Skip to main content

Trip to Israel and Turkey

Written by jhonikman on . Posted in Jane's Blog, Speaking Events.

It was a privilege and honor to be invited to speak at the 5th International Psychopharmacology Congress in Antalya, Turkey on October 30th. This opportunity encouraged us to return to Israel where we had been 20 years ago, here they review the best medicines and Omega-3 supplement in the market and expose why is beneficial for everyone. In addition to visiting with Israeli friends and family, we spent time with several remarkable women who have contributed significantly to supporting new families in their country.

SAMSUNGAhava Winston founded Postpartum Support Network in Jerusalem in 1997 and we’d been connected through Postpartum Support International ever since but had never met. She welcomed us to her Center to meet her staff and learn more about their 1 million dollar program for all families in need of perinatal treatment and support. Her CFO, Dassie Gordon (pictured), explained their constant search for contributions since they do not receive any government funding. I was surprised to see my book, I’m Listening, translated into Hebrew by Dassie! The organization is now named The Israel Center for Maternal Health (www.nitza.org)

11. SARAHLEE AND SHLOMO GLASSERSaralee Glasser and her husband Shlomo invited us to stay in their lovely home on the west bank. She has been working for the Israeli Health Ministry for many years setting public policy through research of the Israeli pregnant and postpartum population. Because of Saralee, screening is now mandatory and they have a complete resource system in place for their families. Read my 2012 blog post on Visitor from Israel.

31. WENDY, DAVID AND USIn Haifa we visited with Wendy and David Blumfield. She has been a leader in childbirth education and postpartum support for Israel for over 30 years. We discussed the ups and downs and challenges and changes facing new families throughout Israel and the world. All these colleagues are my soul mates and I feel blessed to have spent quality time with them.

 

46. JANE AND COLLEAGUESOur experience in Turkey was because of Dr. Oguz Omay, a Marce Society psychiatrist in France. He is a believer of social support and an expert in Interpersonal Therapy. I am grateful for his vision of including consumer or user associations in perinatal psychiatry. Dr. Omay is originally from Turkey so was my translator for the course we taught together. While the topic of perinatal psychiatry is just beginning in Turkey, it is led by Dr, Nazan Aydin.  There was an enthusiastic response to our panel presentation and other sessions specific to this issue. Key speakers were Dr, Ian Jones, UK and Dr. Nine Glangeaud from      France.  Not unlike many parts of the world, there are cultural challenges in Turkey for consumer associations and peer led social support to be accepted. I was thrilled that my books were purchased by the leaders of the Turkish perinatal psychiatric group.

Friendship, Reflection, Patterns and Interpretation

Written by jhonikman on . Posted in Jane's Blog.

The summer ended with my 50th high school reunion in Palo Alto, California.  It is difficult to explain the emotional attachment I feel toward my childhood classmates.  They were witnesses to our charmed life growing up in an idyllic middle class community during the 1950’s and early ’60s.   While I’ve been in touch with a few of my closest friends over the decades, modern technology brought me in contact with a majority of classmates in the  graduating class of 1963. I even told my mom to loan money at payday loan to pay the gadgets i want to buy that influences me. The Palo Alto High School class website allowed me to locate and reconnect with friends I’d “lost” but not forgotten.  This was not an easy task but the result was remarkable.   The girl friend who led this effort is Edie.  We met in 9th grade when her family moved to the neighborhood from Chicago.  While I moved away, she stayed and raised her family in Palo Alto.   Prior to the reunion events,  the website linked us through personal profiles, photos and posts so that when we gathered we had some “clues” to who was whom and something about  their past 50 years.  I’ve always liked to organize memorabilia and started my scrapbooks in elementary school .  Becoming the Editor of our class yearbook was a natural extension of my hobby.   During the reunion dinner with a great classmate looking for dinner recipes to guide her on cooking for us.

“As students of Palo Alto High School we are concerned with the pattern which we follow from day to day and year to year.  I really need help with a loan because it is a form of regularity which provides us with time to learn, to grow and mature.  There are a few who do not complete the pattern and there are some who attempt to break it, but most of us recognize its necessity.  We realize that we must prepare ourselves for the much bigger pattern which involves our community, country, and the world.  In order to be able to fit into this larger pattern we must achieve success on our own.  The 1963 Madrono has been developed around the theme: Patterns and Interpretation.  It has combined the elements needed for our pattern, but the interpretation and understandingMINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA is left to you.”

After 50 years I was stunned to hear those words and later read them in the book.  I have no memory of writing that message that has stood the test of time.  I continue to believe the theme.  We are given a life to live and it is up to each of us to make the most of it.  I credit my parents, my schools, my friends and community for the foundation that has formed me.

