OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – A recent report shows Nebraska is behind on providing mental health support for new mothers. A study is now looking into what’s behind the problem.
Nebraska received a C-minus in the Maternal Health Report Card from the Maternal Policy Center this year. The national average was a C.
An interim study is looking into those shortfalls and possible solutions to give new and expecting parents better care.
Senator describes postpartum experience
“I had extreme postpartum depression, anxiety, including suicide, ideation, isolation,” Sen. Ashlei Spivey, of Omaha, said.
Those are the words Spivey used to describe her mental state following the birth of her second child. She said the words were hard to form at the time.
“I did not think I deserved to live. I did not think I deserved to be a parent. I did not think… And I started to make a plan, honestly. What happens if I leave? Who will take care of my kids? Do I take my kids with me, right?” Spivey said.
Spivey said with the support of friends and family, she was able to get the care she needed. She said for many Nebraskans, getting that care is difficult.
“We see that people are having to drive over 40 miles for those appointments. That is more represented in rural Nebraska. But even in our urban core areas, when you think about transportation, access to doctors and scheduling, we are seeing the same outcomes, no matter geography, because we know that we have less practitioners in general, and then to meet the complexities of the pregnancy or the lives that these moms are navigating,” Spivey said.
Lack of care means less data
UNMC said a lack of care also means less data.
“So based on insurance claims, we are not entering enough women into care, screening enough women, and moving processes forward from a payment and policy standpoint. And so that identifies huge gaps in what we know about perinatal depression, perinatal meaning before delivery, as well as in that postpartum era, that first year of life after delivery,” said Dr. Ann Anderson Berry, medical director of the Nebraska Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative.
Study presented to lawmakers
On Wednesday, Spivey, along with several other advocates, presented an interim study to the Health and Human Services Committee on the issue.
“I think that this is an opportunity to show via policy how we can care for women, children, and our families by making sure that we have the services needed and that it’s affordable, right? That it can be accessed,” Spivey said.
The hope is to pinpoint possible changes to state policy, insurance coverages, services or funding that could improve support for Nebraska mothers during the legislative session.
“It’s really, to me, about meeting moms where they are to say, this is what you’re experiencing. And then, here are your options. Here’s a support. It may be a medical intervention, like where you get on antidepressants. It may be a holistic approach. It may be that there’s some community supports. And so, one of the things that I do think is important to uplift within this kind of model in addressing the issues is that there is a new partnership with I Be Black Girl and Nebraska Medicine and UNMC that is looking at doing a centering model around perinatal mental health called Mindful Moms. And it really allows for a different approach to give moms while they’re pregnant, before they give birth, an opportunity to own and manage their mental health,” Spivey said.
Advice for new and expecting parents
Spivey said through her experience, she found a community of local mothers who have also dealt with postpartum depression. She said it is important to lean on your village and tell them how you are feeling.
As for partners of pregnant people, she recommends taking initiative and having a plan to break up chores or responsibilities before the child arrives to help take some of the pressure off.
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