Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week

Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week is this week! This week gives us an opportunity to acknowledge the profound impact mental health has on the entire family and to destigmatize the struggles many mothers face silently. The Blue Dot Project created this initiative to raise awareness and help reduce the stigma surrounding perinatal mental health disorders. This year’s theme is Storytelling Saves Lives and will feature stories from women and families impacted by perinatal mental health concerns, that promote ideas of solidarity, hope, and empowerment. During the week of May 5th-11th, the Blue Dot Project will post on their social media outlets informative resources and personal stories.

Amidst the joy and excitement of motherhood, many new moms experience the baby blues. The baby blues is a common phrase referring to feelings of intense sadness or mood swings postpartum. According to the American Pregnancy Association about 70-80% of new mothers experience baby blues. There is no specific cause of the baby blues, but it may be related to hormonal changes in the brain postpartum, fatigue, and adjusting to monumental life changes. Symptoms of baby blues lasting more than two weeks can indicate postpartum depression or other mental health concerns. CDC research shows that 1 in 8 women experience postpartum depression. Listed below are symptoms that indicate extra support is recommended:

·      Feeling down, depressed, or, hopelessness

·      Thoughts of harming self or others

·      Feelings of irritability or restlessness

·      Withdrawing from loved ones

·      Feeling emotionally disconnected from the baby

·      Doubting your ability to care for the baby

·      Feeling guilt or shame about your ability to care for your baby

·      Obsessive thoughts about the baby’s safety

Coping Strategies

Self-Care

Prioritize self-care activities that you enjoy. Self-care does not have to be something big or time-consuming, it can be something as small as listening to your favorite songs or taking a few minutes to sit outside. It can be whatever you enjoy doing that can help alleviate stress. Self-care gives you time for things that you genuinely enjoy or need in that moment.

Seek out Support

It takes a village; it is okay to ask for help from loved ones. If you need help or need a break do not hesitate to lean on friends and family. It can be isolating and lonely at times, but you are not alone! There are new mom support groups and other parenting groups that will connect you with people going through similar experiences. If you are having difficulties fostering connections and support from others it is recommended that you seek support through individual therapy and group therapy sessions.

Setting Realistic Goals          

Things may not go exactly as planned, which can be anxiety-provoking and frustrating. Be gentle with yourself and set small realistic goals. By breaking things down into smaller, more manageable steps it will help you focus on accomplishing one thing at a time. This can help you complete your task in a less anxiety-provoking way. Celebrate your accomplishments but understand that bumps in the road happen and that is part of your journey. Motherhood is not picture perfect but know that you are doing the best you can.

Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week helps us spread the word that new moms are not alone in this journey. Motherhood is a life-changing experience that comes with a mix of emotions, including moments of sadness, anxiety, and irritability. If you are struggling to cope, we have clinicians available to support you through the complexities of motherhood.

Dry: Why Hydration Matters This Summer

Summer Hydration Tips from our
Director of Dietary Services, Kelsey Riesbeck, RD.  

We sat down with Kelsey Riesbeck, RD, Director of Dietary Services at Lift Wellness Company, to learn how dehydration happens, who is most vulnerable, and how we can all do better in keeping hydrated and happy this summer! For 1:1 health strategies, tools and tailored guidance, you may schedule an appointment for dietary services with Kelsey and her team here.

Kelsey, experts always advise us to drink more water… can you tell us why? 

KR: When the body does not get enough water, it is not able to adequately perform its normal daily functions. Water is an essential nutrient that helps to protect the organs and joints, regulate body temperature, aid in digestion, and transport nutrients to cells among many other responsibilities. Without it, these functions have decreased efficiency. Symptoms of underhydration and dehydration may include lightheadedness/dizziness, fatigue, dry mouth/bad breath, increased feeling of thirst, persistent headaches, nausea, stomach pain, constipation, and decreased urination. Children will often display irritability and weariness. A great indicator of dehydration is urine color. Clear, pale urine is indicative of good hydration, while dark, amber colored urine may be a sign of inadequate fluid intake. Outcomes of consistent, recurrent dehydration can eventually contribute to lower social/emotional/physical performance, diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular/kidney disease, and decreased longevity.