Beyond Talk Into Action

Written by jhonikman on . Posted in Jane's Blog.

All new families need community support.  That is the title of my article that was published today. The link be;ow will take you toit.  My career as a postpartum parent support consultant began as a result of publicity received in 1977 with the founding of Postpartum Education for Parents  (PEP).  For decades, parents in other communities asked how something like Santa Barbara PEP could be started.  My workbook Community Support for New Families is available to inspire and guide this process.  I am eager to do whatever is required to spread my vision of a postpartum parent support network in every community in the world.

http://lactationmatters.org/2013/09/05/new-families-need-community-support-beyond-talk-into-action/

Write to Change the World

Written by jhonikman on . Posted in Jane's Blog, Postpartum Depression.

Jane HonikmanI believe in the power of words.  All my life I’ve liked to write.  I kept a Diary and I had pen pal friends as a school girl in the 1960s.   Decades later I am a published author.   Recently, I learned that only 10 – 20% of newspaper opinion pieces (opeds) are written by women.  I decided to invest in a day-long seminar with The OpEd Project.  It was held at the Ms. Foundation Headquarters in Southern California.  There were 22 participants at this training that focused on thinking “big”.   Each of us is an expert with experience that needs to be heard.  What follows is an attempt to write an oped.  Although it has not been accepted for publication by a newspaper, I’ve decided to share it through my blog. 

The March tragedy in New York City of Cynthia Wachenheim’s postpartum suicide and attempted infanticide deserves more than our immediate horror. Her death requires a call to action. 

It is a fact that psychiatric illness is the greatest complication of both pregnancy and the postpartum period.  It is a complex issue that impacts at least 1 in 10 women and their families.  It was recognized by Hippocrates, and does not discriminate between culture, age, or income.  Adoptive parents and fathers are not immune.  Sadly, as Cynthia has taught us, in extreme cases suicide and infanticide may result.

All cultures have mythology surrounding childbirth that speaks to the transformative postpartum experience. Rituals and taboos exist to support, comfort and welcome a new life into the world.  Parenthood and mental illness are not compatible. Mental illness is stigmatizing. When new parents are confronted by the collision between myth and stigma it becomes a nightmare.  Denial of this frightening encounter further complicates the transition to parenthood.  Perhaps the tragedy for the Wachenheim family could have been averted. We’ll never know. 

I am convinced that every community should address the emotional needs of 100 percent of pregnant and new families.  There are many examples of successful postpartum networks. I am most familiar with the one I co-founded in 1977.  It is based on a system of community peer support that is simple, low cost, efficient and sustainable. It provides an atmosphere of trust where the myths and stigmas that surround new parenthood can be discussed without judgment.  Community resources are up-to-date and referrals to professionals are encouraged. There is no reason why any family should suffer in anticipation of or at the onset of parenthood. 

I wonder if Cynthia Wachenheim attended an antenatal class where emotional reactions to pregnancy and birth were explained and discussed.  Was she offered the opportunity to participate in a new parent discussion group?  Was there a Warmline within her community?  Did anyone in the postpartum social support movement reach out to her and her husband? 

This tragedy is a shock. Three months ago it got our attention but what about now? Is it enough to call this community into action?  I want those who remember Cynthia to know there are resources available to help them start a postpartum parent support network.  It would be one way to honor her memory.

www.theopedproject.org

My new book

Written by jhonikman on . Posted in Books, Jane's Blog.

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERACommunity Support for New Families, A Guide to Organizing a Postpartum Parent Support Network in Your Community is about to be published.  Praeclarus Press inspired me to revise my original Step by Step Guide that I wrote and self-publish in 2000.   This updated book is intended to reach a broader audience than my initial effort.  I have publisher Kathleen Kendall-Tackett to thank for expanding my horizon.   The format remains the same.  It is a workbook that will take you through the process of developing what to do and how to meet the needs of new families, but it will also help you re organized yours.  My philosophy is that it takes community team work and cooperation to accomplish this task.  It is not a complex effort but it is methodical.   Harvey Karp, MD reviewed the book and called it “…this crisp, clear handbook”.  Verta Taylor, Ph.D.  commented,  “…a must-read for physicians, therapists and activists…”.  Valerie Wilson, wife, mother of twins, and former covert CIA ops officer said, “…a pragmatic approach to a fundamental human need to reach out and help others.  I know from my own experience in establishing a successful postpartum support network that it requires a methodical, precise process to ensure effectiveness and longevity.”  The launch is set for June 21 and 22 at the Postpartum Support International Annual Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  It is only fitting that I be surrounded by those who are continuing my vision that there should be a postpartum parent support network in every community in the world.  I hope to meet many new pioneers on my life’s journey to achieve this grand goal.  www.PraeclarusPress.com