Raising a family is no easy matter.
Locally, the BABE Breastfeeding Coalition is actively on the forefront providing a variety of events for mothers and children to participate in. When delving into the mental health of raising a child, the Elizabethton Breastfeeding and Healthy Kids Support Group, part of the Coalition, decided to offer a special lecture from East Tennessee State Professor Diana Morelen, PhD., to delve into mental health issues, including postpartum depression. The event is scheduled to take place on Thursday, Jan. 19, at 11 a.m. at Calvary Baptist Church.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) alludes to the fact that national survey shows that approximately one out of 10 women, between 18 to 44 years old, experienced symptoms of major depression during the past year.
“We know that one of five women go through postpartum depression,” Jilian Reece, who spearheaded the event, said. “We want meet to have mothers share their experiences and help each other out by having time to talk about different things going on.”
The event is open to the public as Morelen, who joined the staff at ETSU as an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, added she’s excited about offering resources and listening to questions.
“It’s very important,” Morelen said about postpartum depression. “It’s been great to work alongside Jilian. An event like this is geared to help build healthier communities, support families and understand postpartum depression.”
The issue is near and dear to Morelen, who is a licensed clinical psychologist in Tennessee. Prior to joining ETSU, Morelen studied perinatal mental health at the University of Michigan.
Jennine Goodart-Lovette went through postpartum depression and shared the importance of raising awareness to others.
“At first, I didn’t want people to know,” she said. “I didn’t want to talk about it. Now I know talking about it is part of the healing process. I would encourage people to be open and talk about it with others. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
The stigma of mental health that always proves to be a touchy topic, according to Reece.
“In American, across the state and in our area, mental health is something that really isn’t talked about,” she said. “Depression is something people struggle with. With this event, we encourage people to speak out and share their experiences with each other.”
Morelen added that depression when raising a family can occur due to a variety of issues, including finances and worry about the future.
The event is also open to the public with Reece adding that depression affects fathers, too.
The CDC cited a 2010 study when researching how depression affects fathers. The data from the report spanned from 1993 to 2007 and showed approximately four percent of fathers experience depression in the first year after their child’s birth. By the child’s 12th birthday roughly one out of five fathers will have experienced one or more episodes of depression. According to the report, younger fathers, those with a history of depression, and those experiencing affording items, like home or car expenses, were most likely to experience depression.
The Elizabethton Breastfeeding and Healthy Kids Support Group is sponsored by the Southern Appalachian Birth Network. The group meets the first Thursday of each month with a “mommy recharge” event while the third Thursday of each month offers a special event. The support groups also offer free child care.
For more information, individuals are encouraged to visit the BABE Breastfeeding Coalition Facebook page online.