Post-partum Depression workshops make women feel less alone & gives a sense of community

What incident motivated you to become an advocate for Post-partum Depression (PPD) awareness/workshops?

My advocacy was born out of my own adversity. I attended all pre-natal classes designed by the hospital but there was no conversation around PPD. We are so focused on doing all the right things for the baby, we forget to remember ourselves and what will happen postpartum. I went through PPD and it took me two years to even understand what was happening to me. I realized if someone had sensitized my Partner and me about the warning signs and directed us on how to seek help, my journey would have been much easier. I did not want another mother to go through this, and hence I started discussing about the possibility of workshops and that is how my petition took shape.

How the post-partum depression workshops are making a positive impact in the lives of women?

In so many wonderful ways. The workshops will educate women and their families on PPD, which is a huge step. Awareness is the first step to making any change. By having conversations around PPD, we will also reduce and eventually remove the stigma attached to mental health disorders, especially maternal mental health conditions. When a woman and her family is taught to read the warning signs, they are more likely to have timely intervention and seek help, in turn improving the experience the mother has post-partum, and strengthening her bond with her baby. This also is beneficial to baby and family’s overall well-being, because a mother’s mental health has a direct impact on family life. These workshops are also going to make women feel less alone and give them a sense of community.

How do you plan to reach out to women who may be hesitant to seek help around post-partum depression?

By sharing my own journey, by letting them know there is help available and by telling them that there is hope. I have been raising awareness around this topic by having Live sessions on my Instagram. I have had discussions with gynecologists, therapists, Mom blogging community, PPD survivors and PPD awareness advocates so the community at large understands this is normal and it is possible to get better, which is motivating a lot of women to seek help.

How does Nguvu collective help you with the resources and support towards this petition?

I get immense support from the collective in terms of direction, reaching out to more people, bandwidth, moral support and guidance. They help me with planning my next steps, in contacting the relevant people who can help me amplify my petition, reaching the right journalists, and simply keeping my spirits high when I am down, because let’s face it, it’s a long journey and also daunting. Some days the battle feels lonely and the collective helps me feel less alone and more supported than I have ever felt. It is because of my fellowship with Nguvu Collective that I was able to launch my petition in the first place.

What are your plans for expanding the reach of your petition?

I am going to continue to build on the conversations we are having on my Instagram. I am also personally in touch with a lot of mental health workers who are supporting me by sharing my petition. My community of 40,000 Mothers, that also includes Mom bloggers, PPD survivors, experts and advocates are helping me expand my petition by sharing it well within their community. A lot of gynaecologists have come forward expressing the need to be a part of the conversation and doing lives with me. On a personal level, every Mother I work with and the families that attend my Baby Sleep Workshops, I discuss about the need to care for maternal mental health and the importance of seeking help. It would be so nice to get a celebrity’s support, especially a mother who has experienced PPD herself as that will help me amplify this and give the cause the attention it deserves.