In the News
Once pregnancy ends, the attention often shifts away from mothers. Even though research shows postpartum depression (PPD) affects about one in seven women, many new moms report feeling unseen, unsupported or left to manage their mental health challenges on their own. A major early hurdle in postpartum care is that mothers are often no longer treated as the central focus soon after giving birth. Throughout pregnancy, they have regular appointments, symptom screenings and check-ins. After delivery, however, “the attention tends to move to the baby – in the household, at pediatrician appointments and even in social conversations,” said Anushka Chelliah, M.D., a board-certified maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Obstetrix® Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists of Houston, part of Pediatrix® Medical Group. “Mothers no longer feel they are the priority in health care, and it’s a big shift from the prenatal period,” she said. In addition, providers, relatives and even mothers themselves may focus on the more familiar signs of PPD, like sadness or hopelessness, while less obvious symptoms – including anxiety, emotional numbness, irritability, anger and insomnia – are often missed, said Dr. Chelliah.
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