Shore Memorial Hospital Maternity and Family Life Programs Offers Support for New Mothers

No sleep. Lack of appetite. Irritation. Exhaustion.

These are all symptoms that can easily be attributed to the stresses of new parenthood. But these can also be signs of postpartum depression, a mood disorder that affects up to 80 percent of new mothers.

Sufferers experience a variety of symptoms, ranging from lack of interest in loved ones to thoughts of harming the baby or themselves.

The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services has partnered with hospitals and other health professionals for “Speak Up When You’re Down,” a campaign that educates women and their families that perinatal mood disorders are treatable and that resources, such as counseling, are available to help them.

At Shore Memorial Hospital, nurses and physicians work with expectant mothers at various stages of pregnancy to identify, treat and prevent postpartum depression.

“We need women to know that help is out there,” says Sue Somers, RN, BSN, a lactation consultant and co-facilitator of Shore Memorial’s childbirth classes and Mom to Mom group. “That this condition is treatable and that they’re not alone.”

At Shore Memorial’s Preparation for Childbirth and Early Parenting classes, facilitators discuss the symptoms of post-partum depression and how a woman can tell if she is at risk.

“Some women have a history of panic disorders, anxiety or maybe even depression,” Somers says. “Those people would be at a higher risk.”

Following delivery, all new mothers are screened for postpartum depression prior to being discharged from the hospital, and they are given information about postpartum symptoms, methods of coping and treatment options.

Even with all of these efforts, the “baby blues” can sneak up on parents weeks after giving birth.

With that in mind, Shore Memorial also hosts a weekly Mom to Mom group where mothers can discuss the challenges of early parenthood.

Somers and fellow facilitator Patty Costello, RN, BSW, help answer questions, but they also listen for comments that could identify a postpartum sufferer, such as a mother complaining that she is not sleeping enough, or that she is eating too much or too little.

“Something as minor as that could give us insight and help us start a conversation with them about how much they sleep or what their moods are like,” Somers says. “We’re in a position then to tease out who is having problems and who is not.”

Shore Memorial’s Mom to Mom group is free to attend and meets each Monday in the Jenkins Conference Room at the hospital. For more information on this and other Family Life programs offered at Shore Memorial, call 609-653-3238.