VIDEO
VIDEO BEFORE KRIS INTRO -- KONNER "WITH MY SON, MY FIRSTBORN, I
SUFFERED FROM POST PARTUM
PTSD "
"I SUFFERED FROM POST PARTUM
ANXIETY."
"MAJOR POST PARTUM DEPRESSION"
"POST PARTUM AXIETY AND PTSD."
"WITH MY DAUGHTER I SUFFERED
FROM POST PARTUM
DEPRESSON AND ANXIETY."
"I WILL ALWAYS STRUGGLE FROM
SOME FORM OF
POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION AND POST
PARTUM OCD."
"I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE MYSELF
ANYMORE AND I WAS SAD ALL
THE TIME."
KRIS INTRO
IT ISN'T NORMAL --- BUT IT IS
COMMON.
POST PARTUM MOOD DISORDERS --
LIKE
DEPRESSION - ANXIETY AND OCD --
AFFECT AN AVERAGE
15-PERCENT OR MORE OF NEW
MOTHERS.
THE FIRST TIME YOU ARE ASKED
ABOUT FEELINGS OF DEPRESSION
AND ANXIETY -- ISN'T UNTIL YOUR
SIX WEEK CHECK-UP
AFTER DELIVERY
AND FOR MANY WOMEN -- THE
SYMPTOMS START MUCH
SOONER.
TONIGHT YOU WILL HEAR FROM TWO
MOMS WITH VERY DIFFERENT
BIRTHS --- ONE A PERFECTLY
HEALTHY CHILD -- THE OTHER A
MEDICALLY-COMPLEX BABY.
BOTH MOTHERS ARE SHARING THEIR
EXPERIENCE --
BATTLING POST PARTUM DEPRESSION.
TAKE PKG
"I'M SO GLAD SHE'S HERE
."
IT'S A DEFINING MOMENT IN A
MOTHER'S LIFE --
THE BIRTH -- OF HER CHILD
"LOOK IT, SHE HAS DARK HAIR!"
AND THIS NEW BABY -- NAMED
WINNIE -- WAS JESSICA
DEVOSS'S THIRD DAUGHTER "THAT
WAS SO HARD, THAT WAS SO HARD
."
BUT RIGHT AWAY -- SHE SAYS SHE
KNEW -- SOMETHING FELT
-- WRONG
01:08:21:00 "EVERYTHING WAS
NORMAL BUT I FELT THAT I
WASN'T.
WHAT DID YOU FEEL? I FELT A
DISCONNECT BETWEEN ME
AND HER, BECAUSE I HAD HAD THESE
TWO OTHER
CHILDREN WHICH I THINK IS
HELPFUL, BECAUSE I KNEW
WHAT IT FELT LIKE TO BE
IMMEDIATELY BONDED
I DIDN'T FEEL THAT WITH WINNIE."
01:09:03:00 "I DIDN'T FEEL LOVE
FOR HER. I TRIED, "
WINNIE
WINNIE --
WINNIE -- WAS LIKE A STRANGER -- 01:09:31:00 "I KNEW SOMETHING WAS OFF. I DIDN'T
SAY ANYTHING BECAUSE I THOUGHT
FIRST OF ALL, MAYBE
I'M JUST TIRED."
JESSICA DID THE THINGS SHE KNEW
SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO
DO -- ALL WHILE REMAINING SILENT
ABOUT HER FEELINGS --
TO FAMILY, HER HUSBAND
01:10:36:00 "I KNEW I HAD
POSTPARTUM, I KNEW IT.
LIKE I KNEW IMMEDIATELY IN THE
HOSPITAL THAT THIS WAS
HAPPENING AND IT WAS DEPRESSING,
IT WAS VERY SAD,
BECAUSE I WANTED TO LOVE HER. I
TRIED."
01:11:12:00 " ALL I FELT FOR
THIS BEAUTIFUL BABY WAS
OBLIGATION. THAT WAS THE BEGINNING AND ENDING OF MY FEELINGS."
