Why this website? I’m a mom and grandmother who understands how you may be feeling. I want to offer you support because no one was there for me when I went through this, and I want you to have a better experience.
Since 1977 I have spoken with and listened to moms, dads, friends and family members seeking pregnancy and new parent emotional support. My goal is now to reach even more people seeking non-medical, emotional support through this website.
You have complex questions and you may want quick answers. I hope to guide you through the maze of confusion that you may be feeling. You may be experiencing a wide range of emotional reactions to your pregnancy and parenting experience. My suggestions are simple and direct; my intention is to reassure, inform, and validate, while not frigtening you. I can’t diagnose an illness or predict an outcome, but I can direct and encourage you. For the moment, while you are visiting this site, I represent your hope for a better tomorrow.
The following letter describes the type of postpartum emotional support I have been offering since I co-founded Postpartum Education for Parents in Santa Barbara, California in 1977 and founded Postpartum Support International in 1987.
Hello Jane,
In going through my old notes from the period after my daughter was born in March 1998, I came across your name and the great advice you gave me over the phone regarding postpartum depression. Thank you very much for your time then! You gave me the motto, the mantra, and the Steps to Wellness, which I faithfully scribbled down.
It was the first time I’d talked to someone in those overwhelming months who understood what I was feeling and helped me to accept that I wasn’t to blame. Mine must have been a mild depression, because I began to have better days after a couple of months. I even nursed my daughter until she was 22 months old and I was four months pregnant with my son. I avoided all the risk factors I could control when he was born in May 2000, and I never even had the “baby blues.”
I still have the books you urged me to buy, and I will pass them on when a friend needs them, but until then I’ve put that period behind me as best I can. You may never realize how much you helped me in that one phone call, but I will always remember your kindness.
Thank you again.
P.C.
March 2002
