A couple of weeks after we brought our twins home from the hospital, I went on a long walk that still troubles me today.  It was the first time I had enough energy to make it more than a couple of blocks.  I think my mom said she would take over with the babies so I could go out for some fresh air.
 
As I got farther and farther away from my home on that sunny March day, I picked up speed.  I felt free for the first time in a while.  And suddenly, a crazy thought flashed through my head, “What would happen if I just kept walking?  What if I never went back?”
 
I mulled this over for the entire half hour jaunt and in the end, I turned right around.  But I couldn’t get the idea out of my head – not just the weird fantasy of running away…but the frightening realization that a thought like that could even cross my mind.  Was this postpartum depression?
 
I didn’t know. I was embarrassed.  I decided to wait and see.
 
I knew my hormones would be out of whack for a while.  When I went for my six week follow up, my OB discharged me, saying my C-section seemed to be healing right on track.  “That’s great,” I thought, “When will I feel back on track?”
 
I wondered about postpartum depression (PPD) throughout the entire first year of my children’s lives.  Thankfully, I never suffered the debilitating effects which can leave a mother unable to perform day-to-day tasks or worse, even possibly harm her baby.  I got out of bed every day, I took care of all of the babies’ needs, I exercised and even managed to settle our family into a new city across the country.  But still, I wondered why I sometimes felt overwhelmed, anxious about where my life was heading and just frustrated with my new role as a mom.
 
Our pediatrician made a very smart observation. We had been talking about the new moms she meets and how many of them seemed to share the very same challenges with the transition to motherhood.  “It’s amazing,” she said to me, “The first year of life, we monitor babies every single month with ‘well baby’ visits.  Yet a woman gives birth and once she is released from her doctor’s care, no one really checks up on her until she goes back for her annual exam.”
 
And once you are out there on your own, managing the demands of being a caregiver, many women are just too busy to worry about how they are doing.  Yet, a lot of new mothers (myself included) don’t realize they are at risk for PPD beyond those first initial weeks after giving birth.  PPD can strike any time during the first year and affects 10-20% of new mothers.  But less than 15% of those women will receive treatment this year according to Postpartum Support International, an advocacy organization.
 
That could change if Washington continues to move ahead with plans to better educate, screen and treat mothers for PPD.  Just last week, the House overwhelmingly passed legislation introduced by Congressman Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) more than six years ago.  H.R. 20, the Melanie Blocker Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act  provides new funding for PPD research and outreach to mothers.
 
This is not a done deal.  The proposal is heading to the Senate where there is a similar bill up for review: S. 1375, “The MOTHERS Act,” introduced by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ).  Today, fellow women bloggers around the country are calling on citizens to keep the process moving by letting lawmakers know you want the government to do more to raise awareness about PPD.  To get involved, click here
 
There are a number of risk factors that can predispose certain women to depression, including family history of mental illness or substance abuse according to NIH researchers.  But mental health professionals say that asking for help with your new baby and taking time to rest and care for yourself are key.
 
In my own quest to find out more about PPD last year, I came across Sherry Duson, a family therapist based in Houston at the Center for Postpartum Family Health.  She created a wonderful tool to help new moms check in with themselves.  It is not meant to diagnose PPD.  Rather, Sherry’s Well Mom Checklist provides some easy reminders to help all of us take a few minutes to rest and recharge. Check it out on this week’s Well-centered page.
 
Now that my kids are just about 20 months, I know for sure that unless you take care of yourself, you cannot give your best to everyone else in your life.  It is a big reason I decided to write about wellness and motherhood and founded The Well Mom.  If you are concerned that you may be struggling with PPD, please call your doctor.  To learn more about depression before and after pregnancy click here.
 
 

Filmmaker Amy Kalafa has a message for new moms: All of the attention you are lavishing on your baby’s diet right now is just the beginning.  Wait until he or she starts school.

“You really as a parent have to start to be aware of what other people are determining what is healthy for your children…Often, they have other interests,” cautions 47-year-old Kalafa, a Connecticut mother of two and activist against the “neon green slushies, greasy fries and supersized cookies” that often find their way into students’ diets.

She hopes her new documentary, Two Angry Moms, will resonate with parents everywhere and encourage them to get informed and involved in what their children eat on campus.

“We are angry that our culture doesn’t value our children’s health. So as parents we have to work hard to look out for them,” Kalafa tells The Well Mom.

The 90 minute film, which she directed and narrates follows activist Susan Rubin, the other “angry mom.”  Rubin is a suburban New York nutritionist, mother of three and founder of the grass-roots advocacy group Better School Food.  Together, the two travel the country surveying the lunchroom landscape, the bureaucracy behind it and offer perspective on how to improve what is being served to America’s schoolchildren.

Do you know what’s on the menu?
Kalafa and Rubin are calling on parents to join the cause October 15th-19th in a National Lunch-In.  They want parents to eat lunch with their children one day next week and ask some candid questions:
 
- Are there high calorie, low quality foods in vending machines throughout the school?  

- Is the cafeteria food fresh and appetizing?  Where does it come from?  

- How much of the food is real, whole food and how much of it includes flavorings, dyes,
artificial sweeteners, preservatives, binders and unpronounceable ingredients?

- Is a list of ingredients available from the food service director?  : High fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and artificial sweeteners should not be offered to kids on a daily basis.

- Ask yourself: How healthy would I be if I ate this same food five days a week (assuming that your kids, like all kids, will eat junk if it is available)?  

- Does the school have a wellness committee?  

- Has/will the parent association or the school board take up the school food issue?
 
As for the film, Kalafa and Rubin are in the process of finding a major distributor.  But smaller screenings are cropping up around the country. Visit their website angrymoms.org to find out about showings in your area.