jennifer mudd houghtaling postpartum depression foundation

Jennifer Mudd Houghtaling

"She had a heart as big as the moon and as pure as gold"

Jennifer's memoir
by
Linley George Othman

In 2001 my dear daughter, Jennifer Mudd Houghtaling, lost her battle with postpartum depression. My husband and I knew that we had to do something to make it less likely that others would suffer Jennifer's fate. Working with Evanston Northwestern Hospital, we established the Jennifer Mudd Houghtaling Postpartum Depression Program at the hospital, offering prenatal and postnatal screenings, education programs for health care professionals and a 24-hour crisis line for new mothers.

But one program at one hospital is not enough. Our experience in Evanston taught us that screenings, education programs and help lines ought to be available to women at other hospitals. We also realized that more could be done to get information about postpartum depression to both potential victims and health care professionals.

In 2004 we established the Jennifer Mudd Houghtaling Postpartum Depression Foundation to encourage and assist hospitals in creating effective programs to identify and treat postpartum depression sufferers and to add new public education efforts. The Foundation is dedicated to educating the public and health care professionals about the symptoms, dangers and treatments for postpartum depression and promoting effective screening and rapid response treatments for mental health complications associated with childbearing.

- Joan Mudd

Memoir

     She had a Heart as Big as the Moon
     and Pure as Gold

     By: Linley George Othman

No one would be more stunned by the turn of events that created the Jennifer Mudd Houghtaling Postpartum Depression Foundation than Jennifer. Her ebullient joy and laser beam of personal interest and insight was her gift to everyone she knew and loved. Carefree, energetic, devoted and nonjudgemental, Jennifer would want to know what she could do to help this cause, how does this terrible disease occur, and most of all, what needs to be done to solve it.

It was her generosity of spirit that was so special.

Be it, being an active member of the "Big Sister" program, or teaching adults to read, or keeping in touch with an aged friend who had become blind, or trying to convert her dog (unsuccessfully) to being a vegetarian, Jennifer made all those around her feel like they mattered.

That light should have shone brightly on her much desired and cherished baby boy Brandon. More than anything, Jennifer wanted Brandon. When she found out that she was carrying a baby boy she named him immediately and changed the password in her computer to Brandon so she could see his name and say it everyday.

One in ten new mothers experience post-partum depression.

One in a thousand new mothers suffer from post-partum psychosis.

Our goal is to educate the public to get clear and useful information about postpartum depression to pregnant women, new mothers and their families. Our programs to educate health care professionals include promoting and supporting training for working with pregnant women and new mothers. Last but not least, we encourage better care by introducing health care providers to screening tools, best practice treatments and effective postpartum depression treatment programs while helping health care providers institute effective programs within their institutions and practices.

We honor and celebrate Jennifer's life, which touched myriads of people in more ways than she will ever know. We look forward to your support in spreading the word about this disease and the help that our Foundation can bring. Thank you.