For mothers struggling with their mental health, a new program in D.C. offers a lifeline.
The Mother-Baby Intensive Outpatient Program at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital is the first of its kind in the region. Patients can get the help they need and take their babies with them.
Here’s how it works and how it’s already getting support from families who know postpartum depression first-hand.
A family’s heartbreak and drive to help others
It’s been almost 10 years since Fairfax County Officer Shelane Gaydos died by suicide. She was just 35. Two weeks before her death, she suffered a miscarriage as she expected her fourth child.
“Shelane was my oldest, my firstborn, and she was the light of my life,” her mother, Joanne Bryant, told News4.
Photos show Gaydos’ happiness with her three little girls. But her family had no idea how badly she was suffering after her miscarriage.
“Because she was a police officer, too, I think she kept a lot of that inside. She, you know, she didn't want to come across as someone that was weak,” Bryant said.
Gaydos’s family was heartbroken. In the months and years that followed, they’ve worked to turn their pain into purpose, raising money and awareness about postpartum depression, which affects 1 in 5 mothers.
‘Getting in a room with other women that are feeling the same’
At MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, medical professionals are helping women get the mental health support they need, without having to spend time in the hospital away from their babies.
“For pregnant and postpartum individuals who are very, very stressed [and] very, very symptomatic, feeling very alone and isolated and not sure where to turn, we now have a place where they can get treatment,” said program director Dr. Aimee Danielson.
Patients are in treatment for nine hours per week, “learning skills to care for themselves, to improve their coping skills, to manage and overcome scary thoughts,” Danielson said.
The Mother-Baby Intensive Outpatient Program incorporates individual and group therapy, medication management and psychiatry, all under one roof.
Bryant said she knows the work will save lives.
“Just getting in a room with other women that are feeling the same makes such a difference,” she said.
The program can take up to 10 women at a time.
If you’re struggling or know someone who is, you can sign up through the hospital’s website.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.
After Gaydos’ death in 2015, her family organized an annual event to honor her. They hold Shelane’s Run each October to help raise awareness about postpartum depression. The proceeds go to Postpartum Support Virginia, which offers financial grants to women and families so they can access treatment.
