GREAT FALLS — The stress and physical strain that pregnancies have on women can lead to much more serious health conditions for mothers.
An estimated 50-75% of new moms experience a phenomenon called “the baby blues” after giving birth, and up to 15% of those women can develop a serious case of postpartum depression.
Former MTN News anchor Kyriaki Birkeland knows first-hand how dangerous these conditions can be on mothers.
After experiencing her own traumatic pregnancy and delivery with her first born son, and receiving an almost untreatable diagnosis for two rare conditions just six weeks after delivery, Kyriaki felt the affects of postpartum depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
She then noticed that she wasn't alone when she met mothers with similar stories, so she set out to write a children’s book to help other moms struggling with these issues.
The book is titled, “Motherhood is Big Enough,” and with bold lettering and colorful illustrations, it helps babies with developing their brains and language skills while sending positive and reassuring messages to mom. The book was illustrated by Jennilyn Keinsley.
“Initially this was very vulnerable for me and I was putting such a personal story out there, I had a lot of emotions about it, but once I saw the response from moms and having so many of them say, ‘Thank you for doing this, thank you for your courage, thank you for speaking up because we suffer in silence so often,’ it occurred to me that this is important work and it empowered me. Whereas I started the campaign with a lot of doubt and fear, I feel so empowered and just determined now to get it made,” said Birkeland.
A Kickstarter campaign was launched this week to raise the money needed to publish and distribute the book. The campaign aims to raise $10,500 for the book and after just a few days online, more than $3,000 has already been raised.
The campaign will be open until 1:00 p.m. on August 13th, 2021. Click here if you would to help.
