By Kate Kripke

Each woman who becomes a mother wants to have a solid, strong, and healthy attachment with her baby.  And with that, I think it’s fair to assume, each mother fears on some level that this will not occur.   Some moms worry that they won’t have the tools to bond and attach appropriately because their own relationships with their parents are conflicted.  Others fear that they won’t be able to create an attachment as strong as the one that they had with their own mom or dad.  Others find that their histories have contributed to a sort of “overcompensation” with their own kids, and they feel that the only way to attach is to give all of themselves.  And some moms may feel that they don’t have the knowledge or experience to attach appropriately with their little ones. Almost every mom who struggles with a mood and anxiety disorder like PPD worries about attachment.  Attachment, it seems, is one of those hidden dilemmas that makes early mothering feel overwhelming for most of us.

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By Kate Kripke

Every time a mom in distress calls me to schedule a new therapy appointment, I am reminded of the courage that this takes. Society just doesn’t set us up for the reality of needing this type of support after having a baby. Women are led to envision romantic moments around breastfeeding, moments cradling a swaddled baby who sleeps peacefully with a light smile on her lips, loving and contented embraces with partners, and sweet jaunts through the park with a baby carriage in which a baby lies peacefully. 

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By Kate Kripke

Although it would be hugely reassuring if we could pin-point one, specific, cause of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders like PPD, experts in the field have not yet been able to be absolutely sure what causes these issues.  Actually, what we have found in all of the research and observation is that there are many factors that need to be taken into consideration when we try to assess what it is that is causing a mom to suffer. 

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By Kate Kripke

I am honored today to invite a guest blogger, Dr Christina Hibbert, PsyD, author of the Amazon best seller This Is How We Grow.  Christi is a friend and colleague at Postpartum Support International.

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By Kate Kripke

Are you wondering how to tell whether your postpartum experience is normal or not? Wondering whether or not you need support during this transition?

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By Kate Kripke

What comes to mind when you hear the word “vulnerability?”  Really, what are the images, words, and reactions that invite themselves along with that word?  My guess is that it is something like this: weakness, fear, shame, powerlessness, and insecurity.  I imagine that, for most of you, the word vulnerability sends with it a warning sign and a very deafening message of “Be Tough!”  I imagine that all of you reading this know what it feels like to be vulnerable and that most of you are working very, very hard to run in the opposite direction.  To prove to others that you are anything but.

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By Kate Kripke

Losing a baby though miscarriage, elective termination, stillbirth, childbirth, after a NICU stay, SIDS, or any other time is, without a doubt, one of the most difficult experiences that a parent will ever endure. There are no words to explain the depth of despair that a parent goes through when attempting to understand the shift that occurs when all hopes and expectations suddenly drop out from underneath anything stable.

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By Kate Kripke

If you think a new mom may have PPD, what should you say, if anything?

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By Kate Kripke

Breath is a magnificent thing.  Really.  Of course we need to breathe to exist, but we often forget how important breath is for mental health and  stress management.  Our brains need oxygen to thrive and breath is also a pretty simple tool in practicing mindfulness.   And when we are most present and mindful we are also usually our most grounded.

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By Kate Kripke

You may have heard it over and over before: One of the best ways to treat a postpartum mood and anxiety disorder like postpartum depression is through therapy. “Find a therapist” is probably the first suggestion that you will hear from people who specialize in these challenges. Symptoms of depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress, OCD, and adjustment can be understood, worked through, and alleviated though psychotherapy, but what this treatment actually looks like can vary tremendously.

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By Kate Kripke

We talk a lot on this blog and Postpartum Progress about what it is like when a mom is NOT well.  But let's pause for just a minute and focus on what might be included in the lives of moms who are. Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders can happen even when the below are maintained, but fact is that the below decrease one's risk of developing (and certainly exacerbating) a PMAD.  So, here you go.

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By Kate Kripke

Postpartum depression changes you. There is no doubt about it.  It can also change your partners, children, extended family and friends.  Thankfully and for the most part, these changes are positive ones; although it is certainly difficult to see this side of things when you are smack in the middle of your recovery.  But I can say with complete honesty that when moms have received adequate support during their illness, more times than not, women and families leave behind their postpartum mood and anxiety disorders feeling a greater sense of self, more ability to communicate their needs, and more prepared to keep themselves healthy and teach their little ones to do the same.  I know that it is hard to hear when you are amidst the suffering, but postpartum depression can create opportunities for growth that women never saw coming.

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By Kate Kripke

Let’s say you are in the high-risk category for developing a postpartum mood or anxiety disorder like postpartum depression.  You have battled depression, anxiety, OCD, or bipolar throughout your lifetime, and you have been told that the major hormonal and identity shifts that occur during pregnancy and childbirth are likely to push you out of remission, aggravate your symptoms, or lead to even more mental health challenges than you have already faced, like psychosis perhaps.  Maybe you are currently taking medicine and maybe you are not.  Maybe you are willing to continue your medication while pregnant, and maybe you are not.  Maybe you have already had a child and suffered with severe postpartum mental illness including psychosis and maybe you have not. But one thing is for sure: you desperately want a baby and you are scared to death about what this might mean for you.  And for your child.

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By Kate Kripke

I think that it is probably fair to say that the traumatic events that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut last week have left most of us feeling emotion that we were not prepared for.  Most of us, whether or not we are parents ourselves, whether or not we are close in vicinity to that little part of the world, whether or not we work in schools or have elementary-aged children or know someone who does... most of us, whether or not we are currently struggling with a postpartum anxiety disorder, will feel the ripple effect of the unfathomable trauma that occurred.  Many of us will feel anger, rage, fear, sadness, and confusion at some point if not all at once. While we feel these things, there is also the important reminder of perspective, resilience, and hope... all elements of emotional wellness that are not necessarily felt right away or that come without effort, but certainly are elements of emotional wellness that are needed to make it through such crises.

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By Kate Kripke

Okay..... I have been slacking on my own blog.  And I really don't like when that happens.  As most of you know, I write be-weekly for Katherine Stone's Postpartum Progress and I have simply been prioritizing that over writing for my own.

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By Kate Kripke

I’ve had a mom recently ask about divorce … how to deal with it when a husband divorces you over PPD.  There are some moms whose husbands treat them horribly during PPD or really just do not understand it at all and actually leave their wives because of it. What do they do? How do they handle that?

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By Kate Kripke

“But I don’t have PPD anymore! I am not supposed to feel depressed or anxious! I should know better than to wake up and feel like I don’t want to face the day! What is wrong with me? Does this mean I am back to where I started?”

Sound familiar?

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By Kate Kripke

It seems that the majority of my posts end up coming across as discussions on why it is important to reach out for support if you are struggling with a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder like postpartum depression, which makes sense, I guess, since I am a psychotherapist who specializes in supporting women through these issues.

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By Kate Kripke

Sometimes the unknown about therapy can get in the way of really diving in.  I mean, who doesn't wonder what it might feel like the first time you walk into a therapist's office?  It can be down right intimidating for many.

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By Kate Kripke

Fall has come. If your mental health is affected by the change of seasons — whether you have seasonal depression, postpartum depression or seasonal affective disorder — here are some great tips on getting through the transition of the seasons.

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