Cierra Bailey, #IWD2021 Guest

Maternal Mental Health Awareness and Peer Support @NotMotherGoose notmothergoose@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/notmothergoose

My story starts with a very difficult pregnancy and postpartum journey. At 7 months pregnant, I was diagnosed with prenatal depression. This was due to situational factors as well as a history of undiagnosed depression. Then when my baby was 3 months old we were told to go into isolation due to the Coronavirus pandemic. I was already struggling so much with becoming a new Mother, now all my social supports were taken away. I didn’t have the opportunity to discuss my feelings with other Mom’s within my community. There were no support groups to attend, no StrollerFit classes happening, and no Mommy meet-ups at local coffee shops. New Mom’s rely on these interactions greatly, as a source of adult conversation and comradery to know that their not in the trenches alone. I started realizing this lack of support within our small town and knew that I had to do something about it.

I started my group Not Mother Goose on Facebook and Instagram to connect other Moms to each other during this unprecedented time of isolation. I wanted my group name to challenge the stereotype that Motherhood is all rainbows and butterflies. I wanted to paint a realistic picture of the struggles with we go through when transitioning to Motherhood. I thought of myself as “Not your Average Mother Goose!”

I wanted to start the conversation about mental health issues that women face in their pregnancy/postpartum period, as well as general struggles that all new Moms are encountering. I knew that I couldn’t be the only Mom who felt so alone and isolated in my new role. My assumption was correct when hundreds of women starting sharing their stories with me. Messages were pouring in about how much of a gap there is in maternal health care and the stigma around mental health in Mothers. By using my painful situation, I started writing about my experiences as a new Mom suffering with postpartum depression during a global pandemic and found it resonating with so many others.

I truly believe that it is our duty as women to support one another through these difficult challenges. The Mothering experience is so unique and it changes you as a person. I’ve found that by building a community around peer support, Mom’s are able to be open and honest about the struggles their facing and are more likely to seek professional help when needed. We are able to educate about mood disorders commonly found in pregnancy/postpartum and to learn how to advocate for ourselves. We’ve also worked through the guilt and shame that surrounds so many of us while learning how to care for our newborns. My group consists of pregnant women, first-time Moms, experienced Moms, women who’ve dealt with pregnancy/infant loss, adoptive Moms, stay at home Moms and even a few Dad’s and Grandparents. The group has also spanned the globe with members tuning in from Germany, the UK and America.

My advice for other women is to be open-hearted with each other. The more that we are able to be vulnerable about our feelings and the less judgmental we are, the more opportunities it gives us to create a beautiful space where we can overcome difficult emotions and support others within our community. I am so passionate about helping women through their Motherhood transition and hoping that my experience will help others to know that they're not alone.