Are you a woman who is pregnant, has a history of anxiety or emerging anxiety in your current pregnancy and want to learn complimentary approaches to managing anxiety.
Anxiety in pregnancy can impair sleep, relationships and quality of life. We are offering a holistic approach to manage anxiety during pregnancy through a shared medical visit. The focus of this is on psychological, emotional and physiological well-being.
Listen in as Tina Welke explains how shared medical visits include holistic group and individual approaches to decreasing anxiety and promoting wellness.
Selected Podcast
Mindful Moms: Complementary Approaches to Managing Anxiety During Pregnancy
Featured Speaker:
Tina Welke
Tina Welke is a perinatal social worker and therapist with Allina Health. Transcription:
Mindful Moms: Complementary Approaches to Managing Anxiety During Pregnancy
Melanie Cole (Host): Are you a woman who is pregnant, has a history of anxiety or emerging anxiety in your current pregnancy, and want to learn complementary approaches to managing that anxiety? My guest today is Tina Welke. She is a perinatal social worker and therapist with Allina Health. Welcome to the show, Tina. What’s normal and abnormal? very new mother or pregnant woman to be is always nervous. We always have anxiety anyway, so what’s normal? And then, how do you determine what’s abnormal?
Tina Welke (Guest): Hi, Melanie. Thanks for having me. That very true. It’s incredibly normal and quite appropriate for moms and their partners to be very anxious about pregnancy or bringing a baby into the world and they’re worried about safety, making sure developments are on par. Those things are very normal. But, what we’re talking about here is anxiety during pregnancy or postpartum periods that become a little bit more abnormal or more of an anxiety disorder. And, that’s when it’s severe enough to cause distress, or it gets in the way of functioning with family, with work, or at home with your partner, things like that, where the worry becomes so big it’s hard to manage.
Melanie: Okay. Then, what do you tell women of what they should do when they do sense that? Or, is it the loved ones who are sensing it first?
Tina: That’s a good question. Oftentimes, partners will say, “Something is going on with my wife or my partner since she’s had the baby. She doesn’t sleep as well, she’s been talking a lot about his safety and weight.” Breastfeeding is oftentimes a huge source of anxiety or distress for moms just to make sure they’re doing it well or right. But, oftentimes moms will bring it up, like, “I just can’t settle. I’m not sleeping well. I’m always focused on is the baby breathing? Is the baby okay?” Things like that. What I really like to talk to my patients about and women about when I’m teaching or educating them or supporting them is about their overall emotional health and welfare. Like, if you really think about that whole being, and having moms just feel incredibly supported, having them understand what to do with stress, giving them the coping mechanisms or thinking about ways to manage stress, because bringing a baby into the world are having a pregnancy with other children is very, very stressful. So, talking about their emotional health and well-being is really, really important, and how they orient themselves to problems and how they are figuring out managing stress. I also talk to moms a lot about their history of anxiety or history of perfectionism or thinking they have to do it one right way or the right way when there really is no right way to do this. And, I also talk to moms a lot about being kind of a good enough parent. So, thinking about breastfeeding and thinking about the delivery and afterward, what looks like good enough--not perfect, not all or none--but good enough parenting at home with your partner, and so the baby is well and so are they.
Melanie: That’s great bit of information there, Tina, because it is certainly true that we feel that need as women to be perfect, to be super moms, to be able to do it all, and none of us really can do it all. We all need help sometimes. So what are some complementary and holistic approaches to that healthy and balanced well-being that you’re discussing?
Tina: Yes, Melanie, that’s so true. So many times moms prioritize kids or family or partner first and then they come last. So we talk about this all the time, I practice with a physician and she and I talk about this all the time, not only with medical professional but with patients also, just about self-care, coping, different complementary approaches outside of medicine at times before women get to that point of needing to take medicine or before they’re seeing therapist. Many of my patients do yoga, prenatal or postnatal yoga, seeing an acupuncturist, doing massage therapy, working with an integrative medicine person, to understand aromatherapies. I talk to patients all the time about sleep and nutrition. If you get up in the morning and, certainly, moms deserve and need coffee, but if you’re drinking coffee throughout the day and your body is exhausted and you just keep putting coffee in your body, it’s really important to think about when your body gets to rest, when it gets good nutrition and water, and if you can sleep when the baby sleeps, or at night when your partner is in, can he or she help, so that you can get some rest or unhook from the day or the baby or breastfeeding or whatever that looks like, so that she can be well and get a little bit of a down time. So, thinking about a balanced approach to parenting.
