfriends, loss of appetite,
(21:58):
inability to sleep or sleepingtoo much, overwhelmed fatigue,
reduced interest and pleasure inactivities that you used to
enjoy, intense irritability andanger.
Intense irritability and anger,fear that you're not a good
mother, feelings ofworthlessness, shame, guilt,
(22:18):
inadequacy, diminished abilityto think clearly, severe anxiety
and panic attacks, thoughts ofharming yourself and your baby
(22:44):
and recurrent thoughts of deathand suicide.
So these are just very, verystrong, strong symptoms.
So what are some treatments forpostpartum depression?
So, again, treatments areantidepressants, counseling
therapy and also exercising,relaxing, fun activities.
And again, like I said earlier,that support network is very,
(23:06):
very super important.
Is that network, your tribe, iseverything and will help get
you through this trying time.
And also I wanted to Throw thisnote in here, especially for my
(23:26):
breastfeeding parents theirbaby isn't latching and they
(23:48):
feel like that they're, you know, worthless or they're not doing
something right because thebaby isn't, um, isn't latching
on, or they feel like that thebaby, their baby, doesn't love
them and they're a horriblemother.
I'm just going to tell youdon't feel like that, that baby
will love you.
It takes time with breastfeeding.
(24:09):
Go see your um, go see alactation consultant, um, go to
the WIC program.
Go to the WIC program and umand see if you qualify for WIC
and then make sure, sure you goahead and look to get a
(24:32):
scheduled appointment forbreastfeeding classes.
It's in talking with thebreastfeeding peer, counselor
and lactation consultant, etc.
Educate yourself, consultant,et cetera.
(24:53):
Educate yourself and then alsoset realistic expectations,
because it's important to makesure you set realistic
expectations, not only foryourself and also for your baby,
understanding that it's okaynot to have everything perfect.
Remember that it's okay not tobe perfect and to experience a
range of emotions.
You're going to experience arange of emotions, it's okay.
(25:14):
It's going to be okay.
Try to avoid alcohol and drugs.
Those substances can worsendepression and interfere with
medications you might be takingfor your postpartum depression.
And then also be patient withyourself.
(25:36):
Recovery from postpartumdepression it takes time.
So be kind to yourself.
Acknowledge your progress, evenif it's just a small little
thing.
Acknowledge it.
Acknowledge your progress, evenif it's just a small little
thing.
Acknowledge it.
Give yourself dailyaffirmations.
You know, no matter.
Acknowledge the progress, nomatter how small it is.
(25:58):
Give yourself dailyaffirmations.
Involve your partner.
If you have a partner, involvethem in the journey.
Encourage them to learn aboutpostpartum depression.
(26:18):
Be honest, be open.
Don't try and hide it.
Don't try and don't be ashamed.
And you know.
Remember postpartum is atreatable condition and seeking
help is a sign of strength.
It's not a sign of weakness.
Remember that and if you orsomeone you know is struggling
(26:46):
with postpartum depression again, don't hesitate to reach out to
a health care provider, healthcare professional or support and
guidance.
So I hope this episode, I hopeyou guys learned something from
it, and I look forward to doingmore one-on-one episodes with
you guys.
Okay, so again, be kind toyourself, stay true to yourself.
It's going to be okay.
Be patient, love yourself.
(27:06):
You got this, see y'all.
Thank you Bye.
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