If this happened again, Susan would ask for help sooner.

Written testimony

In regards to doing anything else differently, I don’t know. I think I would just, well I hope that I wouldn’t go through it again but if I did I’d kind of know what to expect and I would know, you know, to reach out for help sooner and not suffer as long as I did with my daughter and just sort of nip it in the bud before it gets to be too bad. I think with this time it was the shame of admitting that something was wrong and that I needed help and I think next time I would know enough that, you know, there’s nothing to be ashamed of and asking for help is okay. It’s okay for people to have help once in a while. With the next one I would hope I would be able to handle the PPD better if it did happen again.

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• Advice for Health Care Providers – Susan (clip 2)
  Offer support, reassurance and recognize that one approach does not fit all, advises Susan.
• Advice for Health Care Providers – Susan
  Susan would like to see greater awareness of PPD and more support for women.
• Sharing Experiences – Susan (clip 2)
  A key moment for Susan was when someone reached out to support her; now she is doing the same for others.
• Sharing Experiences – Susan
  Knowing that she could reach out to the women in the support group anytime without being judged saved Susan many times.
• Coping with Perinatal Mental Health – Susan
  Susan reached out to family when dark thoughts became too much.
• Seeking and Finding Reliable Information – Susan
  Susan didn't know anything about postpartum depression before experiencing it herself; having information in advance would have been helpful.
• Seeking Help and Getting Diagnosis – Susan
  If this happened again, Susan would ask for help sooner.
• Work, Finances and Mental Health – Susan (clip 2)
  Susan feels guilty about accepting a new job and keeps overthinking what might happen to her child.
• Work, Finances and Mental Health – Susan
  Four months pregnant and recently fired, Susan sat at home, terrified of what the future held.
• Relationships – Susan
  When Susan went to see the doctor about her suicidal thoughts, she brought her brother who then got really worried.