Sana Library
Bringing resources to you on relevant and relatable topics within reproductive mental health, perinatal care, postpartum support, and early family development
Recovering from Birth Trauma with EMDR Therapy
In recognition of Birth Trauma Awareness Week, we're shining a light on an experience that affects many families but often goes unspoken. While every birth story is unique, no one should feel alone in processing a traumatic birth.
When people think about birth trauma, they often imagine dramatic emergencies or life-threatening complications. While emergency situations can certainly be traumatic, birth trauma is not limited to this. Feeling unheard, losing a sense of control, fearing for your own or your baby's safety, or feeling unsupported during labor can all contribute to birth trauma.
How to Cope with Anxiety While Waiting for Medical Test Results
Waiting for medical test results can be overwhelming. Maybe you’re checking the patient portal over and over or keeping your phone close in case a doctor calls. You might even search online for worst-case scenarios.
Breastfeeding & Mental Health
While we know that infant feeding method has an impact on maternal mental health, it is often not talked about. The way we choose to feed our babies is a deeply personal decision and may shift and change at different times during the postpartum period.
“I’m Sorry for My Loss”: What This Book Gets Right About Grief, Support, and the Pressure to Be Okay
At its core, the book explores something many grieving people know intimately but struggle to articulate: loss is not only painful because of what happened. It is painful because of how alone people often feel in the aftermath.
Perinatal Perspectives: The Nurture Revolution
The Nurture Revolution by Greer Kirshenbaum explores how early caregiving relationships shape infant brain development and long-term mental health. The book explores how nurturing relationships are not simply helpful for babies and their caregivers, but also nurture’s profound ability to shape brain development.
New York Grants Pregnant Workers Paid Leave. How Many Know That?
“New York is the first state in the U.S. to require paid leave for prenatal care. While some women are using the time off for medical appointments, others don’t know that it’s available.”
By Emma G. Fitzsimmons
Mental Health Service Utilization
“Women face a higher lifetime risk, with prevalence rates of 40% and 26% for anxiety and depression, respectively, compared to 20% and 15% in men (Gregory et al. 2020; Hasin et al. 2018). The perinatal period represents a particularly vulnerable time, with depression and anxiety emerging as among the most common complications of childbirth (Luca et al. 2020). Across the globe, at least one in five women experiences a mental health disorder during pregnancy or in the year after birth (Fawcett et al. 2019; World Health Organization 2022b).”
Mental Health in Obstetric Patients and Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
“Psychiatric morbidity is the most common childbirth complication with 1 in 5 women experiencing a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder. The cost of this psychiatric morbidity is pervasive, contributing to devastating maternal health, child developmental, and economic consequences. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and associated changes to perinatal experiences, resulted in profound psychological reactions including increased anxiety, depression, stress disorders, and sleep disturbance, further impacting obstetric patients.”
Addressing Mental Health in Patients and Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
“The pandemic, and the associated changes to pregnancy and postpartum experiences, can lead to profound psychological reactions including panic, hyperarousal, sleep disturbance, anxiety, depression, and traumatic stress disorders. Providers face compassion fatigue and shared trauma. In this article, we describe the mental health outcomes known to date in regard to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic for obstetric patients and their providers as well as therapeutic approaches.”