Prioritizing maternal mental health: Baptist Health introduces new program to help moms during pregnancy and postpartum

Maternal mental health conditions are the most common complications of pregnancy, child birth and postpartum – affecting 1 in 5 women. Baptist Health opened a new day program, The Motherhood Space, to support pregnant and new moms with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), often referred to as postpartum depression.

Participants attend the program Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 am to noon for up to three weeks. The Motherhood Space Day Program, located in the Baptist Wellness Center at the Winston Family YMCA, is led by a team of psychologists who specialize in perinatal mental health.

The Motherhood Space is officially open to new participants.

“We are here to help. Moms, you are not alone,” said Jill Garrett, PsyD, PMH-C, licensed psychologist, program director of The Motherhood Space and mom of two. “We recognized the need for intensive and comprehensive support for expectant and new moms and we’re honored to launch The Motherhood Space Day Program to make this much-needed support more easily accessible to moms in our community.”

To make it easy for moms to participate in The Motherhood Space Day Program, there is a private lactation area for breastfeeding mothers and on-site childcare available at no cost through the YMCA KidZone.

“Every detail has been carefully crafted around what mothers experiencing mental health conditions need most,” explained Terrie Andrews, PhD, VP of Baptist Behavioral Health. “From the thoughtful programming to the convenient location, we know The Motherhood Space will be a place of healing for so many women in our community.”

Eligibility

Individuals in the perinatal period (pregnancy or up to 18 months postpartum) who are experiencing maternal mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, panic disorder, or bipolar are a good fit for the program.

The Motherhood Space Day Program accepts most insurance plans. Interested participants can contact our caring coordinators to determine if this offering is a benefit of their coverage and share next steps for involvement in The Motherhood Space. Those interested may call 904.376.3800 and select option 4 to speak with a caring coordinator. More information is also available at baptistjax.com/motherhoodspace.

Additional resources

The Motherhood Space Day Program is the next phase in Baptist Health’s continued commitment to supporting the behavioral health needs of our community.

As part of this commitment, nearly 40 free, educational videos are available through The Motherhood Space on YouTube on a wide range of topics including strategies for support, PMADs 101, baby blues and self-screening tips.

Baptist Health educators also host free, virtual new mom support groups to share and discuss experiences as new mothers from the comfort of home.