Daily Hope for new moms struggling with PPD

Katherine Stone, of Postpartum Progress, will soon be providing Daily Hope. Daily Hope is an inspirational e-message that Katherine sends out daily to her subscribers. The messages are not only inspirational and thought-provoking, they're beautiful as well and contain photographic images by British photographer Xanthe Berkeley.

Starting on January 10, subscribers can receive daily hope for only $5 per month and all proceeds go to the non-profit Postpartum Progress.

Daily Hope is an easy way for moms who are suffering from postpartum depression to receive encouragement and support on a daily basis, to help them feel like they're not alone. And the proceeds benefit a very worthy cause. Katherine Stone has been a super strong PPD advocate for many years, and has done amazing work to increase awareness throughout the country. You can find her website here.

'Warrior Moms' are speaking out

There's a wonderful place online for moms to share their stories of dealing with postpartum depression. It's on the Postpartum Progress website, created by Katherine Stone, in a section called "Warrior Moms." I love that. We are truly warrior moms for having survived something as insidious and destructive as postpartum depression. And we've come out through the other side even stronger than we thought possible.

I'd encourage all new moms to visit this site and read these other moms' powerful stories. I was especially touched by Victoria's story. After having suffered PPD twice, she faced a third pregnancy with much courage and the strength of solid resources and support.

It's not easy to share such personal stories, especially when it comes to a condition that carries a social stigma such as postpartum depression. Not many new moms want to admit that their entrance into motherhood wasn't picture perfect or exactly what they'd expected. I'm proud of these "Warrior Moms" who have spoken out about their experiences in order to help spread awareness. It's only when we create and promote conversations about PPD that we'll finally be able to eradicate it through awareness and prevention.

Moving on and having hope

Before I get started with this latest PPD post, I'd just like to thank everyone who has offered support during the past few nightmarish months of breaking free from my ex-husband, Neil Zucconi. Our 10-month marriage (which was definitely 10 months too long) taught me many things, and one of the biggest things I've learned is how many truly amazing friends I have. I didn't know what a crucial support system Facebook could be, and I'm so grateful for everyone's constant and supportive comments, phone calls, hugs, and prayers.

Okay, so ... I'm moving on. :)

I'm totally back to the topic of postpartum depression after my little hiatus...

And, what I'm posting about today seems very fitting. I'd like to bring attention to a blog post on Katherine Stone's Postpartum Progress blog, not only because it's extremely well written and touching, but also because it's written by her husband -- a man who truly "gets" what PPD is all about and has been right there in the thick of it, supporting his wife through all of the ins and outs of PPD over the years as she evolved from a woman who suffered from the disorder to one who advocates for others. He was right there alongside Katherine and all of the other strong women who spoke out and worked hard to ensure that the MOTHERS ACT was passed. And what a tremendous victory that was.

As I try to move forward and get my life back, it really helps to read such a wonderful post by a husband who is reaching out to encourage women who are suffering from PPD that there is hope.

That message of hope is good for all of us.

Katherine Stone starts bookstore challenge!

My friend and fellow PPD health advocate Katherine Stone has started a bookstore challenge in response to the dearth of books on PPD in many bookstores. It's not that there aren't plenty of wonderful books and other resources on postpartum depression, it's that many bookstores don't feel that it's an important enough topic to devote a space on a shelf too. Sad but true. So Katherine has started a running list of bookstores that have failed big time to carry books on PPD. Please feel free to join her in her quest to educate booksellers on the importance of this topic.

A comment from the fabulous Katherine Stone of Postpartum Progress!

Katherine Stone, a fellow PPD blogger who writes the awesome Postpartum Progress blog, has commented on my last post...

"This is a good discussion. There are so many different people women can see, and each has a widely varying amount of experience treating these disorders. It is so important to ask whoever you're seeing how much experience they've had treating women with postpartum mood disorders. I actually prefer people who specialize in these disorders, even though they are few and far between. I also had a bad experience with a psychiatrist who just kept prescribing me more and more medications. It definitely prevented me from getting better, and I suffered longer than I should have."

On her blog, Postpartum Progress, Katherine has a list of links to some of the top hospitals and clinics in the United States that have specialties in and conduct research on women's perinatal mood disorders. She researched this list herself and did a great job, offering a great starting point for those who are searching for a medical professional (or a referral to one) who specializes in PPD and other postpartum mood disorders.

Yay, Katherine! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on my blog and doing such great work to increase awareness of PPD!!!