MMHRC Blog
Lived Experience
The Challenges Faced By Moms with IDD and Mental Health Issues When Looking for Health Care
It can be hard to be a mom. But it can be even harder if you have an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD) and mental health issues and are looking for healthcare. Navigating the healthcare system can be difficult – especially when you face stigma and bias from healthcare providers. We asked moms who participated…
Read MoreHow Receiving a Diagnosis of Postpartum Depression Saved My Life – Megan’s Story
I’m a 38-year-old suburban soccer mom who’s soft in all the wrong places and could never be mistaken for Britney Spears. Except when I look at photos of her as a young mom, tears in her eyes, looking trapped and alone, all I see is me. Finding Common Ground With Britney Spears Britney and I…
Read MoreA Black Body in the Healthcare System – Brianna’s Story
I have many identities as I navigate through the world. Through observation alone you may gather that I am wife, a mother, a black woman. You may make educated guesses about my status if you take note of what I am wearing that particular day or my mode of transportation. As I navigate my work…
Read MoreMarathon of Moms: Your Stories Break Down Stigma
Our first ever Marathon of Moms was a huge success and it wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support of our MMHRC community. After putting out our call for your stories of lived experience with maternal mental illness, we received submissions from women from across North America. Common Bonds and Shared Experience It was…
Read MoreAlicia’s Story: Nothing About Motherhood Came Naturally to Me
After five years, I’ve lost most of the guilt that I’ve carried around for far too long; the shame that accompanies missing out on the first nine months of your baby’s life. Physically I was there and in the eyes of most observers, I was a wonderful, loving mother. Love him – I did –…
Read MoreNicole’s Story: The Emotional Roller Coaster Started Earlier Than I Expected
I was never one to get ‘baby fever’ or even know when it was a good time to have a baby. My husband and I knew we wanted to have a family but we were not sure when it would be a good time to start trying. Who is ever financially ready to start a…
Read MoreKasia’s Story: Life Got Very Real, Very Fast
I had my first babies at a much later age than most women – I was 36. For me getting pregnant was not the easiest thing to do. Thankfully after almost 10 years of trying, we got pregnant with twins – a boy and a girl. Life couldn’t be any better, right? Struggles with Infertility…
Read MoreKatie’s Story: My Experience Made No Sense to Me
I’m an average woman. I’m a nurse who went away to college for four years and I’m married to a wonderful man. We make a decent living, and I have a great group of friends I’ve stayed close with since college. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be in a situation where…
Read MoreLauren’s Story: Panic Attacks are Never Normal
“Oh my God, I know how women hurt their babies!” I cried as this thought replayed in my head over and over, while I held my screaming baby at arm’s length. My husband took my daughter, and I collapsed into my bed. “I need help. There is something seriously wrong with me,” I said through…
Read MoreAllison’s Story: The Need to Escape My Life Didn’t Stop
Sometimes I wonder if it was all just a dream; a really, really frightening dream. The way I feel now towards my daughter can’t compare. Only when I dwell on certain pictures or my husband brings it up do I remember that we in fact lived it, and we somehow survived. My deepest hope is…
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