Two Sudbury nurses hope to close the gap in perinatal mental health care

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Caroline Miller is a registered nurse psychotherapist in Sudbury who specializes in perinatal mental health and birth trauma.

She has been advocating for increased funding and resources for three years and says it’s a topic that’s very near and dear to her heart.

“I, myself, went through postpartum depression, anxiety, trauma … so I didn’t get a whole lot of support when I went through it, like seven to nine years ago,” Miller said.

“Being on the other side of it and all the education I’ve done, I can see how much of a gap there is, how much of like a fragmented health care system we have around this.”

Last year, she led Sudbury’s first Flora’s Walk for Perinatal Mental Health and raised $5,500.

Flora’s Walk is a national fundraiser created in memory of Flora, a Canadian mother, who lost her life in 2022 to undetected, undiagnosed and untreated postpartum psychosis.

Seventy per cent of funds raised stay in the community and last year, she used the funds to offer pro bono therapy for women in need.

This year, she has teamed up with Carolyn Marshall, a registered nurse who specializes in maternal and child health, to offer a free support group once a month.

“I’m going to be providing light, practical content. So, things like how we can do feeding a little bit on sleep, general care, formula bottles, potty training,” Marshall said.

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“And Caroline’s there to provide perinatal mental health support and can lead some group discussions about challenges that appear for all women and sometimes partners as well during the postpartum period.”

Marshall adds that she’s worked with moms and families for 14 years and she’s seen women struggling with undiagnosed birth trauma, postpartum anxiety and depression.

“I do notice it impacts their ability to have confidence in taking care of their child, and it can impact their feeding plans, going outside, social activities, exercise,” she said.

“And women really don’t get enough support in this period. And we’re really hoping to close that gap.”

While supports are out there, Miller said often people have to pay out of pocket because their insurance won’t cover it.

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“We have one registered nurse with the perinatal mental health program to the hospital, and that’s for like all of northeastern Ontario, which is like a huge catchment area,” she said.

“The funding is not there. People are left having to essentially invest in their self and put money towards their mental health and this and that. So, it’s a huge deal that we can be able to fund something that’s free and available for multiple people.”

Flora’s Walk is happening May 25 at 10 a.m. starting at the BioSki Cross-Country Ski & Snowshoe Club on South Bay Road in the city’s South End.

The goal is to raise $15,000.

“We really believe that we don’t want any moms to suffer in silence, so we’re going through this,” Miller said.

“We want people to get help. We want people to know that there’s resources out there that they don’t have to do it alone.”

While the support group is yet to have a name or start date, both Miller and Marshall said they will be sharing the information on social media once it’s available.

The hope is to accommodate up to 20 people.