Your world with Dr. Beatrice Hyppolite
Hello,
I am Dr. Marie Beatrice Hyppolite. I hold a doctorate in Health Science with emphasis on Global Health and master’s degree in social work. I have over 14 years of experience in the field of health and human services.
This podcast is primarily focused on mental health and the quality-of-life elements that affect it such as divorce, death, domestic violence, trauma, toxic relationships, and single parenthood to name a few. It is no secret that mental health challenges continue to profoundly impact modern society although not enough discussion is given due to stigma. Research has shown an increase of 25 % in mental health crises after COVID-19. It is important to have honest, uncomfortable conversations about mental health while being supportive. Although we are interdependent, change begins with the individual, hence “your world.”
I welcome you to join me on my journey and look forward to your responses.
Your world with Dr. Beatrice Hyppolite
Mental Health Shadows: Confronting Postpartum Depression Disparities
The silent suffering of new mothers experiencing mental health challenges during and after pregnancy remains one of healthcare's most overlooked crises. Nurse Becca, drawing from over a decade of labor and delivery experience, takes us deep into the troubling disparities that determine which mothers receive adequate mental health support and which are left to struggle alone.
Mental health issues during pregnancy and postpartum don't discriminate – they can affect any mother regardless of background or how many children she's had before. Yet the likelihood of receiving proper care varies dramatically based on factors like race, culture, and socioeconomic status. As Nurse Beka poignantly observes, "A lot of minorities don't have access to either see a therapist, be on medications... but it's just something that is not addressed in healthcare."
Cultural attitudes toward mental health create substantial barriers for many women. In some communities, stoicism is prized to the extent that expressing even physical pain is discouraged – making it nearly impossible to acknowledge mental health struggles. When new mothers hear dismissive responses like "stand up, you got to be stronger than that," they learn to silence their suffering rather than seek help.
Perhaps most disturbing are the racial disparities in maternal care. Nurse Becca shares firsthand observations of patients with identical symptoms receiving dramatically different treatment based solely on race. Black women are more likely to have their pain dismissed, their concerns minimized, and their mental health struggles overlooked – contributing to significantly higher rates of untreated postpartum depression.
The transition to motherhood represents a profound life change that many women aren't adequately prepared for. The conversation explores how the shift from pregnancy (when everyone focuses on the mother) to postpartum (when attention diverts entirely to the baby) can trigger feelings of insignificance and isolation. When combined with sleep deprivation, physical recovery, and often limited support, these factors create perfect conditions for mental health crises.
Join us for this crucial conversation about motherhood's hidden struggles and what must change to ensure all mothers receive the compassionate mental healthcare they deserve. Your understanding could be the first step toward supporting a new mother in your life who might be suffering in silence.
Hello everyone, I'm Dr Beatrice Ippolit and this is your World. Hello everyone, today we have the privilege to have with us Nurse Beka. Yes, how are you?
Speaker 2:doing today I'm good. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:It's a pleasure. The pleasure is all mine, darling. Oh, thank you. I was a commute.
Speaker 2:The commute was not bad, I'm, you know, on one gallon, so this is nice, this is a nice little drive.
Speaker 1:Okay, and the good thing is not raining today. So the sun is out, and it's actually a little warmer too, yeah, compared to a few days, you know, I must say yes, I didn't have to pull up my scarf today, so that was good. Okay, that's wonderful. So tell us a little bit about you before we even get into the subject that we're going to talk today. Sure, no problem.
Speaker 2:So I'm Nurse Becca. I have been a nurse for over 10 years. I started out as an LPN and while I was working night shift I went back to school, I got my BSN as an RN and I work in a hospital now. I started out in the hospital in heart failure, which was pretty tough, but it made me. You know who I am. I always believed that your experiences shape you to who you are, and now I'm currently in labor and delivery. I have a podcast myself the nurse aspect, but that's what I'm doing, right now.
Speaker 1:I watched so many episodes of that podcast. It's very impressive. Congratulations, thank you so much and I'm so proud of of that podcast. It's very impressive Congratulations. Thank you so much and I'm so proud of you. Thank you and you know one thing that I must tell everybody. I remember when I was starting with this podcast. Oh, nurse Baker was on it. Everything that she knows she will tell me. I was really grateful to that I love sharing information.
