Episode 177: Transformed by Postpartum Depression (Epilogue)

Tonight Dana was joined by guest co-host Sarah Workman Checcone. Sarah is the Founder and Executive Director of Postpartum Society of Florida. Sarah is also a Certified Instructor of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® and the Murphy-Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children® which she offers to families and educators through her private personality consulting firm, Translationships. Sarah is the author of "FROM BUMP TO GRIND: The Secret Scoop on Labor, Delivery & Early Motherhood," the co-producer and creator of MiTunes: Mother-Infant Music, an innovative PPD outreach program in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Tonight, the topic was postpartum depression, focusing on the book "Transformed by Postpartum Depression" by Walker Karraa, Ph.D. According to the Postpartum Society of Florida, 1 in 3 women experience postpartum depression, which may manifest in many forms such as anxiety, insomnia, depressive cycles, and compulsive behaviors.

Karraa was a certified birth doula for over a decade before getting her doctorate in transpersonal psychology. Currently, Dr. Karraa is a Research Fellow at The Center for Leadership Studies and Educational Research-- School of Advanced Studies, at the University of Phoenix, where she is on faculty as a Dissertation Research Chair and teaches qualitative research methods in the doctoral program. She is the Media Review Editor for The Journal of Leadership Studies, and serves as the Media Director for The International Marcé Society. Walker was most recently appointed the first perinatal mental health adviser to the President's Advisory Council of DONA International. Walker is the Founder of STIGMAMA™ a site dedicated to supporting women writing about the stigma of mental illness in motherhood, and runs a successful perinatal research consulting practice, Postpartum Associates, Inc.

Karraa shared her experience with postpartum depression and explained her reasoning for writing the book. Her book follows the stories of women before, during, and after postpartum depression. As founder of Stigmama, Karraa speaks openly and passionately about her experience with mental illness. She advocates for reclassifying PPD as a trauma, in order to change the way it is treated.

Birth in the News:
Mother and daughter give birth at the same time
Class gaps in unintended pregnancy rates

Resources:
Postpartum Florida resources