For a staggering
number of women, pregnancy is not a time of joy
1:4
women are affected by mental health
disorders during or after pregnancy
60%
of depressed women go undiagnosed. Half of
diagnosed women go untreated
2:5
Black women suffer from maternal
psychological distress
You’re not alone
Fortunately, Mommy&Me has the tools to effectively find and treat these women;
intervening early can help D.C. babies enjoy the strongest start at life.
Our overall goal at Mommy&Me is to partner with former patients, moms with experience
giving birth in D.C. and other members of low-income Black communities to develop
and test different approaches to overcome obstacles and achieve health equity by
providing effective mental health screening and care. Our patient partners spoke
loudly and clearly: It’s too difficult to get mental health care in D.C., and it
ends too quickly. So, participants will remain in the study up to 12 months after
delivery. And our Mommy&Me study also will include women who do not yet meet
criteria for being diagnosed with major depression or anxiety.
#NoMotherLeftBehind
Contact us to join Mommy&Me
MommyAndMe@childrensnational.org
+1 202.476.2192
Read the Mommy&Me flyer
Purpose
Mommy&Me strives to find and effectively treat low-income Black women receiving
prenatal care at our three recruiting sites and intervening early to help D.C.
babies enjoy the strongest start at life.
-
Who can participate
- Low-income pregnant women who are Black or of African descent, who are older
than 18 years with a pregnancy of 28 weeks gestation or less. Study participants
must speak English and receive prenatal care at George Washington University,
Howard University or Unity Health Care.
-
Who may not participate
-
- Pregnant women:
- Who are younger than 18 or older than 45
- Whose pregnancies are more advanced than 28 weeks’ gestation
- Who are under the influence of a substance/experiencing active psychosis
- Who are not Black or of African descent
-
What should I expect?
-
- You will complete a number of questionnaires to assess your mood and
overall health of you and your baby. This will occur during pregnancy
and until your baby is 12 months old.
- You will be randomly assigned to participate in the intervention. This
means connecting with a maternity care specialist, receiving individual
or group therapy, and an optional peer support group during and after
your pregnancy. We anticipate these interventions will reduce
depression, anxiety and stress that you may experience during and after
pregnancy.
- After your baby is born, we will meet with you and your newborn to ask
about your infant’s health and development. We also will measure how you
and your newborn are bonding. Our team will continue to monitor your
baby’s development up to his or her first birthday.
-
Will I be paid?
-
- Study participants will receive up to $255 to $415 in
total compensation, if you complete all questionnaires and attend all
therapy sessions. This includes $10 per session toward transportation
expenses for any in-person interventions.
-
Our recruiting sites
-
Meet the Mommy&Me team
Hermela is excited to bring her talents to the Mommy&Me project to improve birthing experiences and maternal mental health outcomes in Washington, D.C.
Full bio
As a coordinator for this PCORI-funded Mommy&Me study, Hanna
works closely with community partners and providers to recruit
and enroll participants, collect data and help to manage the
three-year study.
Full bio
Naimah is honored to continue empowering, educating and
supporting the perinatal population in her role on the Mommy&Me
team.
Full bio
Meet our Peer Support Group
Facilitators
Mercedes created Virtual Mommy Meet-ups to enable mothers who
experienced postpartum depression to talk with other women who
feel and felt the same way
Full Bio
Each project Stephanie has worked on has continuously motivated
her to make a positive impact on the lives of young people and
others in her community.
Full Bio
JOIN OUR TEAM
Now Hiring | Clinical Research
Coordinator
The Clinical Research Coordinator participates in or leads day-to-day operations of
clinical research studies conducted by the co-Principal Investigators. This individual
performs a variety of duties involved in the collection, compilation, documentation and
analysis of clinical research data. The successful candidate will attain progressive
functional knowledge of Good Clinical Practices, Office of Human Research Protections
regulations and Food and Drug Administration regulations, when applicable.
VIEW
Position
Now Hiring | Perinatal Behavioral
Health Specialist
The Mommy&Me Perinatal Behavioral Health Specialist provides behavioral health screening
and appropriate response including diagnostic and behavioral health interventions to
pregnant and postpartum patients. Collaborate with all involved teams and support
services to ensure that patient and family needs are met. Identifies and prioritizes
clinical and psychosocial goals. Problem solves to ensure follow through on needed
responses by multidisciplinary team. Ensures optimal outpatient coordination, and
excellent collaboration between teams and partner organizations with a focus on patient
experience and outcomes. The Perinatal Behavioral Health Specialist also provides
support and guidance to partner organizations.
VIEW
Position
Read the news release