“I was anxious about everything, and constantly worried something was going to happen to me, and I wouldn’t be alive to tell my daughter all she needed to know, and people wouldn’t know how to care for her.”
—Souby George, nurse clinician V, Mother Baby Unit, John Sealy Hospital, Galveston
“It took a lot for me to admit that I was depressed [but in a screening during a postpartum visit] when I got to the question, ‘Are you crying every day?’ and I said yes, my doctor immediately intervened.”
—Dr. Vanessa Abacan, clinical nurse specialist, Women’s Infants and Children’s Department, John Sealy Hospital, Galveston
“I had a lot of mood swings, there was lots of crying like on a daily basis and exhaustion, just pure exhaustion. I was very irritable and was experiencing lots of fear and anxiety.”
—Laurie Chabouni, assistant nurse manager, Pediatric Med Surg, John Sealy Hospital, Galveston
“I don’t know what happened, but I woke up and she was crying, and I put her in a car seat, turned the closet light on and set her in the closet and went back to bed. Not 10 minutes later I jumped out of bed, as I was physically in pain needing to release some milk. I believe that could have been a horrific night, but breastfeeding saved us.”
—Asheia Randolph, lactation consultant, labor and delivery, recovery and postpartum team, Angleton Danbury Campus
“I was immature, I didn’t have a supportive partner and, in that moment, I remember I was like, ‘I’m just going to drop this kid.'"
—Jackie Meyer, nursing program manager, Nursing Program Development team, Rebecca Sealy Hospital, Galveston
“I was probably four or five weeks postpartum, and I remember crying all day for absolutely no reason. At this point, it was so normal for [my mom and husband] to find me crying this way.”
—Haley Castillo, nurse clinician IV, labor and delivery, recovery and postpartum team, Angleton Danbury Campus
Perinatal or Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) look different for everyone who suffers with them—and they can affect anyone, even health care professionals who specialize in all OB/GYN.
In order to shed light on the issue and let women know they aren't alone in their anxiety, four UTMB staffers are sharing their own personal battles with PMADs.