Fascinating. And, if hydration is this critical, why do people struggle with drinking enough water?


KR: Most individuals fail to meet guidelines for adequate fluid intake as a result of a variety of factors. For example, poor daily routine and high stress work environments can play a large role in remembering or making the time to refill water bottles. Lack of high water content foods in the diet such as fruits and vegetables can also contribute to higher fluid needs coming from beverages.

So…exactly how much water should people drink regularly?


KR: General guidelines state that adult males should aim for 13 glasses of fluid per day, and adult females at least 9 glasses per day. This does not account for the portion of fluids coming from food, which make up approximately 20% of daily water intake. These guidelines of course depend on activity, medical conditions, weather temperature, age, etc.

Are there actually groups of folks who need more water than others? 

KR: A few examples of groups of people that may need more water compared to others would include pregnant and lactating females, athletes, individuals taking certain daily medications such as diuretics and blood pressure medications, and individuals that live in hot/humid climates.

Great to know! 
What kinds of things can exacerbate dehydration?


Dehydration can be exacerbated by illness (high fever, vomiting, diarrhea), increased sweating with activity or in hot climates, and high sodium diets among others. Coffee (in moderation) does not actually exacerbate dehydration contrary to popular belief. 

What are some conditions that may increase dehydration?

KR: Several groups are critically impacted by dehydration; and I will walk you through some of them below. 

1. Individuals with Eating Disorders Eating Disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa can increase risk for dehydration as a result of various negative behaviors around food. These behaviors may include laxative abuse, vomiting, and restriction of fluid-containing foods and caloric beverages. Some individuals also struggle with fears of excess water weight, and thus avoid water in an attempt to control body size.

2. Individuals with Diabetes Mellitus can also contribute to dehydration as it can cause high blood glucose (or sugar) due to the body’s inability to either effectively produce or appropriately use insulin. Insulin is the hormone which helps control blood glucose and convert food to fuel in the body. When insulin is low/absent, excess sugar spills into the urine and fluid follows- leading to increased urination and dehydration.

3. Individuals with Substance Use Disorders are unable to control their use of drugs, alcohol, or medication and may be more prone to dehydration. This can be due to the diuretic effects of some drugs such as alcohol, the lack of cognitive ability to remember to consume fluids, and excessive sweating from drugs such as stimulants. During detox, individuals may also experience dehydration from side effects such as nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, and excessive sweating.

4. The elderly may often struggle with adequate fluid intake due to decreased awareness of the physical sensation of thirst, memory impairment, reduced organ function, fear of frequent urination, and difficulty swallowing. Total body water content also gradually reduces with age, meaning older adults may naturally dehydrate quicker than their younger selves.

5. Cancer can increase risk for dehydration as a result of treatments such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation. These drugs frequently lead to side effects of nausea and lack of appetite, making it difficult to consume adequate calories and fluids. Additional dehydrating side effects can include vomiting, diarrhea, and excessive sweating.

Thank you, Kelsey! So we take it that these populations need to be particularly thoughtful about water consumption. 

Before we go, do you have any tips to share about HOW people who wish to can increase their water consumption, beginning today? 

I love to help clients increase their water intake by making it more fun! Try adding fruit slices or ice made from juice to water or seltzer to add some flavor. Having a water bottle that is easy to drink from and carry can also help with consistency and remembering throughout the day. It helps to continue to build on existing habits, so pairing fruits and vegetables with meals and snacks can also be helpful, as they are mostly water! 

Debunking "Self-Care."

 Perhaps the most overused/abused phrase in a therapy room is the dreaded “self-care.”

What is this self-care, and when and how often should we be doing it?

