Postpartum Depression and Maternal Mental Health: How Caregivers Can Help
Society says the road to motherhood is magical and joyful. Women glow and partners only need to make late-night runs for pickles and ice cream. Missing from the picture are the moms who struggle to get pregnant, those who have miscarriages, and the ones who can’t seem to get out of bed during pregnancy or connect with baby after giving birth. Few partners post on social media about feeling lost or depressed.
Maternal mental health conditions affect 1 in 5 women. With added stress in the home, caregivers — including fathers, spouses and partners, parents and guardians, and adoptive parents — are vulnerable to burnout and depression, too. Fortunately, with the right education, caregivers can recognize when help is needed and how to access it.
Watch the webinar to hear Dr. Jillian Baker’s professional insights and personal experience with infertility and postpartum depression. During this webinar, participants will learn how to recognize the impact of infertility and pregnancy loss on mental health, identify signs of postpartum depression and available treatment options, and provide practical support to a loved one to promote maternal mental health.
FFDA recognizes that childbirth can be experienced by people of different gender identities. For this webinar, we are focusing on cisgender women
Presenters
Dr. Jillian Lucas Baker
Dr. Jillian Lucas Baker is the Executive Director of the Center for Parent and Teen Communication (CPTC) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Baker oversees the overall strategy and management for CPTC and is focused on co-leading the Center to its next phase of growth, sustainability and impact. She has over 20 years of experience in designing, implementing, and translating community driven, evidence-based prevention programs for populations made vulnerable. Dr. Baker holds a Doctorate in Public Health from Drexel University and received postdoctoral training from the Center for Health Equity Research and the National Center on Fathers & Families. She has three beautiful children: 10-year-old twins Gavin and Jemma, and 4-year-old Amari. She endured two years of infertility struggles prior to her first pregnancy and postpartum depression after her last pregnancy. These collective experiences prompted her development of the podcast, A Tribe Called Fertility, a support system for women and their families experiencing fertility and maternal health issues.
Valerie Cordero
Valerie Cordero, PhD, Co-Executive Director, joined the FFDA staff in 2010. Before assuming her role as Co-Executive Director primarily responsible for fundraising and marketing, she held positions in programs and development. Now based in FFDA’s Nashville office, Valerie utilizes her personal knowledge of how mood disorders affect families in dialogues with donors, partners, and the general public. Valerie has lent her voice to national discussions of mood disorders and been featured on major media outlets such as Reader’s Digest, Better Homes & Gardens, and New York Magazine’s vertical The Cut. She received her BA from Spelman College and earned her Masters and PhD in Ethnomusicology from the University of California at Los Angeles.
