We’re so pleased to welcome Dr. Triesta Fowler to Postpartum Progress today. Triesta runs the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s (NICHD) National Child and Maternal Health Education Program. We worked with NICHD to bring them together with Warrior Moms at our conference last year in order to provide valuable patient input into the development of materials that can be used to help moms and families. Here’s the wonderful result of that work:
In July of 2015, we had the privilege of meeting some of you at the Postpartum Progress Warrior Mom® Conference. We showed you preliminary versions of materials that would eventually become the cornerstone of Moms’ Mental Health Matters initiative, our effort to equip moms just like you with the tools to handle perinatal anxiety and depression. We aimed to develop something that could resonate with all women, and we needed your candid input.
You provided insight into every aspect of the content and the design of the materials, explaining to us how these tools would have impacted you and your families. We learned that it was crucial that we expand the focus beyond postpartum depression, offering information about both anxiety and depression, occurring both during pregnancy and after the baby is born. You suggested language that would resonate with mothers and their partners to empower them to get the help they need. You offered feedback on how we could best use images and design elements in ways that would draw you in. Most importantly, you drew from your past experiences, selflessly sharing your stories in order to help future mothers.
We couldn’t be more excited to announce that the Moms’ Mental Health Matters initiative has launched, and the materials that you helped create are here! You can learn more about the initiative and view, download, or order the materials here. Please feel free to share this information and these materials throughout your communities. We hope that they will help you continue the important work that you do to support moms with depression and anxiety during and after pregnancy.
Sincerely,
Triesta Fowler, M.D.
Coordinator, National Child and Maternal Health Education Program
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institute of Health
