Having a baby is supposed to be one of the most joyous times of your life! So when guest Sheila Fell and her husband Joe learned that Sheila was pregnant, they were ecstatic. In fact, Sheila immersed herself in learning everything she could about pregnancy and new motherhood.
However, once their son Arthur was born, reality didn’t quite match all those glorious expectations. The Fells learned firsthand about that dreaded word “colic" when their baby boy began to cry virtually nonstop. Sheila recounts how she was in a constant state of anxiety as a result. And despair. Because those days of unsuccessfully trying to calm an unhappy baby turned into weeks...and then months.
New moms like Sheila are not only susceptible to postpartum depression, but to a whole range of emotions that can include PTSD and absolute rage. They are called perinatal mood disorders, and they are very real, affecting roughly 1 in 5 women after childbirth. They can be life threatening.
The good news, though, is that there IS help available. Learn more in this episode.
Here are some great resources that Sheila recommends:
POEM - Perinatal Outreach and Encouragement for Moms
Postpartum Progress - A great resource for moms struggling with Perinatal Mood Disorders and their families.
The Fussy Baby Site - Resources and support for moms of babies with colic and high needs. Support group online at www.facebook.com/groups/fussybabysite/.
Connecting for Kids - Resources and support for families of children with special needs.
Help Me Grow - Home-based parent support program to improve maternal and child health and development.
Building Blocks - Play group for families of kids aged 6 months - 3 years with special needs.
Here is a written transcript of this episode!
Passing Through Life podcast copyright 2018 Luanne Bole-Becker
Episode 3: Mother Never Told Me There’d Be Days Like These
Sheila Fell interview recorded 8.29.18; podcast published 2.6.19
Introducing our guest: Sheila Fell (00:00)
Lu: Today's episode is titled "Mother Never Told Me There'd Be Days Like These." It's episode number three, an interview with Sheila Fell, a young mom whose son Arthur was born in August 2016. So welcome, Sheila. Thanks for joining us.
Sheila: Thank you for having me.
Lu: Sure. We first met doing refugee work. You were finishing up law school, if I recall, I think you took the bar exam right around the time I met you. Yeah, but you wanted to do some work with immigrants and refugees. And I was running a refugee ministry so you became my right hand person for a while as a volunteer. Thank you so much. Yes. Yay!!!. And you are an amazingly capable woman, so I thank you for that.
Sheila: Thank you. You were just so much fun to work with and definitely helped me get my feet wet in the nonprofit world, so I appreciate that a