Speaker 2:I don't like to hold people back. I always feel like what's for you will always be for you. You don't ever have to fight with someone or not share information in the hopes that they're going to steal what you have. Whatever's supposed to be meant for you is going to be meant for you, so I always like to share information.
Speaker 1:Amen to that sister, and then I hope that you will have an opportunity to tell people exactly how to watch your podcast, of course, I will share and how to subscribe. Not a problem, thank you, and I know today is how you want to talk about disparity in mental health during pregnancy and postpartum, why this topic is important to you.
Speaker 2:This topic is so important. So my experience as a labor and delivery nurse I see so many patients on a daily basis. I see patients in triage, which is like our emergency room. I have patients in labor and delivery. There's patients initial recovery period and there's so many patients that come in that have either history of anxiety or undiagnosed history of anxiety, which can increase their chances of having postpartum depression. Especially in the undiagnosed, it's not addressed at all and so a lot of times people have thoughts about harming their baby, harming themselves. Am I a good mom? And it's first time moms, people who've had 10 kids it can happen at any time. People who've had 10 kids it can happen at any time.
Speaker 2:What I find is that a lot of minorities for sure don't have the access to either see a therapist, be on medications, and so there's a big disparity there. But I also think that a lot of it is not just minorities. It could be Caucasian, anybody can fall victim to it, but it's just something that is not addressed in healthcare. People look down on it socially, culturally, you know, maybe not even accepted for you to even talk about your issues. For example, the Asian community are very stoic. They don't really even show pain. It's almost looked frowned upon for them to even show pain. So if you can't even show pain, how can you even express that? You having thoughts that maybe I'm not a good mom, nobody cares about me?
Speaker 1:But do you believe that that can be part of the culture too?
Speaker 2:For sure for sure's it's, it's cultural, but it grow in. In nursing school they actually tell you that asian culture are very stoic so you have to do a little bit more to assess their pain. They're not going to write out, say I'm in pain, even if I'm offering. You know we have an epidural, you don't have to, um, you know, be in pain. They actually would rather take the pink is culturally that's what is accepted for them, whereas, um, someone of the latin community.
Speaker 1:If you go and show or play yourself as somebody who is in pain, that can make you look weak right, exactly, exactly.
Speaker 2:So you know those communities do have, I feel, like, a higher incidence of having a disparity in having anxiety, post postpartum depression and just not even being able to get the help. I always make a point to talk to my patients and let them know about postpartum depression. It's very real that you can. It's okay to reach out to someone. I think that you know, maybe even 10, 15 years ago was not as accepted, whereas now it's more widely accepted for you to seek therapy, for you to be on medication. A lot of times I tell my patients if you can't discuss it with your family member because maybe it's not culturally accepted that there's a wide world of community that's available TikTok, social media, there's a lot of things. There's Facebook group from new moms. You know where people can go to and feel comfortable in sharing their experiences when maybe they're not comfortable with sharing their experiences at home.
Speaker 1:And one thing with postpartum depression during the first few weeks after giving birth you may not experience any symptoms, but that can come further down even after six months, even after three months. So it's very important to really consider it is I.
Speaker 2:I will say that I tell my patients all the time that you know, when in pregnancy everybody's so concerned about the belly, everybody's like giving you their thoughts, want to touch your belly and everything, so the focus is on you right. Then baby comes and, like you know now people are coming over and they almost like push you out the way to, you know, to see the baby. So everybody's more so concerned about the baby now, which is understandable. But internally that does do something. Also to a woman that maybe let's say you don't have, um, that you're not confident in who you are as a as a person. Don't have that. You're not confident in who you are as a person. Or maybe you have a pushy mother-in-law who wants to take over everything. They're doing everything in the house, changing the way that you know that you have things set up. You'd feel less important.
Speaker 1:All of those things can lead to.
Speaker 2:It could be your own mother.
Speaker 1:Knowing that you know what. She knows it all. Yes, Because she gave birth to five, seven kids, so she thinks that she's a master into you know, raising or taking care of babies, so now putting you, you know, like behind and take over of everything. So, I've seen few cases like that and I really understand where you're coming from.
