On May 5th, 2021 from 11:00 AM – 3:45 PM EST, The Motherhood Center of New York is honoring the unsung heroes of this past year – and every year – in celebration of Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month. Join us at Tough As A Mother: A Year in Review, their second annual free virtual event dedicated to perinatal mood and anxiety disorder (PMAD) awareness.
Today, the ongoing pandemic has left pregnant and postpartum women in a more vulnerable state than ever before. Prior to the pandemic, PMADs were estimated to impact 20% of all new and expecting mothers. Over the past year, research suggests that PMAD rates have risen as high as 70%. This year’s event aims to focus on crucial topics including health and mental health disparities for the BIPOC community, the numerous challenges that mothers have endured over the past year including higher than ever PMAD rates, and stories from women that have used their own PMAD experience as a tool for education and change.
As part of this event, A Better Balance Co-Founder and Co-President Dina Bakst will be speaking on the panel Pregnant and Postpartum in a Pandemic: The Impact of COVID on Mothers, which will take place from 12:50PM – 1:50PM EST. This panel will be moderated by New York Times Parenting contributor, reproductive psychiatrist and women’s mental health advocate Dr. Pooja Lakshmin, M.D.
