In Western New York, one of the most robust resources we have for postpartum care is WNY Postpartum Connection.
Founded in 2017 by three badass women – Lori Badach, Julie Rosinski, and Jennifer Urban – WNYPPC started as “just a website” and has evolved into a non-profit that includes over 70 mental health providers.
All licensed clinical social workers and mothers themselves, the founders’ paths had crossed in earlier seasons of their lives. “Lori and I had attended a music class with our babies as first-time mommies,” Julie says. “And Jen and I had worked together several years earlier.”
At the time the women reconnected, around 2016, there was only one postpartum support group and one postpartum therapist in the Buffalo area. “Emphasis had mostly been placed on physical wellness, which is important of course,” Julie says. “But there was a missing piece of understanding. Postpartum mental health issues are the most common complication of childbirth.”
It was this disparity and the women’s own experiences with postpartum struggles that sparked the idea.
The Faces Behind WNY Postpartum Connection
Lori speaks about WNYPPC as a local chapter of a national movement to increase care for new parents. “More than any group of parents before, this generation has learned about the importance of mental health, and removing the stigma of asking for help,” she says.
The WNYPPC providers and staff have done their homework in order to make the organization a comprehensive resource for new parents – women and men, mind you. Not only does the network include therapists and psychiatric providers, but partnerships with other types of caregivers, such as:
- Support group leaders
- Lactation consultants
- Postpartum doulas
- Pelvic floor therapists
Most of the providers have been trained through Postpartum Support International (PSI), a global movement to increase awareness of the emotional changes that come with pregnancy and the postpartum period. “We have wonderful PSI Coordinators who are members of WNYPPC and support our efforts in the community,” Jen says. Most notably, Molly McDermott, Jadriene Balduf, and Nancy Owen, a pioneer for maternal mental health in WNY.
The founders would also like to thank the local do-gooders at 26 Shirts for their first major fundraiser, a sponsored T-shirt that raised over $2000 for the organization.
What’s Been Done [and What Lies Ahead]
The million dollar question: Has postpartum care in Western New York improved from where it was when WNYPPC began?
“Over the last few years, new laws and executive orders in NYS have been passed that support maternal mental health,” Julie shares. “They require providers to screen new mothers as part of the postpartum examination, and require insurance companies to reimburse for this screening.”
Julie thinks this was part of the initial problem: “Also, providers had a lack of referral resources for mothers who did screen positive.”
Still, there’s always room for improvement. “When needed, one thing women still need to seek outside of our community is specialized day treatment and inpatient psychiatric treatment,” Lori says. Nowhere in the WNY region provides this level of service, though some local psychiatric hospitals do provide support to women. “It’s very isolating to be the only person on a unit needing such intensive treatment for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders,” she says.
“We have tremendous work to do ensuring women of color are able to access mental health services postpartum,” Julie says. “Black women have higher rates of postpartum depression, but are less likely to get treatment due to issues of systemic racism and access to care.” The organization has set a goal to create an advisory board that will better assess the needs of these mothers in WNY, and find ways to effectively care for them.
Get Involved
WNY Postpartum Connection is a 501(c) non-profit. You can make tax-deductible donations here.
The organization is sponsoring Buffalo’s Climb Out of the Darkness event, the world’s largest fundraiser for mental health of new families. See event details here.
For more, follow WNYPPC on Instagram and Facebook.
She’s from Buffalo is proud to support a women-founded organization doing such important work in our region.