Melanie: If a woman does have clinical depression and she is diagnosed that way and she looks to medicational intervention, whether she’s pregnant or this is a postnatal thing, what do you tell them about that need and where they should seek help?
Tina: That’s a really good question. There is so much emphasis placed on harm to pregnancy or to a woman and the developing baby through breastfeeding, about medicine harming the baby, but what we really need to think about is this more holistic approach about mom, her physical health, her mental health is just as important as her physical health. So, if we have a mom who has a history of depression or anxiety or both, and she goes into the pregnancy without any medicine and she is incredibly stressed and not sleeping and worrying constantly, we know that impacts her, how she is functioning. And we know that it impacts—through a lot of data and science and studies—it impacts the developing fetus. So, it’s really important for moms to think about talking to their trusted provider. I tell moms the first step is to talk to their OBGYN. Moms prefer to get their care from a trusted provider, which is usually an OBGYN or family practice doc, sometimes a midwife, and talk to them about “I’m feeling all of these symptoms”, or “I’m struggling this way”, or “I can’t sleep”, or “I can’t turn off worry”, or “I’m still afraid of contracting this”, or “I’m so afraid of eating all of the right things”. So, it’s important to talk to their trusted provider first and foremost. Many times doctors can talk with them about starting medicine, if that’s indicated, or maybe seeing a therapist and starting there as a first-line approach and talking with a therapist about their worries or their sadness or depressed mood. And then, many times the OBGYN or the doctor/provider will reach out to a person like me and say, “I think this depression is way bigger than I can manage”, or “I think this anxiety is getting worse, can you give me some ideas about what would be helpful for this patient throughout her pregnancy or postpartum period so that she is well and her symptoms are treated?”
Melanie: Tell us about the goal of Mindful Moms Group and the shared medical visit.
Tina: Mindful Moms is a group, it’s a shared medical visit between myself and Dr. Elizabeth LaRusso, who is a perinatal psychiatrist. This is a two-hour group and our focus is really on complimentary approaches to treating anxiety during pregnancy. So, patients are going to be able to meet one to one with a reproductive or perinatal psychiatrist Dr. LaRusso, talk about symptoms, talk about their functioning, talk about whatever is on their mind as far as their anxiety and their pregnancy and how they’re managing it. We are having a yoga instructor come in and teach a gentle flowing yoga to moms and Dr. LaRusso and myself. And women are going to be then meeting with me and talking about psycho-education and basics of perinatal anxiety, or anxiety during pregnancy and what that looks like after they’ve had the baby. And, then, we’re looking at guest speakers or clinicians coming in and talking about acupuncture and Chinese medicine, nutrition and the role of nutrition, aroma and massage therapy. We’re having an integrative medicine physician coming in and talking about kind of more natural approaches to anxiety like supplements and teas and things like that. Also, having another therapist come in and talk about mindfulness and meditation and how important that is in managing a worried thoughts. And then, we’re also having Dr. LaRusso speak to patients when complementary approaches aren’t enough and when psychiatric medicine is indicated and what that looks like for women with their pregnancy.
Melanie: What are program, Tina. Wrap it up for us and give moms, listening moms-to-be, even women who are thinking about getting pregnant your best advice about that anxiety that we all suffer from when we are thinking about having children or if we’ve just had a new baby and what you really want them to know about the best ways to take really good care of themselves throughout that process.
Tina: Good question, Melanie. What we know is that anxiety during pregnancy and after delivery is quite common, and we know that women are at a higher risk of it if they’ve had a history of it. I will say that there are many anxieties and worries that are very common and valid about pregnancy and bringing a baby or babies into this world and those kind of things you can talk about with your partner, other moms or women that you know that are trusted, or talk about with your OB about these other things I’m worried about. When it gets a little bit too big or hard to manage, it’s really important that a woman is adequately supported and so that she can talk about her mental and emotional health with a therapist. Sometimes that’s indicated and that’s an okay thing. And, then, if you’re anxious I really encourage you to think about being brave and courageous as a woman and a patient to talk about with your OB and just say, “This has really been hard for me.” Starting the conversation there is important so your trusted provider or OB can then refer you on to someone who could be helpful to you during pregnancy or after you have had the baby. Anxiety poses a risk for mom and their wellbeing, but also the baby and family, so it’s really important to get it treated. And, again, coming from a holistic perspective, looking at mind/body, mom/baby attachment and looking at the whole family, it’s really important that women are well supported throughout their pregnancy and are able to talk about some of the more normal worries and the worries that are getting bigger and harder to manage. And, that’s why we exist and that’s why we’ve created this group Mindful Moms.
