We Support: Mom's Mental Health Initiative

Moms Mental Health Initiative is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping moms navigate perinatal mood and anxiety disorders by sharing information, connecting them to resources and providing peer-driven support. We are thankful to have a relationship with their organization, and want to help them spread their message that "With the right help, you will feel better"

Sam, our pelvic health therapist, shared her story.. and we think it'll help show why she's so passionate about helping women!

"Throughout my first pregnancy, I felt extremely lucky. I was an avid CrossFit athlete and yogi. I was very physically fit and had minimal complications during my pregnancy. My son was born February 26, 2020, two weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down. As someone who was used to being on the go and involved in so many activities/communities, I was completely shaken to the core by the immediate isolation brought on by the newborn/postpartum phase on top of a global pandemic. My dreams of strolling the aisles of Target with my new baby were shattered immediately as I sat in my house alone with a newborn for 10 hours a day while my husband was away at work.

I noticed things like separation anxiety and not being able to sleep while the baby napped unless he was right next to me, extreme fluctuations in my mood, and overall feeling incredibly lost and alone. I specifically remember pacing up and down my driveway crying and not knowing what was going on or why I felt this way. I felt even more deserted when I had a six week "virtual" postpartum follow-up where the covering OB simply asked, "are you feeling depressed?". I was so defeated and shut out, I was determined to "shake off" whatever it was I was feeling. Although all of the others around me who had a first child of their own "loved every minute" and "couldn't get enough", I was not feeling the same way and I thought there was something wrong with me.

Fast forward to my second child being born after receiving no mental health services after the first. I was more aware of some of the possible triggers coming my way-breastfeeding/nursing/pumping, sleeping, isolation, etc. After about 15 months of ups and downs and obvious postpartum depression and anxiety, I finally reached out for help after a long discussion with my husband. He simply said, "I love you and I am here to support you but I think you need someone who can do more for you than just the support I can give you as your husband". I met a wonderful therapist through a health and wellness fair my husband and I were participating in with our physical/occupational therapy clinic. The hardest step for me was reaching out and after I walked through the door, I could feel a physical weight lift off of my shoulders. The opportunity to connect with someone who is objective but also caring, compassionate, and has her own personal experience as a mom made me feel seen, heard, and validated. I wish I had done it sooner. I have been a big advocate for mental health with all of my clients, families, and friends and feel this is one of the best things I could have ever done for myself."

-Sam