We Saved You a Seat

When your best friend experiences postpartum psychosis and you are unable to stop the absolute worst from happening, you share your story, ideas, and support to others in an attempt to help others understand and know the difference between baby blues and other more serious perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

Maternal Morbidity Statistics are not a statistic when you know the person and people they represent. 

"Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) is the umbrella term for mood and anxiety disorders that occur during pregnancy or up to one year postpartum.

These terms encompass women (and men) who experience postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, postpartum anxiety, postpartum OCD, postpartum blues, postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder and postpartum psychosis.

When possible, encourage moms to have a Postpartum Plan to help identify her support system and what they can do to help create a supportive environment for after the birth. A postpartum plan is a plan that includes a set of steps that a mother identifies before the baby is born to set her up for success after the birth.

This can include:

Additional Post Partum Support Can Be Found:

https://oklahoma.gov/health/health-education/children---family-health/improving-infant-outcomes/maternal-mental-health.html (Oklahoma Resources)

https://postpartum.net/ (National)

Lauren Alvarez, M.A. helps us look at great information from experts in the field of neuroscience and ADHD to build a better understanding of what is going on in the ADHD brain and effective strategies for individuals, parents and schools to help manage the brain and behaviors to benefit all involved.

Presentation:  https://canva.link/5s93ffiy8l8l0m9

Sam The I Can Man Foundation | Grant Giving Non-Profit

Featuring the Sam, The I Can Man Foundation

Learn about:

"Sam Weyrich (2000-2024) was a vibrant, fun, young man who had significant disabilities due to a demyelinating disorder called Aicardi Goutieres Syndrome (AGS). Sam lived each moment of each day fully. He sported a huge smile, never complained, and inspired us to live…

​Sam coined the name "The I Can Man" when he taught us that despite his differing abilities, he was capable of anything. 

​Because of Sam’s “I Can Too” mentality, these are many things that Sam did and we hope they might give you inspiration as to what YOU can do…

Horseback Riding

Adaptive Baseball

Grand Canyon River Rafting

Skiing

Ropes Courses

Zip Lining

Rock Climbing

Running

Swimming

Dancing

​Art Class

Boating

Fishing

Swimming with Dolphins

Archery

Biking

Tubing

Attending Concerts and Musicals

Attending Sports Games and Tailgates

Going to the Kentucky Derby

And so much more!

Welcome to the sixth and final release of my conversation with Salena King-Coughlin. As an educator and researcher, Salena digs into the numbers of Oklahoma families who are tied to maternal morbidity. She shares ideas and additional ways to plan or advocate when you truly feel like you have exhausted all advocacy avenues. 

Every mom matters; every life matters!

Part five of Salena’s story continues to focus on her postpartum journey of advocacy, CT scans, readmission, and survival.

Welcome to part four of my conversation with Salena King-Coughlin. In today’s episode, we begin our discussion on the postpartum experience and care Salena had.

Welcome back for part three with Salena King-Coughlin. If you haven't had the opportunity to listen to parts one and two, we hope you'll go back and listen to catch up on how we got here.  Salena's daughter, Sophia, landed in NICU, and this episode walks us through the emotional stress of this experience from someone who understands and studies infant mental health and attachment.  

We are so thankful for Salena sharing her story and helping so many others understand how heavy this is to carry as a parent.

We continue our conversation with Salena King-Coughlin as she shares details about her delivery and some of the chaos that ensues. She shares ways she advocated for herself and her baby, as well as some moments that are hard for many to comprehend.  

Salena King-Coughlin is mom to Sophia and wife to Tyler. She has her PhD, Infant Mental Health Endorsement, is a Certified Family Life Educator, and at the time of our recording was pursuing her graduate certificate in public health. Her journey through pregnancy, delivery, NICU, and recovery is the focus of this series tied to Maternal Morbidity and Mortality.  

Thank you, Salena, for sharing your experience and helping others learn how to advocate for themselves or the mothers and babies in their lives.

Today we’re diving into an issue which is important to Meske and affects thousands of Oklahoma families, though it doesn’t always get the attention it deserves: early developmental screenings.

Meske provided We Saved You A Seat with lots of statistics:

When kids are identified early for developmental delays or challenges, it can change the entire trajectory of their lives. They can get the support, resources, and interventions that help them thrive at home, at school, and in their communities. When screenings don’t happen — or happen too late — children and families are left struggling, and often the cost to both the family and the state is much greater down the road.

This conversation is especially important right now, because an interim study on developmental screenings is scheduled at the Oklahoma State Capitol on October 2nd from 9:00 to 11:30 AM in Room 5S2. 

This study was introduced by Representative Ellen Pogemiller and it grew from a constituent’s story — Meske and her boys’ journey through the system. Meske knows firsthand why early screenings matter, and today she’s here to share how her family’s experience is shaping policy conversations at the state level.

If you care about giving kids the best start in life, here’s one simple action you can take whether you are able to show your support in person or not- contact your legislator and ask them to attend the October 2nd interim study. The more lawmakers hear these stories and see the data, the better chance we have of building a system that works for families across Oklahoma. 

We encourage people to be there for this interim study or watch online-if you're a parent on this journey, an educator, therapist or someone who just wants to learn more, there is something for all of us to learn.