West Edmonton mother builds awareness of post partum depression

By Shannon Findlay

EDMONTON- Happiness is an emotion every mother believes she should feel when bringing home her brand new baby.

For one west Edmonton mother, however, this was not the case. In fact, her experience with her first child was one riddled with obsessive compulsions and depression. Tascheleia Marangoni’s first year as a mother was a struggle. But instead of letting her trials get the best of her, Marangoni learned from them, and is now looking to help fellow women face theirs. Her first step is creating awareness for the all too often ignored illness of post partum depression.

Post partum depression affects roughly fifteen per cent of new mothers leaving them with feelings such as guilt, anxiety, anger, and depression. It is treatable, but due to the stigma surrounding it, it often goes undiagnosed. Marangoni wishes to change all that. She created a non-profit organization as well as a website listing general information, local resources, and where to find help.

Hard to Find Help

Marangoni says her efforts are vital.

“Even though there’s some help out there it’s really hard to find,” said Marangoni.

From her own experiences of seeking out help, Marangoni knew the challenges new mothers face. For many experiencing post partum depression it’s hard enough just to admit you need help, let alone make the effort to search for it. Janet Willick, a resource worker at the Millwoods Family Resource Centre, said it’s often guilt keeping new moms from turning to others.

“It’s difficult for someone to understand why someone who’s had a baby would be unhappy,” said Willick. “That’s part of the problem. Many mothers have so much guilt about feeling the way they do that they don’t seek help.”

Informing women has been Marangoni’s main goal. She does not seek to personally provide help, only to make them aware of where to find it.

“I’m just an intermediary. I’m not actually providing help; I’m providing help by telling moms where to turn.”

January Awareness Month

Marangoni worked with Mayor Stephen Mandel to have January declared post partum depression awareness month in Edmonton.

During the month, a free information event open to all was held in Marangoni’s community at the Willowby community hall. Experts in many different areas, such as psychologists and naturopath,s were on hand to answer questions about post partum depression. The number of attendees was around 50 people. Marangoni felt the event could have had a better turn out but was still a success.

“There were some moms who came out that really were depressed and I think we we’re able to help them,” said Marangoni. “I found that was a very rewarding experience.”

Events such as Marangoni’s that address depression in mothers have provided an opening for women to discuss their concerns. At the West Jasper Place Parent Link Centre, program facilitator Gale O’Hara has noticed a need for mothers to speak about depression. After a parenting session on coping with stress and post partum emotions, a few parents approached the speaker afterwards to talk privately about their own similar experiences.

“We’re finding a lot of people are afraid to talk about it,” said O’Hara. “They’ve kind of taken us aside and said I’m experiencing this.”

Help is out there

While places in west Edmonton like the Parent Link centre offer support and people to talk to, there is not currently a group that deals with post partum depression. For the time being, the centre is a means for information. They provide a tip sheet on signs of post partum depression and ways to cope, but for true help, O’Hara said depressed mothers will be sent elsewhere with proper medical staff for handling such issues.

The Millwoods Family Resource Centre is one such place a mother can turn to for help if a group support system is something she is looking for. Every Monday for eight weeks, groups of up to 12 mothers meet and talk about the issues they’ve been facing.

“Letting them talk about their issues is a big relief when people are depressed,” said Willick. “Often they wear a mask that everything is alright, especially with post partum depression.”

Though every session of the program fills up on the signup sheet, Willick said regular attendance is another matter.

“Feelings of depression mean you lose interest, you don’t want to do things, and you will withdraw. I think that’s a major factor in why people attend or not.”

While there is some help available, Willick believes Edmonton as a whole to be generally unaware of post partum depression, but said having an awareness month is a step in the right direction.

Looking nationally

As for Marangoni, local awareness is not the end for her as she has her sights set nationally. Marangoni said it’s not just about mothers, but their children as well.

“Mom’s are raising Canada’s next generation, and if they’re suffering from post partum depression while doing it, it’s a serious issue,” she said.

“I would like to see all of Canada have an awareness month for post partum depression so every year there’s a time where Canadians are made a little bit more aware that there’s a lot of moms dealing with this.”

For now, Marangoni is working with her MP to help post partum depression awareness reach the national stage. As for locally, her efforts to help the women of Edmonton have already had a positive effect and can only be expected to continue in similar fashion in years to come.

Learn more from the interviews in a PODCAST on post partum depression.