FEELINGS."
THEN
THEN --
THEN -- THERE WAS THE MOMENT -- WHEN SHE FELT HER ABSOLUTE LOWEST
LOWEST
12:35:00
12:35:00 " I HAD THIS THOUGHT THAT I COULD PUT HER IN HER
CAR
CAR SEAT
CAR SEAT AND TAKE HER TO THE HOSPITAL AND DROP HER OFF AND THAT WOULD BE BETTER FOR
HER. AND THEN I
THOUGHT THAT SHE WOULD DIE IF I
DIDN'T
DIDN'T LOVE HER BECAUSE SHE COULD FEEL THAT I DIDN'T LOVE HER."
"SHE WAS MAYBE 3 MONTHS OLD."
VIDEO
"HI LITTLE BUNNY! CHARLIE BABY,
HIII!"
AT 20 WEEKS PREGNANT -- KELLY
PATTERSON WAS
ADVISED TO TERMINATE HER
PREGNANCY --
AFTER THEIR DAUGHTER WAS
DIAGNOSED WITH A
COENITAL
COENITAL DIAPHRAGMATIC HERNIA. 58:08:00 "SHE HAD SLIM TO NO CHANCE OF SURVIVAL, AND
THAT EVEN IF SHE DID MAKE IT,
THAT SHE WOULD ONLY
LIVE FOR MAYBE A FEW DAYS."
BUT FOR KELLY AND HER HUSBAND -
GETTING AN
ABORTION -- WASN'T AN OPTION
59:08:00 "WE HAD ALREADY LOST
TWO
TWO BABIES VIA MISCARRIAGE AND WE WERE DESPERATE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE OUR SECOND
CHILD AND WE WERE NOT GOING TO
GIVE UP.
WE WERE AT LEAST GOING TO BE
ABLE TO MEET HER, EVEN
IF LONG-TERM, WE WEREN'T GOING
TO BE ABLE TO KEEP
HER."
AT BIRTH -- CHARLOTTE - OR
CHARLY AS THEY CALL HER -- WAS
IMMEDIATELY PLACED ON LIFE
SUPPORT --- SHE SPENT TWO
MONTHS IN A SPECIALIZED HOSPITAL
1:04:05:00 "SHE DIDN'T CRY, SHE
BARELY
BARELY MADE ANY NOISE. SHE WAS PRETTY PURPLE/BLUE BECAUSE SHE COULDN'T
BREATH."
COULDN'T BREATH." THOSE FIRST MONTHS -- KELLY SAYS
-- IT WAS ABOUT CHARLY'S
SURVIVAL
01:04:51:00 "THEY STOPPED FOR A
SECOND, I GRABBED HER
HAND, AND THAT WAS IT. AND THEN
I HAD TO WAIT SEVERAL
HOURS TO RECOVER BEFORE THEY LET
ME GO UP
AND SEE HER."
AND FOR MONTHS - CHARLY'S LITTLE
BODY FOUGHT --
AND
AND WON
AND WON -
AND WON - GETTING STRONGER -- "CHARLOTTE GOOD MORNING, AWW YOU'RE SUCKING
."
UNTIL SHE COULD FINALLY COME
HOME.
IT WASN'T UNTIL CHARLY TURNED
ONE -- THAT KELLY REALIZED
-- SHE, AS A MOTHER, WAS NOW
SUFFERING FROM POST
PARTUM DEPRESSION AND PTSD --
01:10:52:00 "I COMPLETELY
ISOLATED MYSELF FROM
EVERYBODY AND IT TOOK ME A VERY
LONG TIME TO REALIZE
WHAT I WAS DOING."
01:12:09:00 "IT'S HARD TO ADMIT
THAT YOU CAN FEEL SO
DEPRESSED AFTER HAVING A CHILD
THAT YOU'RE LUCKY IS
THERE TO BEGIN WITH."
