Black Maternal Mental health Week: Beyond PostPartum Depression
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025
I’m passionate about raising awareness for things we aren’t talking about as a community. This includes the alarmingly higher rates of post-partum anxiety and post-partum depression (PPD) in black women. Join me in helping March of Dimes spread the word about Black Maternal Mental Health Week!
4 in 10 Black Women Experience ppd
Overall, 2 in 10 women experience post-partum mental health issues that they didn’t have pre-pregnancy. This includes anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and suicide. This number rises to 4 in 10 in black women!
Due to a combination of shame, stigma, silence, inequitably distributed resources, and uninformed physicians, less than half of women receive the treatment they need. Symptoms can begin a few days after giving birth, lasting an average of 3 to 6 months—up to 3 years for some mothers.
It takes a village to raise a child. To be there for your loved ones (and for yourself) you must learn the symptoms.
What Causes postpartum mental health issues?
Fluctuating hormones are the top cause of PPD. We’re far more gracious of the changes in mood, behavior, and intense food cravings while we’re pregnant, but far less after we give birth. Every pregnancy is unique, so some mothers experience PPD with all pregnancies, some only with some pregnancies.
· Hormonal fluctuations: Estrogen, progesterone, and thyroid hormone levels drop after giving birth. This can lead to a chemical imbalance in the brain that may require medical intervention to regulate. The short-term use of prescription medications may help regulate these imbalances.
· Time of transition: Giving birth is joyful, but it’s also a time of transition. Recovering from giving birth, challenges breastfeeding, losing the baby weight, sleep deprivation, career stress, financial stress, and the overwhelm of parenting can lead to anxiety and depression. This is intensified for women who don’t have a reliable partner or support system.
· Genetics: Risk is higher if PPD runs on either side of the family. Since the stigma surrounding mental health remains high in our community, you may not know. Even if you ask, your loved ones may not have recognized their symptoms as PPD.
Help me spread the word about black maternal health week
If we aren’t talking about it, we can’t be there for the women in our lives or their families. Join me in spreading the word about the higher risk and symptoms of black maternal mental health conditions to your biological family, sister friends, found family, and black mothers in your friend group and community!
Group Dance FiTness Class in Orlando
If you’re searching for an uplifting and community-driven fitness experience, join me for my group Zumba and Les Mills Bodyjam classes. Let’s dance it out for your heart health!
Reach out to view my group dance fitness class schedule.