ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. — A Salisbury singer and music teacher, who had her first baby earlier this year, is opening up about postpartum depression.
What You Need To Know
Destiny Stone-King experienced postpartum depression after the birth of her first child
One in nine mothers experience postpartum depression, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
A new maternal mental health hotline and support group is available
Destiny Stone-King said sadness, pessimism and loss of energy stayed with her six weeks after she gave birth.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, postpartum depression affects 1 in 9 mothers.
Novant Health’s Perinatal Health Nurse Educator Laura Shelton said most parents experience the baby blues, which is having mood swings, crying spells, anxiety and difficulty sleeping. If these symptoms continue past two weeks, it’s considered postpartum depression.
Stone-King's son Joseph was born in March.
“It’s so amazing watching him grow and seeing he was in my belly at one point,” Stone-King said.
During her pregnancy, she had some concerns.
“I had that initial fear of, 'will I be a good parent, will I be a good mom?'" Stone-King said. “Being a Black woman and knowing the statistics behind maternal death rates while Black women are giving birth.”
She had planned to have a water birth at a pregnancy center.
Stone-King ended up needing an emergency C-section at a hospital, which intensified her worries.
“Knowing I wasn’t able to deliver him like I wanted to, made me sad. I felt like my body was letting me down, was letting him down,” Stone-King said.
Stone-King started feeling down after the birth of her child.
“Being sad and anxious. I also went through a period where I [had] bad thoughts of what could happen to him that it made me feel I won’t be able to protect him,” Stone-King said.
She experienced postpartum depression the first six weeks after delivery.
“I was still by myself when my husband was at work. I felt like I had to do this all day by myself, and I know that also made me [say] 'can I really do this?' Made me feel overwhelmed,” Stone-King said.
According to Novant Health’s Perinatal Health Nurse Educator Laura Shelton, a combination of physical and emotional factors causes postpartum depression.
“Parents are just so sleep-deprived as a new parent, and they may be, you know, struggling with a sense of identity or you may feel your life has drastically changed, which it has. You could also be nervous about caring about this fragile little baby,” Shelton said.
Shelton added postpartum depression affects 10% of fathers.
Stone-King said online posts from other moms about postpartum depression prompted her to share her own story.
“It helped that I wasn’t ashamed of it,” Stone-King said. "Social media made me feel there are other people going through it,” Stone-King said.
She said friends, family and her therapist made all the difference.
“Not being afraid to look for resources. Not being afraid to find someone, even if it’s just one person that you can get encouragement from,” Stone-King said.
The federal government launched a Maternal Mental Health hotline earlier this year.
Novant Health started a free postpartum depression support group in December. If you are interested in joining, you can email education@novanthealth.org.