I was given the routine mental health screenings postpartum, but I was never flagged. The checklists didn’t pick up on the degree of hyper-vigilance I had when someone held my son, the rituals I had to complete to keep him safe or the paralyzing scary thoughts of him getting hurt. It wasn’t until my second son was nine months old that I finally self-diagnosed through a 2am deep dive on the internet. 

I imagine my postpartum experiences may have felt lighter if my six-week screening suggested I needed help. But then I may not have created The Postpartum Den to help  mother’s get help through experiences like mine.

While the den was inspired by personal experience, I found that so many in early motherhood were living with symptoms they knew weren’t normal but they didn’t fit neatly into a standard 15-question checklist. Collectively, our experiences hinted at a larger systemic gap in understanding and care options.

Because of my team’s personal and clinical understanding, our programs give moms concentrated, transformative clinical care designed to supercharge their relief so they can still find joy in their postpartum experience. 

The Postpartum Den offers the care I needed but didn’t get. And although it can’t close larger systemic gaps, helping even a few of the 1 in 6 women who experience a perinatal mood disorder, is starting somewhere.