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Pregnancy and Postpartum

10th Anniversary of May Proclaimed Perinatal Mood Disorders Awareness Month in IL

by Dr. Sarah Allen
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May is PPMD Awareness Month in IL

 

I can’t believe that it’s been 10 years since we at the PPD Alliance of Illinois first worked with an Illinois Governor to proclaim May as Perinatal Mood Disorders Awareness Month. We choose May as it is home to Mother’s Day, and the Alliance’s mission is to educate mamas and their families and friends about the nature of this illness.

Approximately 15% of pregnant women and 15% – 20% of new mothers experience major or minor depression in the first year after giving birth. Methodological differences among the studies make the actual prevalence rate unclear. Also, this are statistics from women reporting how they feel, the actual number is probably much higher.

The proclamation started as Postpartum Depression Awareness Month but over the past few years there has been more recognition that mood disorders cover a wide spectrum, including pregnancy depression and anxiety, postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder, postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder and postpartum psychosis. We now use the term perinatal as that covers both pregnancy and postpartum up to a year after childbirth.

Symptoms differ for everyone but may include:

•Many worries and panic attacks
•Feelings of sadness, fear, anger and guilt
•Possible thoughts of harming the baby or oneself
•Lack of interest in the baby
•Appetite & Sleep Disturbance
•Difficulty concentrating and making decisions

Since the first proclamation in 2004 we have seen more research and much more recognition of amongst hospitals and healthcare professionals about the symptoms of perinatal mood disorders and also the need for screening new moms for depression symptoms. More information is given to new moms when they leave hospital and we have more support groups and professionals trained to help women.

Despite these advances and the prevalence of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, symptoms are still vastly under-detected by health care professionals and many women go without treatment. As I said earlier, we know now that many more pregnant women than we used to think experience anxiety and depression, but they often go undetected as professionals don’t know to ask about pregnancy emotional health. Women without medical insurance mental health benefits and those with lower economic status are also hugely under served. Lastly, we are still battling the stigma associated with maternal anxiety and depression.

Please share this post with everyone you know across Illinois to help us get more awareness so more women and their families reach out for help.

We really want women to know that they are not alone and with help, they can feel well again.

For more information on pregnancy and postpartum mood disorders and to find support and resources in Illinois please visit www.ppdil.org or call our information line 847 205-4455.

To download a free Guide to Pregnancy & Postpartum Stress, Anxiety & Depression visit www.drsarahallen.com/pregnancy-postpartum.

Original Image by Dino Olivieri
 

Northbrook Therapist Helps Depression And Anxiety In Chicago Northshore

by Dr. Sarah Allen
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I was really quite nervous the day that a reporter from the Northbrook Star came to interview me about my practice and the work I do in the community. I have talked with the press quite a bit in the past because of my role as spokesperson for the Postpartum Depression Alliance of IL and have found they often take things out of context and leave out the important bits. Even more nerve-racking, this interview was all about me not the Alliance. What on earth was I going to say that would be interesting? I needn’t have been afraid as Jackie (the reporter) breezed in and just chatted and at the end of it whipped out her camera, took a shot of me and was off. I couldn’t be happier with the article that came out as it really captures my philosophy and what my practice is all about.

Here’s the article if you would like to read it. I was really pleased with it. Good job Jackie!

https://drsarahallen.com/northbrook-star-therapist-focuses-on-reducing-anxiety/

Dr. Sarah Allen Northrook Therapist Focuses On Reducing Anxiety

If you are experiencing anxiety or depression, I put together booklets with strategies I am always giving to my clients firstly, because they help and secondly, so clients can have something handy to refer to between sessions.

I am a big believer in giving handouts about the strategies we talk about during sessions because I think it is hard to remember everything. I also give new clients a folder so they will be able to keep all this information in one place. A sort of emotional health toolbox to get out and read when you need it.

Not everyone is able to come and to see me though so I decided to make these strategies available to everyone and I hope you find this booklet helpful too. I think it is a great way to get started but it is hard to do this on your own so please contact me with any questions you may have after reading it.

