#MyWishForMoms health content
This content was part of a broader campaign that won three 2020 Effie Awards: gold in Disease Awareness & Education, silver in Healthcare Services, and bronze in Engaged Community
In the interviews and discussions that drove Allegheny Health Network’s All of Her, All of Her Life campaign, a topic emerged that was not only urgent for women in Pittsburgh, but also for 13% of new moms around the country – yet few talk about it. Postpartum mental health, including depression, anxiety, OCD and psychosis that affects women during and after pregnancy, is often dismissed by families and doctors as just “the baby blues.” Women are reluctant to bring up these very personal and very real struggles for fear of seeming dramatic, burdensome, or poorly equipped to be a mom.
The #MyWishForMoms campaign sought to dispel those myths, remove the stigmas and barriers to speaking up, ask the hard questions, and advocate for better care. One component of the comprehensive campaign was a dedicated website that featured give-it-to-me-straight, conversational content backed by AHN medical professionals and sound research. I researched, interviewed, and wrote more than 40 pieces that addressed not only postpartum mental health, but other taboo topics that expecting and new moms are hesitant to discuss like the NICU experience, peeing a little when you sneeze, birth trauma, pumping at work, fertility issues, and more. I also provided content for a mini book called The Fourth Trimester, a term acknowledging that mom’s care shouldn’t stop when she gives birth, which is available on the MyWishForMoms site.
