The weeks and months after birth are generally thought of as a time of abundant joy. A new member of the family joining the fold and ushering in an exciting time for parents. But, for a surprising number of mothers, the postpartum period brings with it a host of mental health struggles. Ozarks at Large's Aiden Dixon has more.
Postpartum depression, in particular, is especially prevalent in Arkansas. Dr. Shona Ray-Griffith is an associate professor at UAMS and the Ambulatory Director of the Women's Mental Health Program. She says that it's affecting up to 20% of women.
“That's 1 in 5 women may have postpartum depression"
And that about half of those cases go untreated.
“Unrecognized. Untreated."
Dr. Ray-Griffith is candid about a big problem for us here in Arkansas.
“Yeah, so there's a shortage of mental health professionals throughout the state, and specifically in the rural areas. One of the things we've done in our Women's Mental Health Program is we now do complete telemedicine care for some patients — as long as they can get an internet connection and have a smartphone or a computer, we can actually do a telemedicine appointment with them to try to help in the rural areas of the state. But mental health is just a shortage throughout the rural areas."
One of the first challenges that come along with postpartum mental health struggles is the uncertainty. It can be easy to brush off the problem with a simple rationalization, but Dr. Ray-Griffith explains these rationalizations can be harmful.
“You know, like, 'oh, this is just the baby blues, this is normal.' The baby blues is a common that happens after having a child, but it's very short and time-limited, usually resolving within a week after delivery. So, if you're continuing to have those symptoms beyond a week postpartum, there's probably something more going on, and it can be addressed and treated. I think the second thing that's often thought is, 'well, they're going to remove my baby,' or social services will be involved if I seek treatment — and that's not true either. That's also something that hinders people from getting treatment."
For her, identifying signs of a problem can start with a pretty simple question.
“If it's two or three a.m. — what are you doing? Are you sleeping, or are you just sitting there checking on the baby a lot? You can't turn your mind off — you're dead tired, but you cannot fall asleep. That's a huge sign that something is probably not okay, and that you need to seek treatment."
So, knowing that identification, and thus treatment of the issue, are difficult to kickstart, it can seem like the road for struggling mothers is an impossible one to navigate. Dr. Ray-Griffith says she had a patient who was on an antidepressant medication for quite some time. And even after adjusting the dosage, the patient wasn't seeing results. But after a simple medication change, she says this led to a world of difference.
“Her words were like, 'you know that commercial where it shows depression and it goes from black and white to color? That's really how it felt’. She said around day four or five of this medication, that's what she experienced — like, all of a sudden, things were brighter. She was enjoying things again. And I've heard iterations of that story throughout my career."
In fact, she says that — if addressed and treated properly — postpartum depression tends to disappear a year postpartum, if not sooner.
“Many people go on to just see it as a blip in their story. Most moms do not continue to need treatment long-term or chronically — this is just a one-time little blip in the story."
So, what is Arkansas doing to help women get to that point? For a state that deals with these high rates of cases, surely we aren't doing just nothing, right?
“I mean, I don't think it's nothing. I think there are numerous groups doing a lot — I've been part of some of those groups, I'm aware of some of those groups. I love the initiative for the doulas — we're really increasing the awareness and training of doulas to help moms, not only during pregnancy but also postpartum. I think we have some home-visiting programs, where nurses will come to your home and help you, and can answer some of those questions in the postpartum period. I think we do that really well — I'd love to see more of that throughout the state. And the expansion of telemedicine, of course — one of the positive things that came out of COVID was the use of that to reach those areas."
But Dr. Ray-Griffith says that one of the most powerful resources is one that every mother in the perinatal period should have on their schedule.
“Go to that postpartum visit, where hopefully you are being screened for depression — someone is asking how you're doing. And take care of yourself. My mentor always taught me this phrase: when you fly, and they go over the safety instructions at the beginning of the flight, the one thing they always tell you is when the oxygen mask falls down, put it on yourself before you help anyone else. That's the same thing when it comes to having a baby and taking care of children — you've got to take care of yourself to be able to take care of them."
The struggle of a mother suffering from postpartum mental health problems can be complex, alienating, and difficult to come to terms with. It can be easy to doubt your own competency. The question may arise: Am I a good mom? But Dr. Ray-Griffith shares the most important thing to remember.
“The fact that you're worried about that tells me you're a good mom. The fact that you're even worried about being a good enough mom for your children tells me that you're likely a great mom, and I just want you to know that. So, I tell my patients that."
If you or someone you know is a mother seeking mental health help postpartum, she recommends reaching out to the Arkansas branch of Postpartum Support International.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline and edited for length and clarity. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
