My initial thought when reading the headline of this story this morning was how tired I am of seeing these stories, over and over. I felt this welling of frustration in my stomach. Once again, more babies lives are destroyed, yet again, another mom takes her life ... because we still have so much work to do to spread awareness of postpartum depression and its horrible life-threatening sister disorder, postpartum psychosis. And authorities in Floral City, Florida, where this latest incident took place, are all scratching their heads, wondering why this young mother killed her babies and then herself.
Makes me want to scream.
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I have an article on my desk that is yellow with age but it serves it's purpose for me. Mother pleads not guilty to throwing son in bay. I keep there to focus on my primary goal of changing the perception of PPD and PPP.
Every single day women and children die as result of the lack of research that has been done in the area of PPD and PPP in this country. I am outraged, angry, frustrated and heartbroken all at the same time.
Until there is a shift in thinking about the primary cause of PPD and PPP being hormonal imbalances not the sudden onset of a mental illness, women and children will continue to die. I say primary because there is clear evidence that PTSD plays a role in all of this also.
There have been studies done using 17-beta estradiol in the successful treatment of PPP. PPP is a bit more challenging because it occurs rather suddenly without to much of a warning if you have never experienced it before. My greatest hope is to provide a clear understanding of this hormone related disorder when hormonaltides.com is launched. I promise it will be soon.
There are several compounding pharmacies who are treating PPD with natural hormone replacement. If you are or know a women who is experiencing PPD you can find a pharmacist at the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists http://www.iacprx.org. They will provide you with a referral to a pharmacist in your area who will work with you and your doctor in balancing your hormone levels.
United women can change the world. Together we can save women and children through education.
Be well. The tide is about to change.
November 6, 2008 - 11:13amThis Comment
I also read this story and was saddened by the outcome. It reminded me of Andrea Yates, the woman who drowned her five children in the bathtub in Houston, TX.
I have a friend that has two children that were five months and 2 years old at the time. She was a nurse and had a well-to-do job. She suffered from post partum depression and had to actually take a leave of absence since she felt as if she wanted to kill her children. The best part of the story is that her job allowed the leave of absence; she moved in with her Mother for a while and was able to obtain the mental help that was necessary. I am glad to report that she is much better now and returned to her normal life.
I think that single parents tend to try and do everything by themselves and get overwhelmed. When you’re overwhelmed, you get depressed and need a gateway to remove yourself from the situation. When children are involved, there is no where to escape and the responsibility never ceases to exist. I am not a Mother, but I have soaring respect for women who are Mothers, job holders and head of households. They should all be commended.
If you know someone that is suffering from postpartum depression, there is help. You can find the link here offered by 4woman.gov. www.4woman.gov
November 1, 2008 - 2:13pmThis Comment