A new on-line tool, embedded into the Pacific Post Partum Support Society's new website, will help women deal with the sadness and anxiety that can accompany the birth of a new baby.
The postpartum journey highlights real life stories from women who have experienced depression or anxiety during pregnancy or after the birth of their baby. The journey also includes links to fact sheets, handouts and resources for women who may be suffering from postpartum depression or would like to learn more about it.
The new tool has been developed by the Pacific Post Partum Support Society (PPPSS), in partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) and Providence Health Care (PHC).
"Often postpartum depression goes unrecognized and untreated, but the good news is that it's treatable once identified," said Manasi Vadhera, director of the Pacific Post Partum Support Society. "We hope that by reviewing The Journey, women will identify with the experiences and feelings in the story and will be more likely to reach out as a result.
The Postpartum Journey can be found at www.postpartum.org. The new tool will augment the full range of services already provided to new moms across the health authority by family physicians and through VCH programs including the newborn home visitation program and the nurse-family partnership.
Post partum depression, referred to clinically as perinatal depression, affects a woman's health and ability to care for herself and her new baby after the birth.
One in five women in B.C. will experience depression during pregnancy or within the first year after the birth of their child. Post partum depression, if left untreated, may also affect the health and development of the baby. In its most severe form, untreated post partum depression can lead to maternal suicide.
The postpartum journey is part of a regional perinatal depression strategy that recognizes education, prevention and early intervention as key to ensuring the continued good health of women and their families during pregnancy and after the arrival of a new baby.
The strategy, adopted in 2010, was developed by a team of healthcare professionals from VCH, Providence Health Care, and BC Mental Health & Addiction Services, an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority. It is designed to identify those suffering from depression, better coordinate services available across the health authorities, and provide information and post partum depression and services to health professionals, women and their families.
As part of the regional strategy, VCH, in partnership with the PPPSS, launched a toll-free support line (1-855-255-7999) in June 2011 that allows women and their partners in rural coastal communities to access help for post partum depression.
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