Melanie: Thank you so much, Tina, for being with us today. It’s great information. For more information on Mindful Moms, Complementary Approaches to Managing Anxiety During Pregnancy, you can go to www.AllinaHealth.org. You’re listening to The WELLcast with Allina Health. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.
Mindful Moms: Complementary Approaches to Managing Anxiety During Pregnancy
Melanie Cole (Host): Are you a woman who is pregnant, has a history of anxiety or emerging anxiety in your current pregnancy, and want to learn complementary approaches to managing that anxiety? My guest today is Tina Welke. She is a perinatal social worker and therapist with Allina Health. Welcome to the show, Tina. What’s normal and abnormal? very new mother or pregnant woman to be is always nervous. We always have anxiety anyway, so what’s normal? And then, how do you determine what’s abnormal?
Tina Welke (Guest): Hi, Melanie. Thanks for having me. That very true. It’s incredibly normal and quite appropriate for moms and their partners to be very anxious about pregnancy or bringing a baby into the world and they’re worried about safety, making sure developments are on par. Those things are very normal. But, what we’re talking about here is anxiety during pregnancy or postpartum periods that become a little bit more abnormal or more of an anxiety disorder. And, that’s when it’s severe enough to cause distress, or it gets in the way of functioning with family, with work, or at home with your partner, things like that, where the worry becomes so big it’s hard to manage.
Melanie: Okay. Then, what do you tell women of what they should do when they do sense that? Or, is it the loved ones who are sensing it first?
Tina: That’s a good question. Oftentimes, partners will say, “Something is going on with my wife or my partner since she’s had the baby. She doesn’t sleep as well, she’s been talking a lot about his safety and weight.” Breastfeeding is oftentimes a huge source of anxiety or distress for moms just to make sure they’re doing it well or right. But, oftentimes moms will bring it up, like, “I just can’t settle. I’m not sleeping well. I’m always focused on is the baby breathing? Is the baby okay?” Things like that. What I really like to talk to my patients about and women about when I’m teaching or educating them or supporting them is about their overall emotional health and welfare. Like, if you really think about that whole being, and having moms just feel incredibly supported, having them understand what to do with stress, giving them the coping mechanisms or thinking about ways to manage stress, because bringing a baby into the world are having a pregnancy with other children is very, very stressful. So, talking about their emotional health and well-being is really, really important, and how they orient themselves to problems and how they are figuring out managing stress. I also talk to moms a lot about their history of anxiety or history of perfectionism or thinking they have to do it one right way or the right way when there really is no right way to do this. And, I also talk to moms a lot about being kind of a good enough parent. So, thinking about breastfeeding and thinking about the delivery and afterward, what looks like good enough--not perfect, not all or none--but good enough parenting at home with your partner, and so the baby is well and so are they.
Melanie: That’s great bit of information there, Tina, because it is certainly true that we feel that need as women to be perfect, to be super moms, to be able to do it all, and none of us really can do it all. We all need help sometimes. So what are some complementary and holistic approaches to that healthy and balanced well-being that you’re discussing?
Tina: Yes, Melanie, that’s so true. So many times moms prioritize kids or family or partner first and then they come last. So we talk about this all the time, I practice with a physician and she and I talk about this all the time, not only with medical professional but with patients also, just about self-care, coping, different complementary approaches outside of medicine at times before women get to that point of needing to take medicine or before they’re seeing therapist. Many of my patients do yoga, prenatal or postnatal yoga, seeing an acupuncturist, doing massage therapy, working with an integrative medicine person, to understand aromatherapies. I talk to patients all the time about sleep and nutrition. If you get up in the morning and, certainly, moms deserve and need coffee, but if you’re drinking coffee throughout the day and your body is exhausted and you just keep putting coffee in your body, it’s really important to think about when your body gets to rest, when it gets good nutrition and water, and if you can sleep when the baby sleeps, or at night when your partner is in, can he or she help, so that you can get some rest or unhook from the day or the baby or breastfeeding or whatever that looks like, so that she can be well and get a little bit of a down time. So, thinking about a balanced approach to parenting.
Melanie: If a woman does have clinical depression and she is diagnosed that way and she looks to medicational intervention, whether she’s pregnant or this is a postnatal thing, what do you tell them about that need and where they should seek help?