Speaker 2:Yeah, where you're coming from. I will also say too that even with the older school providers don't really accept or even treat mental health. A lot of times you know you might be on a medication or maybe you have a therapist that did put you on some sort of medication and you are seeking treatment and now you're going back to your OB provider and you're maybe doing your six week checkup or something like that, and your OB will tell you if you're on this medication I'm not going to see you. A lot of old school providers are like that. So it's not. There's a disparity even there, because you could be seeking the help and Now you're going back to your doctor for a regular checkup and because you're on this particular medication, they won't see you. So now it kind of puts you at a further disadvantage, if you will, or exacerbate the issue that you know of postpartum depression.
Speaker 1:The medication that you say. So if you are on that medication, it's mental health-related medication, Mental health-related medication.
Speaker 2:It's mental health related medication, mental health related medication and you know, I I think that a lot of times with um, certain ob providers like I said, old school, so people who've been working, you know, 40, 50 years, I could probably deliver a baby with their eyes closed, you know, may not recognize or accept the mental health aspect of uh, of postpartum depression, and may not want to seek to treat you. So it's almost as if I'm going to continue to go to my doctor that maybe I've been going to since.
Speaker 1:I was 16. Do you think that it's because they don't understand, or? They don't believe in the seriousness of the issue?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think so, and it could be. It could be a combination of you know and again it's you know. If you think about growing up things and you know in their time it's not accepted, right. Like you can have a mom that comes in and they're saying like, oh, you're being hysterical, you can have real pain, but you're being hysterical and that's how it was back in the day, Whereas nowadays we're going to take a look and further assess to see what's going on.
Speaker 2:This is not hysteria. This could be masking itself as something else or you just need a further diagnosis. But a long time ago it wasn't like that. So when you have people that for sure probably had some sort of postpartum depression, anxiety, misdiagnosed mental concern that is related, that maybe came up after pregnancy or maybe just undiagnosed, and it came out during pregnancy or afterwards, they don't recognize it and so it wasn't recognized, then it's still kind of the same way and a lot of times people are hard to change. You know, change is hard to accept in general and even comes down to even your provider, so that can also present itself as an issue.
Speaker 1:You know one thing that I've experienced, so I've seen you know, many women were eager to have children and they wanted to have children. They waited for so long to have children and many of them have even walked through some medical process to get pregnant. But after giving birth, the amount of change that little baby bring into their lives kind of shift everything. So some women will, just by looking at the body, not being the same, you know, that can be a big trigger for them to experience, you know, some mental health issues. Some people it may be like you know the baby crying for whatever reason all night. For some it may be like you know, hey, now it's like I don't have a life anymore Because before being pregnant there was no preparation. After you give birth to a child you basically won't have a life for your own self.
Speaker 1:Yes, it's over, and everything that you're going to do in life, you know going to have to be around that child.
Speaker 2:Yes, and many of them were not prepped. You know for that, I think, that a lot of times they may have not been prepped, or maybe you know, they heard it and they know this, but actually experiencing it is totally, totally different. You know, a lot of times, like I think, that people do have, you know, undiagnosed anxiety. Everybody has some form of anxiety in general's life.
Speaker 2:That, yes, that's life, but it's also how are you dealing with with that too? Are you dealing with it appropriately? Some people go to the gym and you know, take out the anxiety in the gym, right, it's a healthy way. Um, you release endorphins and you know, so it it helps you in in that, in that sense, in terms of how you're treating your anxiety and you have to know when there is something strange going on in your body.
Speaker 1:Right, because your body is your body. You know your body, right? If I woke up this morning or for the entire week I've been feeling a certain way, I must know that you know what. I'm not fooling myself. Something is not right.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:So it's like whatever that is bothering me or that may bring a lot of stress into my life or anxiety. So it's like you said, I may choose to go to the gym, some people may choose to listen to gospel music Some people, or any type of music that can help them release. You know that anxiety or that stress, or do something, but you have to know your body right to understand when something is not right right, and so there's to me.
Speaker 2:I think there's two parts to what you said. I think one, yes, like like I was saying, in terms of how you deal with your anxiety. Um, if you deal with it appropriately or inappropriately. For example, if you have someone that is like they decide to eat and end up overeating and that causes an issue in terms of now I can't lose weight, I have non-baby body dysmorphia Look what this baby did to me and that can further exacerbate you. They say studies have shown that women with a higher body mass index of BMI are more prone to experiencing postpartum depression.
