The birth of a child is a blend of anxiety and joy, but it can also give rise to a feeling of malaise in mothers that often dissipates in a couple of weeks. A longer-lasting form of this condition is referred to as postpartum depression.

Prompt treatment can help moms manage symptoms and bond with a baby, but what if you’re a low-income mother in Kansas without access to counseling and health care? The consequences – hypertension, cardiovascular disease, overdose, suicide – can be extreme.

The Kansas Legislature and Gov. Laura Kelly have taken a step to alleviate the suffering through legislation extending the state’s Medicaid postpartum coverage from two months to 12. Salym Soderholm, a mother of two who experienced postpartum depression; Sapphire Garcia-Lies of the Wichita Birth Justice Society; and Kari Rinker of the American Heart Association join the Reflector Podcast to explain postpartum illness and the benefits of program changes for mothers, babies and families.