Tina: That’s a really good question. There is so much emphasis placed on harm to pregnancy or to a woman and the developing baby through breastfeeding, about medicine harming the baby, but what we really need to think about is this more holistic approach about mom, her physical health, her mental health is just as important as her physical health. So, if we have a mom who has a history of depression or anxiety or both, and she goes into the pregnancy without any medicine and she is incredibly stressed and not sleeping and worrying constantly, we know that impacts her, how she is functioning. And we know that it impacts—through a lot of data and science and studies—it impacts the developing fetus. So, it’s really important for moms to think about talking to their trusted provider. I tell moms the first step is to talk to their OBGYN. Moms prefer to get their care from a trusted provider, which is usually an OBGYN or family practice doc, sometimes a midwife, and talk to them about “I’m feeling all of these symptoms”, or “I’m struggling this way”, or “I can’t sleep”, or “I can’t turn off worry”, or “I’m still afraid of contracting this”, or “I’m so afraid of eating all of the right things”. So, it’s important to talk to their trusted provider first and foremost. Many times doctors can talk with them about starting medicine, if that’s indicated, or maybe seeing a therapist and starting there as a first-line approach and talking with a therapist about their worries or their sadness or depressed mood. And then, many times the OBGYN or the doctor/provider will reach out to a person like me and say, “I think this depression is way bigger than I can manage”, or “I think this anxiety is getting worse, can you give me some ideas about what would be helpful for this patient throughout her pregnancy or postpartum period so that she is well and her symptoms are treated?”
Melanie: Tell us about the goal of Mindful Moms Group and the shared medical visit.
Tina: Mindful Moms is a group, it’s a shared medical visit between myself and Dr. Elizabeth LaRusso, who is a perinatal psychiatrist. This is a two-hour group and our focus is really on complimentary approaches to treating anxiety during pregnancy. So, patients are going to be able to meet one to one with a reproductive or perinatal psychiatrist Dr. LaRusso, talk about symptoms, talk about their functioning, talk about whatever is on their mind as far as their anxiety and their pregnancy and how they’re managing it. We are having a yoga instructor come in and teach a gentle flowing yoga to moms and Dr. LaRusso and myself. And women are going to be then meeting with me and talking about psycho-education and basics of perinatal anxiety, or anxiety during pregnancy and what that looks like after they’ve had the baby. And, then, we’re looking at guest speakers or clinicians coming in and talking about acupuncture and Chinese medicine, nutrition and the role of nutrition, aroma and massage therapy. We’re having an integrative medicine physician coming in and talking about kind of more natural approaches to anxiety like supplements and teas and things like that. Also, having another therapist come in and talk about mindfulness and meditation and how important that is in managing a worried thoughts. And then, we’re also having Dr. LaRusso speak to patients when complementary approaches aren’t enough and when psychiatric medicine is indicated and what that looks like for women with their pregnancy.
Melanie: What are program, Tina. Wrap it up for us and give moms, listening moms-to-be, even women who are thinking about getting pregnant your best advice about that anxiety that we all suffer from when we are thinking about having children or if we’ve just had a new baby and what you really want them to know about the best ways to take really good care of themselves throughout that process.
Tina: Good question, Melanie. What we know is that anxiety during pregnancy and after delivery is quite common, and we know that women are at a higher risk of it if they’ve had a history of it. I will say that there are many anxieties and worries that are very common and valid about pregnancy and bringing a baby or babies into this world and those kind of things you can talk about with your partner, other moms or women that you know that are trusted, or talk about with your OB about these other things I’m worried about. When it gets a little bit too big or hard to manage, it’s really important that a woman is adequately supported and so that she can talk about her mental and emotional health with a therapist. Sometimes that’s indicated and that’s an okay thing. And, then, if you’re anxious I really encourage you to think about being brave and courageous as a woman and a patient to talk about with your OB and just say, “This has really been hard for me.” Starting the conversation there is important so your trusted provider or OB can then refer you on to someone who could be helpful to you during pregnancy or after you have had the baby. Anxiety poses a risk for mom and their wellbeing, but also the baby and family, so it’s really important to get it treated. And, again, coming from a holistic perspective, looking at mind/body, mom/baby attachment and looking at the whole family, it’s really important that women are well supported throughout their pregnancy and are able to talk about some of the more normal worries and the worries that are getting bigger and harder to manage. And, that’s why we exist and that’s why we’ve created this group Mindful Moms.
Melanie: Thank you so much, Tina, for being with us today. It’s great information. For more information on Mindful Moms, Complementary Approaches to Managing Anxiety During Pregnancy, you can go to www.AllinaHealth.org. You’re listening to The WELLcast with Allina Health. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.