Mother Reach offers support for postpartum depression - Woodstock Sentinel Review - Ontario, CA

Posted By HEATHER RIVERS, SENTINEL-REVIEW

It can feel like there is no way out of the darkness.

When you're suffering from postpartum depression (PPD) or postpartum mood disorders (PPMD) --a term used to describe women with symptoms of PPD -- it's tough to think it will ever end, said Heidi, who did not want to use her real name.

But now the pregnant mother of an 11-month old child says a Woodstock support group called Mother Reach has helped her understand that she's not going to feel this way forever.

"It shows you there is a light at the end of the tunnel," she said.

Heidi said she was diagnosed with PPD six months after the birth of her first child and was referred by the Oxford County public health unit to the drop-in support group.

"I thought I'd come here once," she said.

Typically, Heidi had felt uncomfortable in other "mom groups" where the other mothers made being a mom look easy, she said.

Heidi said her symptoms included nighttime panic attacks and constant worry "for no good reason."

"I was crying a lot during the day," she said. "All of a sudden, I couldn't cope with anything. I'd stand in the grocery store and couldn't decide between two cereals."

For Teresa, who has also changed her name to protect her identity, PPD left her feeling completely isolated…

Mother Reach offers support for postpartum depression - Woodstock Sentinel Review - Ontario, CA