Author: Editor

Worldwide about 10% of pregnant women and 13% of women who have just given birth experience a mental disorder, primarily depression. In developing countries this is even higher, i.e. 15.6% during pregnancy and 19.8% after child birth. In severe cases mothers’ suffering might be so severe that they may even commit suicide. In addition, the affected mothers cannot function properly. As a result, the children’s growth and development may be negatively affected as well. Maternal mental disorders are treatable. Effective interventions can be delivered even by well-trained non-specialist health providers. World Health Organization Maternal mental health disorders are the #1…

Sometimes kids need help understanding chronic illness and disability, as well as recognizing and processing their own feelings. We hope these topics are an ongoing discussion in your family, and we love to review children’s books that may help you along the way! When Mommy Is Sick by Ferne Sherkin-Langer Laura Ronnfeldt received a copy of this book as a gift from Mamas Facing Forward. She was not compensated for this review and all opinions are her own. The focus on “When Mommy Is Sick” is a mother needing to be in the hospital for a few weeks. I thought…

Remarkable moms are removing barriers to research through their advocacy. This article was written by Emily Harari, who works as a liaison between the scientific team at ImYoo and the patient community. ImYoo is a public benefit corporation (PBC), which means that in addition to being accountable to their shareholders they are responsible for returning benefits to the public. Mamas Facing Forward received a small donation from ImYoo. Moms can be the fiercest of patient advocates, for themselves and especially their children. Maybe it’s the “mama bear,” protective instinct that kicks into hyperdrive? Or maybe there’s some truth to the…

Parenting is easy, said no one ever. And when you’re living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), it comes with an extra set of challenges. Tasks that many moms and dads take for granted, like dressing your kids or playing outside, require more thought and effort. If you’ve had RA for years, you’re probably accustomed to navigating a lot of situations on your own. But what about once you have kids? Sarah Ellis, HealthCentral In this HealthCentral article, real parents share strategies and hacks for raising kids when you have rheumatoid arthritis. Raising Kids When You Have Rheumatoid Arthritis HealthCentral

The Autoimmune Association recently hosted the first ever Autoimmune Summit on October 15-16, 2021. The virtual two-day event featured 23 educational and empowering sessions and over 50 autoimmune experts including physicians, nurses, policy experts and of course, patient advocates (who will make up the majority of speakers). One of the sessions focused on Autoimmunity & Fertility/Pregnancy and featured: Natalie Hayden – IBD advocate, mother of 3, and founder of Lights, Camera, Crohn’sDr. Marla Dubinsky – Director of Preconception and Pregnancy Planning Clinic in New York and physician researcher at Mount Sinai Health SystemMariah Leach – chronic illness advocate, mother of…

Mamas Facing Forward founder, Mariah Leach, recently presented at the virtual American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting alongside researcher Courtney Wells and occupational therapist Cheryl Crow. This article has an overview of the important points made during the session: Mothers with rheumatic diseases need more support from healthcare providers ACR Convergence Today

Mamas Facing Forward Founder, Mariah Leach, recently had the opportunity to participate in Healthline’s Live Town Hall: Healthcare Policy Edition. Americans are so stressed about healthcare services and costs these days. This Town Hall discussion featured healthcare industry officials and patient advocates to have a non-partisan discussion of the healthcare issues that matter most in the upcoming election. Click here to watch the full Town Hall Discussion!

I understand the desire to put illness in terms of winning and losing battles. It’s comforting to think that with enough grit, enough firepower and medication and doctors and energy and sheer force of will, we can overcome anything that dares try to stop us. But the problem with this myth is the implication that those who continue to struggle daily, those who do not “win,” are simply not strong enough. We are not trying hard enough. Caroline Shifke In this honest and personal essay, Caroline Shifke shares her difficult journey trying to obtain a diagnosis – and how she…

Update on the MOTHERS study and introducing the PARTNERS study In November 2019, we reached out to Mamas Facing Forward to help us spread the word about our research study on how women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) make decisions about taking medications before and during pregnancy. We are excited to share that we recruited 23 women with RA and conducted 2 focus groups and 4 interviews with them. We are learning about the complex issues that make these decisions so challenging and how they not only affect women with RA but their loved ones – and we want to know…

“How will my chronic illness affect my infant feeding experience? Will my symptoms get better or worse during pregnancy and after my baby is born? How might all of this influence my sleep patterns and mental health?” These are some of the questions we’ve heard from mothers with chronic illness that our team at the University of Calgary is trying to answer with the Motherhood and Chronic Illness (MaCI) study. The MaCI Study is being done to address a gap in knowledge about the experiences and outcomes of mothers with chronic illness and their children from pregnancy to early childhood.…