There’s renewed hope for an estimated 7,500 new mothers in Louisiana who experience postpartum depression (PPD) at any given time, according to a new study. That translates into 12.1% of new Louisiana mothers according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). With that in mind, the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) is now offering a new program called TLC Moms. The services it provides are far too many to mention in this report alone.
Click here to see all the service options available. Broadly speaking, they include crisis response, mental health professionals, along with additional and downloadable resources. The state’s Surgeon General Dr. Ralph Abraham says there are several reasons why new mothers may experience postpartum depression. “Could it be a hormone change? Absolutely! Could it be an environment change? Absolutely! And now it’s not a burden, but you’ve got the responsibility of a new life.”
The first hurdle is to correctly identify a new mother’s level of depression. According to LDH guidelines, this process can help determine whether the current episode is more a case of the so-called baby blues versus a full-blown case of postpartum depression. Refer to graphic (above) for specifics.
Licensed Professional Counselor Stephanie Boudreaux emphasizes that postpartum depression is the number-one health issue that new mothers face. “Maternal mental health is so serious that it’s the number one complication of pregnancy in childbirth for women. So, that’s even considering something medically going wrong after giving birth or during birth itself.”
