Ho there, Warrior Moms. I've been off for a few days, chowing down on Thanksgiving (and all the days surrounding Thanksgiving, to be honest) and shopping for Christmas. I'm now done. House decorated. Children's presents all accounted for. And now it's time to get back to work. I hope you all had a pleasant and healthyholiday.
I'm catching up on a bazillion emails and news articles I missed and came across this one about the Mt. Sinai Hospital Perinatal Mental Health programin Toronto, Canada. This isone of the programs listed on the Postpartum Progress page featuring specialized programs treating postpartum depression and related illnesses. It's run by Dr. Ariel Dalfen and Dr. Beverly Young.
What I didn't know about their program, though, and what interested me greatly was this (from Canada's Hospital News):
"Women who are at especially high risk for PPD, such as those who suffer from bipolar disorder, may be eligible for Mount Sinai’s Five-Day Five-Night Program. This program allows high-risk women to stay in the hospital for an extra five nights after they’ve given birth for monitoring and, most importantly, so they can catch up on their sleep.
'Studies have shown that sleep deprivation worsens postpartum depression and the more sleep a woman gets greatly reduces her risk of developing PPD after birth,' explains Dr. Dalfen. 'This program allows them to rest while knowing their baby is being taken care of by trained nurses.'
How great is this?! Early intervention! It's an interesting idea. I'm VERY curious to know how many women have gone through the Five-Day Five-Night Program and what percentage of them (if any)either didn't develop full-blown symptoms of postpartum depression, anxiety or psychosis, or had milder symptoms than one might have expected. Is five days enough? How many of the women who are eligible are willing to participate? Aside from the sleep, do they receive any other types of support?
The article goes on to state that the group is also planning "… a pilot project that would reserve two beds on the psychiatric inpatient unit for women suffering from severe postpartum depression so they and their baby can be admitted and cared for on a longer-term basis."
Click the link for more stories on sleep and postpartum depression.
How wonderful! I would absolutely take advantage of that the next time around! I don't know if I COULD sleep, but it would be nice to be able to try!
I really like the idea of the pilot program too. I would have a hard time going into the hospital and leaving my baby, if that were a necessary step in treatment. Being able to keep my baby near and know there are people to help me care for him/her would be amazing.
Wonderful news and progress!
This is a great idea, and I hope the study shows positive results.
It does make me envious though, as a mother who has suffered Post Adoption Depression, that there is no 5 day sleep program for adoptive moms available!
I am very happy to read about this. I hope the long term trial ,works out so well, that a big report results , and this is continued all over,not just Canada, but many parts of the world, and certainly the United States of America, Fresno, California works for me.
Great idea, but I'm nervous that lactavists will try to hijack this program and turn it into five nights of breastfeeding coercion for mothers and babies who would be better off bottle feeding.
I think hospital stays in the US are too short after delivery in the first place. In Switzerland a 5 or 6 night stay after a normal non-complicated vaginal delivery is pretty standard for ALL moms, and it's 8 or 9 after a C-section. I stayed my five nights after both of my sons were born. The second time around I developed very serious PPD anyway because let's face it, the sleepless nights go on and on after you've left the hospital.
Regarding the breast-feeding issue Michelle mentioned: the hospital I delivered at was a center that encouraged breast-feeding. The baby could sleep in the room with mum or in the nursery, but if the baby slept in the nursery the nurses did come and wake up the mother for feeding. But because you're in the hospital and everybody is taking care of everything (they feed you, you don't have to clean anything or deal with your other children, and they actually sort of discouraged visitors other than immediate family to the new mother) and there is a nursery, the opportunities to sleep throughout the day are tremendous. I was very well-rested during my hospital stay. Coming home to real life – that's another story!
This is exciting news indeed…we need more of these facilities in the U.S.!
I was a patient of this program, identified at about 5 months pregnant at being at risk for PPD because of existing chronic depression.
This program is a great idea and I would have gladly signed on. However, because I had a midwife who didn't have privileges for the hospital (Mt Sinai), I wasn't able to participate. In hindsight, I wish I had known about this program when choosing a midwifery clinic.
As for breastfeeding, I seem to remember that they would support breastmilk pumping and finger feeding.
As for the support from the Peri-Natal Mental Health Program, well…it could have been better. I felt a HUGE disconnect between my reality and the advice offered. So instance, if I mentioned having issues getting my then-husband (now ex-husband!) to help around the house more, I would be advised to hire something to help me with the housekeeping and such. The doctor just couldn't understand that we didn't have an extra penny to spend. Hell, my mum was picking up the tab for the diaper service. She couldn't understand the reality I was living with – just above the poverty line and wanting my husband to take some responsibility and needing the communication skills to express this to him. Hiring help would have only let him off the hook!
I digress. Yes…more sleep in those early days would have been so very helpful. As would the extra time in a hospital under the care of doctors and nurses who 'get it'. It would also have been helpful to learn how to ask my family and friends for help, and to come up with a plan, WITH my partner, on how to handle the inevitable PPD and have a strategy in place.
WOW. This idea is genius. I really feel like sleep deprivation played a big role in my postpartum downward spiral. I think it's amazing that women could have a head start with 5 days of being allowed to SLEEP. There are a couple of things rolling around in my brain about this one, though. First of all, I wonder what this would mean in terms of insurance. Would women be responsible for the extra days, or is this something that would be covered. And secondly, I wonder what they would do as a part of this program to let moms get fresh air and not get cabin fever. I stayed for 2 nights due to troubles with breastfeeding and being in that tiny room was driving me nuts! So, I'd also be interested in know what they'd do to ensure the moms get rest and that they also feel they have space as well. What an interesting concept. It's great to see that these things are actually taking shape in parts of the world. We can only improve from here, right?
This is quite a refreshing idea. Instead of allowing mothers to fend on their own without any form of external support, we can help mothers through this difficult time. Excellent initiatve and I wonder why it was not implemented before.