 I am a working mom. Well, all moms are working, but what I mean is, I work outside the home. Or, in my home mostly, from a home-office suite. It’s complicated. I work in other places too. Thanks to technology (hello, ipad/iphone/applewatch/laptop), I work on my phone in the bathroom (*try to remember to put conference call on mute), while jogging my neighborhood loop, in line at the grocery store, parked in my car waiting for pickup, while cooking (burns to prove it), in the sauna at the gym (surprisingly I am not the only one working in there), and well, pretty much all the time.

I know I’m not the only one.

So when is this supposed “self-care” supposed to take place?

I started debunking the meaning of the words “self-care” around five years ago, when I realized, with some guidance from those who have walked this path before me, that there are certain words that might best be temporarily pulled from the dictionaries of humans who fall in any of the following categories: parent, stay-at-home-parent, part-time-working parent, full-time-working parent. These words include: BALANCE, COMPLETE CONFIDENCE, FINANCIAL SECURITY, SERENITY, and most importantly, SELF-CARE.

A wise woman once told me: “You CAN have it all. Just not all at the same time.” Immediately I was struck by the sensibility of this statement. Here’s the rub: My priorities in any given week are the items that I am confident will bring me the most meaning and satisfaction. Some weeks, this may include the gym. Other weeks, not. Does this mean that I am not caring for myself? Or rather, that often, caring for items in my life besides myself are equally essential to my happiness?

On weeks that self-care doesn’t happen, it’s usually because I am choosing to temporarily focus energy on another project that is meaningful. When I choose to focus my energies on a new career project, creative endeavor, or activity with my kids, does this not also benefit me in a myriad of ways? Are these pursuits not as necessary for the preservation of me as I know me as a bubble bath, or other more traditionally conceived forms of “self-care?”

At LIFT, we work with mothers who have been told, or have read, that they need to do more for themselves. “I need to do more self-care!,” they moan (and we wail to ourselves.) The road to self-acceptance is paved with paradox. Is it not satirical to beat yourself up for failing to “self-care?” Wouldn’t the process of degrading yourself for missed opportunities to “self-care” yield defeated confidence and diminished resolve to take up opportunities to do so in the future? The failure to pursue self-care has become a weapon women use to beat themselves and each other with – yet another thing to feel badly about ourselves for. Evidence of something else amiss: low-self worth, self-sabotage, low-self-esteem. Or is it?

The problem is in our framing of the situation. You may be in a season of young children. A season of laundry. A season of career acceleration or deceleration, whichever the case may be. We can have it all. We just have to choose. Each day, we get a fresh 24-hours to decide. Today, self-care, for you, may be a bubble bath. However, if you are are writer, it may mean a half hour of uninterrupted time with a pen. If you are a runner, it may mean a loop around the block. And, if you are all of these things and also a mother, like me, it may (*for today), just mean a shower. I have learned to celebrate a shower the way I used to savor a warm, 10-day tropical vacation with a hardcover by my favorite author in one hand and a margarita in the other.

You are not failing yourself today, mama. Self-care differs in forms. Whatever it is you’re choosing to focus on is what’s crying out the loudest to you, and I’m certain that’s exactly where you need to be.

Last week, I spent an extra 20+ working hours on a project I took on, in addition to my full-time work. This meant little sleep, questionable nutrition, and a generally short-fuse. I knew it would pass. On Thursday night, when I was finished with what was needed, feeling accomplished, gratified, exhausted and proud, I plopped myself down in my tiny bathtub in between my two children, surrounded by Mr. Bubbles, and smiled. Still me. Perspective, check. Self-care, double check.

Do one thing for yourself today: accept that what you are prioritizing right now is just fine and okay. You will be more likely to practice self-care if you can adjust your thinking around what constitutes self-care.

If you’d like to learn more about how to care for yourself in the season that you’re in, please call ☎️: (203) 908-5603, or email mary@liftupwellness.com)