Postpartum depression can rob the joys of motherhood
By Denise Sautters
Copley News Service

"I love my wife very much and I wanted to help her. I didn't actually know what was wrong; I just wanted to help her any way I could." Helping his wife was the motivating factor in Fendrich Randall "Randy" Clark's life when he saw his wife, Cenell Munford-Clark, going through a difficult time after giving birth to their first son, Fendrich Randall Clark Jr., three years ago.

After giving her some time to adjust to being a new mom, her husband decided she needed to get out of their home and immediate surroundings and took her to Cincinnati to visit his family. That was the beginning of her healing process.

Munford-Clark was suffering from postpartum depression, a condition that about 10 percent of new mothers have following birth. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' Web site, women with postpartum depression have such strong feelings of sadness, anxiety or despair that they have trouble coping with their daily tasks.

"I didn't feel good about myself," she said. "I felt alienated and irritable, my self-esteem was low and I didn't want to go out anywhere and I didn't want my friends or family to come over."
Although she felt these things inside, she didn't realize to what extent she was emoting her feelings to those around her. Not until her friend, Docia Grimm, brought it to her attention.

"Cenell and I have been friends since 1990," Grimm said. "She has always been one of my main motivators, so after she had Junior, it was hard. She seemed tired, worn out, irritable and depressed. She just wasn't happy and that is not her. Usually, she is upbeat, enjoys getting out and doing things.

"I had a baby about a year earlier, so I thought she was just getting adjusted to motherhood, but after two or three months of it, I called her and asked her what was going on."
At first, Grimm thought maybe she had done or said something to upset her friend, but she couldn't think of anything.

"We talked on the phone about what was going on because she really had no clue she was acting this way."

It was during that conversation Munford-Clark realized what was happening to her.

"My husband was very supportive throughout, but it was one of my friends who brought the problem to light by asking me if something was wrong. She thought she had done something wrong and wanted to make amends. At that moment, I realized that these symptoms had a name - postpartum depression."

Even before Munford-Clark, an instructor of human performance and sports management at Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio, had her second child eight months ago, she decided during her pregnancy to take a more proactive approach to postpartum depression - she made a video for new moms called "Losing Baby Fat" and competed in the Mrs. Ohio pageant. The former Pro Football Hall of Fame Queen court member was first runner-up in the pageant held in Columbus.

Munford-Clark's interest in the Mrs. Ohio Pageant came after watching a Mrs. World competition on television in her sixth month of pregnancy with her second child, Daniel.

"I was sitting there watching these married women, many of them with children, who were fit and competing in a pageant," she said. "And I just thought, why not?"

Immediately afterward, she started doing research to find out what steps she needed to take to participate in such a competition. She learned the Mrs. Ohio Pageant was scheduled for July and she decided she would be ready for it. After her son was born in December, she got busy getting in shape, planning her platform and finding sponsors to help cover the cost of the pageant. At the same time, she opted to follow a family member's idea and developed an exercise video focusing on new mothers.

The video, she said, includes prayer, exercise and tips about healthy living and nutrition.
"I wanted to do something that would combine spiritual and physical components. I believe the video definitely embraces the mind, body and spirit theme I stress in my life."
The video isn't just for new moms.
"I think the video reaches out to everyone," said Sherrie Wallace, one of the friends Munford-Clark asked to help her make the video. "I've taken aerobics from Cenell in the past and I was in a class she was participating in when this came about. It was an honor for her to choose me.
"This isn't something Cenell did for herself. She is truly one of those people who want to help others and, through this video, she is doing that - helping young mothers deal with the birth of a child, but helping others get back into shape, both physically and mentally."

"Losing Baby Fat" can be ordered by e-mail at: losingbabyfat@yahoo.com.

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