While having a baby can be a joyous and happy time for new mothers it’s also common for women to experience “baby blues” following their baby’s birth.
“It’s when that depression turns from being mild to severe is when it becomes serious,” said licensed professional counselor Joanne Bigham.
According to the American Psychological Association, up to one in seven women expereince postpartum depression.
To help those mothers dealing with postpartum depression, Covenant Women’s and Children’s Hospital is offering a free support group starting this February.
“We recognize the need in our community and our surrounding communities,” said Lauren Orta, Women’s and Children’s service coordinator. “We are excited to have Joanne come on and be able to help these women to realize that they are not the only ones.”
Bigham is leading the group that will meet on the first and third Wednesday of every month at Covenant’s Family Resource Center.
“We want to help them walk through this and give them the resource,” said Bigham. “We’ll be working on self care, relaxation, self esteem, some parenting.”
Bigham also encourages the new mothers to bring their babies along.
“It’s important for them to see how they are reacting with those children and how they can improve,” said Bigham. “Our goal is to see an improvement in the depression to see them to take hold of their own lives and to live it more calmly and stress free.”
