Mothers who place their children for adoption are often overlooked in many areas. However, one area I think that we need to be paying special attention to is how post-partum depression is effecting the lives of these new birth mothers. Often times the emotional ups and downs are written off as a normal part of the grieving process that follows the relinquishment of a child. While this may be true in some case, it's not the case for some women.

On October 24th, bloggers will be joining together to support Mothers Act. What is Mothers Act? In short, it's a good thing. To quote from the initiating post in this blogging blitz:

"Mothers Act is a bill introduced into the Senate by Senator Menendez of New Jersey that would provide for education about postpartum mood disorders for new mothers and their families, require healthcare professionals to screen new moms for postpartum mood disorders during the first year postpartum, and train those professionals on how to conduct proper screenings and care for women who are diagnosed with these illnesses. This bill is currently with the Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee of the Senate. If the majority of the Help Committee Members endorse the MOTHERS Act, the bill will move forward for consideration by the Senate. Without Senate sponsors, the bill could languish in committee and await reintroduction at a future date."

Again, mothers who place their children for adoption are going to fight an uphill battle in having a doctor believe that the grief and loss are not the only thing going on with the mother. The hormonal imbalance caused by the post-partum return to normal function should balance itself out eventually. If not, something more may be wrong. How can we tell the difference between normal fluctuations, a departure from that norm, normal grief and loss and/or a mother suffering from any number of the post-partum mood disorders that's just simply being exacerbated by placement grief and loss? We have to speak up, that's how.

To read the rest of the entry encouraging first mothers to share their stories on this topic, click here.