SIMPLE STEPS TO OVERCOME ANXIETY & WORRYING ebook
Add your first name and email address in the box below and you will be sent the steps to download your FREE Anxiety book.

You've just been sent an email that contains a confirmation link. Check your SPAM/JUNK folder if you don't see it within a couple of minutes. In order to activate to receive your free booklet, click on the CONFIRM link and you will be sent a second email with the booklet. It may also be in your SPAM folder.

SIMPLE STEPS TO OVERCOME DEPRESSION ebook

Add your first name and email address in the box below and you will be sent the steps to download your FREE Depression book.

 

You've just been sent an email that contains a confirmation link. Check your SPAM/JUNK folder if you don't see it within a couple of minutes. In order to activate to receive your free booklet, click on the CONFIRM link and you will be sent a second email with the booklet. It may also be in your SPAM folder.

 

Dr. Allen sees clients in her Northbrook office or for your convenience, via telephone or internet sessions

If you have any questions about how to reduce anxiety

please phone her at 847 791-7722 or

email me below

    Dr. Allen's professional license only allows her to work with clients who live in IL & FL and unfortunately does not allow her to give personalized advice via email to people who are not her clients.

    Listen To My Interview About Pregnancy & Postpartum Mood Disorders On Radio WXRP

    by Dr. Sarah Allen

    I was recently interviewed on a show called The Healing Place on WXRP Radio and I have now added a recording of the show if you would like to hear it and you missed it when it went live. The show’s host Nikki Jackson has recently had her fourth baby and was interested in telling […]

    Read the full article →

    Medications and Other Harmful Exposures For Pregnant & Breastfeeding Moms

    by Dr. Sarah Allen

      There’s a great online service that helps pregnant and breastfeeding moms make informed choices about medications and other exposures that can be potentially harmful. It can be hugely confusing and worrying when you have to make choices that could potentially harm your baby’s health and they are a non-profit that provides info based on […]

    Read the full article →

    How To Cope With A Colicky Baby

    by Dr. Sarah Allen

    It’s really hard to have a baby that is crying from colic. It can make a mom feel quite helpless, frustrated and overwhelmed, especially when you are tired. The colicky phase does end but while you are in it it can seem to go on forever. In the meantime, here are some great tips to […]

    Read the full article →

    5 Dos and Don’ts for the Prevention and Treatment for Pregnancy and Postpartum Mood Disorders

    by Dr. Sarah Allen

    Expert Beacon approached me a couple of months back to write an article for them about postpartum depression in their 5 Do’s and 5 Don’ts series. I wanted to widen the topic to include mood disorders that can also be experienced during pregnancy and the final article can be read by clicking on the link […]

    Read the full article →

    Northbrook IL Postpartum Depression Therapy – Dr. Sarah Allen

    by Dr. Sarah Allen

    Effective counseling for postpartum mood disorders is available in Northbrook, Chicago and surrounding suburbs.

    Read the full article →

    Wholefoods in Northbrook Supports the PPD Alliance of IL

    by Dr. Sarah Allen

    A huge thank you to Northbrook Wholefoods for making The Postpartum Depression Alliance of IL (www.ppdil.org) the recipient of their One Dime at a Time program between April 1st and June 30th. For every bag you bring in with you to reuse they give us 10c. That really helps our mission to bring support and […]

    Read the full article →

    Anxiety After Having A Baby

    by Dr. Sarah Allen

    Research published in April’s Pediatrics journal showed that 15% of new moms experience clinical levels of anxiety. Dr. Ian Paul, a professor of pediatrics and public health sciences at the Penn State College of Medicine and the lead researcher stated “Childbirth tends not to be a depressing situation for a majority of women, but it […]

