Blog Day for The Mothers Act - Just DO it!

Have you heard about Blog Day for the Mothers Act?

It's a part of the BlogHers Act and a global issue that BlogHers would like to see addressed during the 2008 American Presidential election.

Today, I am proud to say that I support The Mothers Act and would like to tell you a little about what BlogHers (like me) are doing to help make a difference and do something good, for a change.  I mean, really.  In this day and age.  I can't think of a reason why another mother should suffer from postpartum depression.

It's real and it sucks to have to admit that I did not enjoy those first 6 months of being a mother - not like a lot of other mothers I knew, who swore that they did - each and every time.  Beyond all the apprehension and second-guessing, that goes with the territory.  I didn't know what it was, really.  Just, that I didn't feel.  Anything.  Except, maybe shame.  And kept it to myself.  I was a mother, after all.

I just did it.

Luckily, I had Garth (not his real name) to help me through the really rough patches and a very supportive family.  But, since I started blogging, it was plain to see that this is not always the case.  I was NOT the only one to suffer in silence.

Now my daughters will know better, too.

Power is knowledge and it's high time we of the Internets banned together and blow-out the blogosphere with the biggest warm fuzzy, EVUH!

More about The Mothers Act:

The Moms Opportunity to Access Help, Education, Research and Support for Postpartum Depression Act, or MOTHERS Act (S. 1375), will ensure that new mothers and their families are educated about postpartum depression, screened for symptoms and provided with essential services.  In addition, it will increase research into the causes, diagnoses and treatments for postpartum depression.  The bill is sponsored by Senators Menendez and Durbin.

More about postpartum depression from Katherine Stone:

"Postpartum depression is a serious and disabling condition that affects up to 20 percent of new mothers -- as much as 800,000 American women each year.  Yet only 15 percent of these women will receive any assessment or treatment.  Let me repeat.  With all we know and as smart as we are, only 15% of 800,000 women will get diagnosed and treated. That is so wrong on so many levels.  Women are not being diagnosed because they're not being educated and they're not being screened. Untreated, the consequences of maternal mood disorders range from chronic, disabling depression to death.  The impact of untreated maternal depression on infants/children ranges from behavioral and learning disabilities to depression and, in the worst case scenarios, death from infanticide."

More on what you can do to help:

1. Blog it on Blog Day for The MOTHERS Act tomorrow, Wednesday, October 24, 2007

2. Share your link at BlogHer

3. Proudly display the badge in this post stating you're going to do the above.
4. CALL YOUR SENATORS AND ASK THEM TO SPONSOR AND SUPPORT THIS LEGISLATION!!!
5. Go to Postpartum Support International to get all the contact info you need.

Or, click here to find your United States Senator's contact information and then all you need to do is say to the person who answers the phone:

"I'm calling because I want the Senator to vote for the MOTHERS Act, Senate Bill 1375.  I vote and live in the Senator's state."

That's it - they'll make a note of it, and you're done - it's THAT easy and I'll be damned to an eternity of inefficient appliances, if it won't make you feel good.

Just DO it!

Comments

[Karianna]

Thank you for all this information.

I wish we didn't seem so vulnerable and "weak" after becoming mothers. After all, we take on the most important responsibility of our lives.

(If my husband's name was "Garth," I'd be laughing up a storm - no PDD there!)

[Liz]

Thank you, Karianna, for sharing your thoughts with me.

I urge everyone to read Karianna's Blog Day for The Mothers Act post - it'll make you feel the "good" behind the blogosphere.

Who can't use a little of that, I ask ya'?

[Go-Go Mommy]

I DID IT!

Thanks for the Blog Day reminder and for sharing your story. There's nothing like using our blogworld for a greater networking cause - you're right, I do feel good today. Wait, make that GREAT!

[Denise]

Thanks for participating in the Blog Day for the Mothers Act. Together we really are making a difference for women and families.

[Karianna]

Thank you so much for mentioning my post - there are a lot of excellent posts out there today - thanks to all who are participating in BlogHersAct!

[MGH Center for Womens Mentalh Health]

Thanks for your support of the MOTHERS Act. Too often postpartum depression is a problem that goes unnoticed, and most women with PPD never receive any type of treatment. PPD is a treatable illness, and it is essential that we continue to educate ourselves and others about this important issue.

For more information on PPD, visit us at The MGH Center for Women's Mental Health.