LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Adjusting to life with a new baby is never easy. Most people expect mothers to take this enormous life change in stride, but sometimes things don’t work out as planned.

While it is quite normal for mothers to feel overwhelmed, anxious or sad immediately following childbirth, these symptoms normally dissipate within one or two weeks.

Occasionally, a mother’s experience goes beyond the “baby blues” and becomes too much to bear.

Perinatal mood disorder (PMD) can befall any mother, regardless of ethnicity, social and economic status, or education. In fact, the condition affects up to one quarter of all women after childbirth and sometimes before.

The spectrum of PMD is broad, but every degree of the affliction can affect the bonding between a mother and her baby.

In this way, the disrupting effects of PMD can linger for a lifetime. PMD can even be severe enough to put the lives of the mother and baby at risk.

While PMD strikes without prejudice, there are several factors that can compound even mild cases.

Financial hardship and isolation are two contributing factors that are especially prevalent in Lake County.

While most of us know what being short on money feels like, it is harder to imagine being a mother without significant support from family and friends, especially when the chaos is accompanied by unwelcome and uncontrollable feelings.

As one of the lead support resources for Lake County moms, Mother-Wise offers a multi-faceted network of support, with two programs designed to help expecting and new mothers avoid, or cope with, PMD. Relief comes in the form of one-on-one home visits with volunteer companions, and facilitated weekly meetings where mothers come together to relax and share their experiences.

As a PMD prevention program, Mother-Wise services are available to all Lake County moms, whether symptomatic or not.

In the Saathi home visiting program, kind and caring volunteers receive special training that helps make them more effective companions. Saathi is a Sanskrit (East-Indian) word that means “woman companion.”

Training seminars focus on active listening, non-judgment, and other skills and techniques that enable the Saathi to help a mother more effectively.

The training also teaches how to recognize when a mother’s condition would benefit from professional help. After completing the training, the Saathi is matched with a mom in their local area.

From there, the mother and Saathi decide the frequency and duration of home visits.

As the second part of their program, Mother-Wise hosts weekly gatherings for mothers and their babies in three Lake County locations.

With a different focus each week, the meetings give moms a well-deserved break, and an opportunity to meet and interact with other moms from their community. Lakeport, Middletown and Clearlake meetings are held every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, respectively.

Lakeport and Middletown meetings are from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and Clearlake meetings are from 10 a.m. until noon. Moms share the time with their babies, while childcare is provided for their other children under five years old.

Throughout February, Lakeport’s meetings feature instruction on nurturing touch and infant massage. Themes for Middletown and Clearlake are to be announced.

The demand for home visiting services is steadily growing and Mother-Wise is always seeking new volunteers.

The next Saathi training seminar is on Saturday, Feb. 25, in Clearlake.

This is a one-day training that will fully prepare volunteers for home visiting with Lake County moms.

To enhance the core training they receive, Saathis are encouraged to attend monthly meetings on the second Tuesday of every month.

The meetings usually feature a presentation relevant to their experience, and also offer a chance to meet and learn from one another in a social setting.

These meetings are also open to prospective volunteers interested in learning more about Mother-Wise.

Whether you are interested in giving or receiving help, Mother-Wise would love to hear from you.

Please call Jaclyn Ley, at 707-349-1210, for more information.