Speaker 2:The other thing is, too, is from what you were saying is that it is actually being able to recognize that I have an issue. You don't have the opportunity to express to your family and and feeling open to um, you know, that may further put you into a higher incidence of seeing um postpartum depression. For example, haitian culture is not accepted. Maybe for you to say whatever you want you know to an older, an older adult, right, the older adult is the one that knows best. So if you're experiencing something you know, they may just say you know, stand up, you got to be stronger than that and that's it. That's the end of the conversation.
Speaker 1:There's no conversation after that right, oh, you just had a baby. That's what mothers have, and that's it. Yeah, and that's it, that's it right so that's, that's how.
Speaker 2:That's how that goes, but now I'm maybe not internally dealing with something that you know is not addressed, and now I could be. Now, of course, I still have the lack of sleep. Maybe I don't have the help, maybe if you're a single mom, or maybe it's just you and your, your partner, and that's it and it's. They say. It takes a village right and the baby could be colicky breastfeeding. All these things take up time, and now you're not properly taking care of yourself, which is expected to a certain degree, but now I also don't, don't have an outlet, and so those things are all going to increase the chances of you experiencing postpartum depression.
Speaker 2:I think part of the issue is is definitely recognizing that there's something wrong. This is not normal. There's a fine line this but this is not normal. And being able fine line this is, but this is not normal. And being able to communicate with someone that's going to accept that you know what maybe you do need, you do need help, and it could just start by talking to someone that you trust, which a lot of times you recommend a therapist right, it could be your, your pastor, whoever but part of it is being able to have that open communication and if you need something like medication, to recognize that it's okay for you to have the medication but not be judged by. I need that.
Speaker 1:I do need the medication yeah, so it's like you know, basically you're telling me, so it's important for my feeling to be acknowledged. Correct yes, you know and whenever that I feel that I need professional help and I should not be afraid or ashamed to seek for that help, because at this moment it's needed.
Speaker 2:Right, totally correct. Yes, yeah, but postpartum depression I think that it is something that affects every community and it's not just, I don't think that it is just, um, you know, african-american. I don't think it's just Asian. I think there's a higher incidence because I also think that part of the problem is, too, is your care. You know there is a higher incidence of African-American people not receiving the appropriate care during pregnancy. How can we even be able to recognize that there may be an issue here?
Speaker 1:you know, while you're mentioning that, so I was looking at the racial, ethnic discrimination you know, or disparity among you know, black women more likely, they are more prone to experience postpartum depression due to racisms. Yes, that's true, you know, and uh, socioeconomic factors and lack of access to healthcare correct, compared to white women that's true.
Speaker 2:yeah, um, in the hospital I I've seen so many times where we can have two of the same patients right, one black, one white, okay, and they have literally the same exact symptoms. But, for example, you could say that the white person that's coming in that is maybe one centimeter dilated, that is having severe pain, will maybe get an epidural first or offered an epidural first, whereas someone that is, you know, the same exam, that's black. All we did is change the color of their skin and it's not that bad. You can keep going, maybe, you know, and so even just that little, but why did you offer to this person and not not to me? You know, um, a lot of times too, is that you might have, uh, a black patient that's coming into a predominantly white hospital and so you likely are getting a predominantly white nurse who may not, you know, be racist, but has you know, because patients should you know?
Speaker 1:if I were to be, a nurse, a doctor or any health care provider. My main priority should have been my patient care.
Speaker 2:Right, right, and sometimes I think that a lot of people may not a lot of providers, who again may not identify or see themselves as racist and maybe they don't even really mean it in that sense, but will have those things. But again, you would have to be Black or a minority to even understand that what you're doing is not, is not, correct. You don't understand how what you're doing makes me feel this way and you know, if a minority understands oppression versus the majority, the majority is not going to understand the oppression you know it is unfortunate and though you know I don't work in a hospital setting, but I think I've experienced, you know, like something slightly similar to what you just mentioned.
Speaker 1:I remember one time at work, so it was like you know, they hire above, always conduct the meeting, and they always, the minute that you got there, you see the lineup, you know not to walk through, but that day it was me and a white lady who were walking. We were probably two to four feet apart and I saw the cool lineup and the white person just walked through, no regard, and nobody said regard and nobody. I thought that she got to get away because she was not stopped. I was right behind her and it was a black person among that group who just said ma'am, stop. And I'm like we're going to have a big issue today because I'm going to keep on working.