    Read the full article →

    The Northbrook Tower – Northbrok Wholefoods Asks For Dime Donations To Support Postpartum Depression Alliance

    by Dr. Sarah Allen

    NB Whole Foods asks for dime donations to support Postpartum Depression Alliance by Alan P. Henry May 07, 2013 Every time you shop at Whole Foods Market in Northbrook between now and June 30 and use your own bag, you will potentially be helping support the statewide helpline and website of the Postpartum Depression Alliance […]

    Read the full article →
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    Pregnancy & Postpartum Disorder

  • Download These Free Reports

    PREGNANCY / POSTPARTUM MOOD SCREENING TEST EBOOK

    THE GUIDE TO PREGNANCY & POSTPARTUM STRESS, ANXIETY & DEPRESSION EBOOK

  • Please Enter Your Email To Download This Booklet

    You've just been sent an email that contains a confirmation link. Check your SPAM/JUNK folder if you don't see it within a couple of minutes. In order to activate to receive your free booklet, click on the CONFIRM link and you will be sent a second email with the booklet. It may also be in your SPAM folder.

  • WXRP Radio - The Healing Place


    Dr. Sarah Allen is interviewed about Pregnancy & Postpartum Mood Disorders


      Listen to the show here

  • Testimonials

    When I had my first baby I had what I now know was postpartum depression but I didn’t get any help. It did go away after about 18mths but it was a miserable way to begin motherhood.  When I was pregnant with my second child I started to become depressed again and this time told my OB/GYN how I was feeling and she referred me to Sarah. By starting to deal with how I felt and change the way I was handling the stresses in my life, I was in a much better place when my baby was born. The second time round my PPD was much less severe and didn’t last as long. Sarah was also really helpful in teaching me ways to make the transition of becoming a big sister easier for my oldest one too.   My husband came with me for some sessions and that really helped our relationship and we started working on parenting issues together.  Sarah’s counsel and support really helped our family transition to the good place we are all in today.
    Sara D.
    I began seeing Dr. Allen when my first child was around a year old. I had experienced a very traumatic birth, after a difficult pregnancy where I was on bed rest for a good portion of the time. The first year of my son’s life was spent worrying constantly. I also experienced flashbacks to the birth, which was an emergency C-section under general anesthesia. My son was in the NICU for several days following his birth, and I was not given very much information as to why. I remember thinking that he would die, or that something awful was going to happen. I experienced a great deal of anxiety that first year, and I thought that it was due to being a new mom. I wasn’t sleeping, I wasn’t eating as normal, and I remember being worried about leaving the house or taking my baby with me anywhere. I worried constantly about illness, germs, etc. The first day that I saw Dr. Allen, she gave me some questionnaires to fill out before we started talking. Then we sat down and talked about my experiences with my son’s birth and the early days of his life, and the year or so since then. I remember to this day the relief that I felt when she looked at me and said that I had PPD and PTSD, which was a result of the trauma I experienced during and immediately after the birth of my son. She explained how my brain had reacted to the stress of these events, and related it to why I was feeling the way that I felt. It made so much sense. Then, she described ways that I could get over the trauma, work through the feelings, and recover from PTSD and PPD. I felt so empowered, and so happy that the way I felt had a name, and that it was treatable. It also made me feel so validated in the ways that I had felt and reacted following my son’s birth. I wasn’t going crazy. My reaction was normal and natural. And with the help of Dr. Allen, and the type of therapy that she uses, I knew I could recover. It is over five years since that first visit with Dr. Allen, and I still use the tools that she taught me today to deal with stress. I credit her with helping me to become a more empowered, happier person.
    Elizabeth
    I refer as many patients as I can to Dr. Allen. She is an expert in treating perinatal mood disorders, and a well-trained and experienced therapist who is committed to working with her clients to develop a treatment plan designed for each individual. She exhibits genuine warmth, kindness and compassion for each of her clients. Dr. Allen has been a colleague of mine for more than 20 years, and I have great confidence when I refer patients to her.
    Leslie Lowell StoutenburgRNC, MS, FACCE Director, Pregnancy & Postpartum Mood & Anxiety Disorder Program and President of Postpartum Support International
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