THEN -- THIS PAST DECEMBER --
KELLY SAYS SHE HIT ROCK
BOTTOM -- WITH CONSTANT SUICIDAL
IDEATIONS --
1:13:32:00 "I DID FANTASIZE
ABOUT. I DID THINK ABOUT
HOW I WOULD DO IT AND WHAT IT
WOULD MEAN FOR MY KIDS. I
HONESTLY THOUGHT IT WAS THE BEST
SOLUTION. AND I
LEFT THE HOUSE ONE DAY, IT WAS
THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY, AND I
JUST...IT WAS TOO MUCH. AND I
DROVE TO THE PARK AND I
CALLED MY BEST FRIEND, THANK
GOD,
GOD, AND
GOD, AND I FINALLY SAID IT OUT LOUD TO SOMEBODY FOR THE FIRST TIME.
AND THAT WAS KIND OF THE TURNING
POINT FOR ME, WHERE
I COULDSEE LONG ENOUGH AND CLEAR
ENOUGH THAT I
NEEDED
NEEDED TO
NEEDED TO GET TO A DOCTOR AND I NEEDED TO SEE A THERAPIST AND I NEEDED TO START
INVESTING
INVESTING IN MYSELF SO I COULD BE THERE FOR HER..YEA." 1:16:37:00 "
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
I HAVE GOOD DAYS AND BAD DAYS."
1:30:03 "DAA! TA DA!!!
"
EACH DAY -- SHE SAYS --- BRINGS
PROGRESS
PROGRESS
THANKS
THANKS TO
THANKS TO MEDICATION AND THERAPY FOR JESSICA -- SHE SAYS DEPRESSION STOLE THE
FIRST
FIRST YEAR OF HER DAUGHTER'S LIFE 20:53:00 "I FELT CHEATED, I FELT
ROBBED, YEA."
SHE ALSO TRIED ANTIDEPRESSEN TS
-- BUT IT WAS FAITH -- AND
TIME -- SHE SAYS - THAT
EVENTUALLY SAVED HER
26:00 "IT WAS ABOUT A YEAR,
BEFORE I COULD LOOK BACK AND
SAY WOW, THAT WAS REALLY HARD,
I'M SO GLAD THAT'S
OVER."
49:46:00 "THERE SHE IS, SHE'S A
LITTLE TINY ONE."
50:06:00 "SHE WOULD WINK AND
SMILE AT THE SAME TIME,
SHE STILL DOES THAT."
THESE MOTHERS -- NOW SHARING
THEIR STORIES -- HOPING IT HELPS
ANOTHER MOM WHO IS STRUGGLING
01:05:29:00 "IT WAS...IT WAS A
VERY HARD EXPERIENCE FOR SURE."
KNOWING NOW - THERE IS HOPE --
WALKING WITH MOM
BUT IT TAKES SPEAKING UP -- AND
GETTING HELP -- THEY SAY
--
TO MOVE FORWARD ---
ONE STEP AT A TIME.
TAG --
UP TO 85 PERCENT OF WOMEN WILL
EXPERIENCE
WHAT'S CALLED BABY BLUES AFTER
GIVING BIRTH -- BUT
THOSE SYMPTOMS ARE MILD AND
TEMPORARY --
UNLIKE THE FEELINGS WITH
DEPRESSION - ANXIETY -- OCD AND PTSD. THERE ARE SO MANY RESOURCES HERE
IN AUSTIN
FOR MOMS WHO NEED HELP -- AND
WE'VE COMPILED A LIST
OF THEM IN THIS STORY ON OUR
WEBSITE.
WE'VE ALSO SHARED DOZENS OF
OTHER WOMEN'S
EXPERIENCES -- SO YOU CAN READ
THEM AND UNDERSTAND --
WE NEED TO BREAK THE STIGMA OF
MENTAL ILLNESS
-- ESPECIALLY FOR NEW MOTHERS.