Speaker 1:I'm like what's going on? What did just happen? Yeah, it was at that moment. One of them said I watch, you, let that white person walk through and none of you stop that person. Yeah, and now, when the black sister is about and you are men, keep on going. I said I was not gonna stop. So it's to tell you how sometimes we are wired to allow certain things to happen, you know, with this group and prevent it from happening to another group, and I can see how that same behavior or mentality is going on even when it's come to provide people with best quality of care. It is unfortunate, but it's a reality of life.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's so true, so true. So I think I think part of the in terms of healthcare just this is a little, I guess, off topic, but in terms of healthcare, I think it's so important to have representation. You know it's so funny how, like now, with everything happening with DEI and you know in today's world, how that can, you know, be impacted. But it does make a difference in having seeing someone of your own kind take care of you, right, and not to say that, you know there can be a little racism even in that you could have a black provider, that that is racist towards you, you know, but I do think that it's, I would say, maybe less likely, you know. So I totally never have a problem to show up for my, for my own patients, and and just being that I don't treat anybody any any different, whether you could be black, blue, purple, it doesn't matter how you are. I'm still going to talk to you this the same way, um, but it's not everybody your priority is my patient.
Speaker 1:I don't care what you look like, it doesn't matter, right, you know so you don't go by way sexual orientation, religion or financial. When I have a client comes to me, the first thing is like, hey, I see all my clients as human beings. That's what you are. You are a human being and I'm going to treat you based on your need. So if your need, it's like hey, you have a wound that needs to be taken care of. So how the heck? I have to look at whether that know you?
Speaker 2:white, blue, brown or yellow, how relevant it is right to what you're dealing with at this moment it's so true, but some people can't see past their skin deep, you know.
Speaker 2:Some people can't see past that, unfortunately, and it ties into it ties into so many other things, like you know, and just receiving health care, receiving the appropriate health care, pain wise, mental health, especially in the black communities. There's so many undiagnosed mental conditions, you know. And then you're adding pregnancy on top of it, you know, so that it just keeps on getting further and further back, where someone who is born in the right skin color will have different treatment, likely just because maybe they had access to the healthcare that African American people don't have access to. Maybe they're treated differently because they're taking more seriously in terms of whatever they're experiencing, and even having someone being able to listen and communicate with you, in terms of understanding that I am having an issue and I do need to seek, I need help, as opposed to just blowing them off and saying it's nothing, you'll get over it.
Speaker 1:Ah, yeah, yeah. So it's a big issue. It is. It is a big issue and unfortunately it seems not to be addressed. You know, appropriately. Yes, because oftentimes so what people see is like oh, that woman is pregnant. So it's like it's just a joy for the moment. This person is going to bring a brand new child into the world. Everybody seems to be happy, but at the end of the day, that mother may be dying inside.
Speaker 2:Yes, so true. Again, it just comes down to how open are you to be able to discuss what you're going through. How is it going to be received? You know, the thing is now we listen and we don't judge. Like that's a big like saying, nowadays, right, we listen and we don't judge, like that's a big like saying, nowadays, right, we listen and we don't judge. But are you listening and are you judging? Because those are the two things I feel like people have a problem with.
Speaker 2:You know, I think that even myself, before I was a nurse, or maybe even my early stages, I would like someone would say something and I'm like, how could you say that? But you really don't even know what the person is going through, what the context of what they're going through. How are they? How are they living? You know you could have a partner that's beating you every day and you can't say anything. You know something like that. Are you living in a condition where you're in a stable home? You know all of those things can impact your mental health. You know, as I'm sure you would. You know that.
Speaker 1:You know the environment that you're in and impacts your mental health and, according to research, you even have murderers who kill the babies after giving birth. Yes, because they were going through that process. Yeah, babies were, they were crying and the mother could not take it, so it was too much. They didn't know how to deal with that and, before they even know it, through the window, they just threw that baby out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's so unfortunate because every hospital, or most hospitals, are safe havens. You can literally just go to the hospital and just drop off your baby, no questions asked, or a fire station.
Speaker 1:You know something like that, but I think a lot of times, sometimes you don't even know what's going on, and that's that releases.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that relates to the mental hustle. This is, this is part of postpartum depression, which is why it can exacerbate itself into something that's so much more greater, whereas if the issue was addressed, it could have been. It could have been prevented. A life could have been saved, yeah.