Volunteer helps mothers battle postpartum blues
Published: June 4, 2005
When psychologist Christina Hibbert gave birth to her first child, she felt excited and ready to be a mom. But during the weeks that followed, life was far from anything she had expected.
“We actually had to move in with my mom. We lived on her floor for three months,” Hibbert said. “I was so exhausted and so overwhelmed with the responsibility, I felt like I wasn’t ever going to get better.”
Hibbert, of Flagstaff, suffered from postpartum depression and was unable to find the help she needed. That isolating experience led her to reach out and help other mothers. She became passionate about doing something to help prevent others from going through the same thing she did.
“I started calling every health department in the state. Everyone I talked to recognized a need for more postpartum support resources,” Hibbert said.
A year ago, after hearing of Postpartum Support International, a non-profit founded in Santa Barbara, Calif., Hibbert volunteered to serve as co-coordinator for Arizona. Her duties include helping with the organization’s support telephone line and facilitating a postpartum support group.
Hibbert also produced a video showing the impact of postpartum mood disorders on couples. She regularly volunteers to make presentations to various health organizations and mom groups throughout the state.
Arizona will soon be one of three states in the nation to have a PSI chapter, thanks to Hibbert’s efforts.
“Christi’s a real model for young women who want to put a voice to this issue. Her energy and enthusiasm have helped move Arizona to the forefront of the nation,” said Jane Honikman, founder of PSI.
As a result of her outreach efforts, Hibbert has met other professional women interested in postpartum issues. She gathered them together in February and helped to form the Arizona Postpartum Wellness Coalition.
“She (Christi) has really taken the initiative and jump-started this state. I think this is her passion and her calling,” said Michelle Lacy, coalition vice president.
To bolster awareness of the newly founded coalition, Hibbert drafted a proclamation in March. Gov. Janet Napolitano signed it and designated April 1-May 6 as a time for “Postpartum Mood Disorders Awareness.”
Hibbert, 30, spends more than 20 hours a week helping other moms while spreading awareness of postpartum mood disorders and says she couldn’t do it without her husband’s help.
“This has become a major part of my life, and I would be completely unable to do this amount of volunteer work without my husband’s support,” Hibbert said. “Too many times the husband is forgotten in all this postpartum stuff, but this is a family issue, not just a mother’s issue. I just don’t want other families to go through postpartum depression the way we did.”
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