About the #TGHMovement4Moms:

TGH/USF Women’s Institute, a top ten US News & World Report ranked program for OBGYN, treats the highest risk obstetrics cases and delivers the most babies of any hospital in the region. Taking world class care of these families doesn’t stop at a smooth and safe delivery. It also means treating the trauma that can come with a high-risk pregnancy, complicated birth, pregnancy loss and mental health impact of even a low-risk pregnancy. It is essential that the adequate mental-health wrap around services exist for these families, especially for those seen at TGH/USF Women’s Institute.

The Perinatal Mental Health Program is a new program designed to support mothers' mental health needs during pregnancy and up to one year after birth. The program is in development and can include both inpatient and outpatient components, helping to bridge the gap for mothers as they transition into parenthood. The inpatient portion would support patients on bed rest, in labor, and acutely postpartum. The outpatient component would support moms after they’ve been discharged, before or after their six-week postpartum clinic visit and up to one year via telehealth counseling appointments. 

Common practice is that an obstetrics patient is continued treatment until six weeks post-partum by their OB practice. If the mom is showing signs of mental health issues, she is referred to a partnered provider following the six weeks. Philanthropy is needed to provide the financial resources to introduce in-house psychology and psychiatry services within the TGH Women’s Institute. 

Our goal is to raise $150,000 from our TGH community to support the initial launch of the program, with plans to fundraise for sustaining the program in the future as well. We invite you to join the #TGHMovement4MOMS, which will enable our moms to experience greater continuity of care they deserve from TGH/USF, because moms matter! 

If you are interested in sharing your story, contact Christina Stevens at christinastevens@tgh.org. 

Here is what our TGH Moms have to say about the importance of this program: 

Tara Benson, TGH Women's & Children's Affinity Council Member

"After a tough first pregnancy that resulted in losing my eldest daughters twin a few months in and the mental anguish that followed, we knew my subsequent pregnancies would be fragile. What we didn't expect was the long, hard journey it took to finally have a second child and that when it was time to deliver it would be weeks into a global pandemic. On top of that, less than 48 hours after bringing our second daughter home, I was diagnosed with postpartum pre-eclampsia. I was admitted to the ICU alone without the presence of my newborn or my family, in one of the scariest situations of my life. TGH-USF Health made sure I was heard and taken care of in an extremely sensitive and mentally taxing situation. Mothers can experience such trauma in their quests to start a family, and our mental health should not be ignored during any step of the process."

Sarah Clark, Homemaker

"My delivery of my first daughter was very traumatic. When we got home, I was riddled with anxiety, so much so that I couldn’t leave the house, even just by myself. Everything felt too scary and too difficult. Being a mother should be a time filled with love and joy, not crippling fear. What a necessary, and incredible gift to give mothers the gift mental healthcare."

Cayla Dougherty, Speech Language Pathologist 

"My first pregnancy was complicated by twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome with a three-week NICU stay. My second pregnancy was complicated by placental abruption during delivery and yet another NICU stay. Needless to say, bringing babies into this world can oftentimes be very stressful and sometimes traumatic for the mother. It’s so important to recognize the opportunity to support the mental health needs of new moms throughout antepartum, post-partum, and beyond."

Erin Elser, TGH Women's & Children's Affinity Council Member 

"I struggled to get pregnant with my first, Piper so when we finally did conceive, and she was born I knew all my motherhood dreams were finally coming true – except why was I so sad all the time? I knew about the baby blues, but I also knew they were supposed to be short lived. Months after Piper was born, I found that I was crying myself to sleep most nights. I could no longer watch the news or check Facebook – something horrible was bound to happen and my mental health was fragile. I was anxious all the time, constantly worried that something would happen to my daughter. There were days I could not leave the house at all – I just held her and cried. I sought out a therapist who specialized in postpartum moms and she was quickly able to diagnose me with PPA and OCD. She encouraged me to seek out medication so I could effectively use the tools she was teaching me, but I resisted. I thought I could overcome on my own. I didn’t realize how much I was suffering until one day at work a client, and family friend asked me if I was “ok." He told me I didn’t seem like myself – I wasn’t. That struck a chord with me, and others were noticing now too. At that point I made an appointment with my OBGYN team to prescribe medication. My only regret is that I didn’t get it sooner. Thank God I had the resources and knowledge about postpartum depression and anxiety to recognize something wasn’t normal. I am also lucky that I had the funds to pay for therapy and treatment, not everyone has the same access and help that I do, but every mom deserves it and that is why this initiative is so crucial. Being a mom is hard enough already! Mental health matters and I want to ensure every mom can get the help they need, because we deserve it."

Kitty Riggs Forenza, TGH Women's & Childrens Affinity Council Member 

"After my daughter experienced an adverse medical event at birth, and suffering additional complications myself, I knew when it came time to have my son, I wanted to be under the best care possible. Where you seek care truly matters more than ever, and TGH + USF Health provided my family with more support than we could have imagined. It can be something very simple which impacts the trajectory of a new mother's mental health, and a care team focused on the entire wellbeing of the family generally provides the best outcome. Not only did our doctors and nurses set us up for success, but they also helped us heal old emotional wounds along the way. We are forever grateful for our experience."

Sophie LeRette, TGH Foundation Associate Director of Development 

"I have been treated for anxiety, depression, and ADHD for many years, long before I ever considered getting pregnant and growing my family. During my pregnancy some of those medications had to be discontinued and with little guidance on how to bridge the gap for these mental health issues during my (what we thought was a) low-risk pregnancy. Unfortunately, a rare genetic complexity was diagnosed in my pregnancy during a routine 20-week scan which ultimately resulted in the premature birth and death of my daughter, Greta, at 22 weeks. As someone whose mental health issues were exasperated by the traumatic loss of my daughter, access to resources such as counseling, psychology, and psychiatric support were vital and continue to be critical in my everyday life. Access to these types of services are not easily available to everyone and can be extremely costly. Building this Perinatal Mental Health Program within the Women’s Institute at Tampa General Hospital will help support women just like me in our community who face unforeseen trauma during what is supposed to be the happiest time in their lives - regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay."

Angelina Spampinato, Registered Nurse and Nurse Practitioner Student

"After suffering two life threatening hemorrhages post-delivery, I was diagnosed with severe post-partum anxiety and PTSD. The effects were debilitating for months, and I felt lost with a lack of resources to utilize. My sense of direction seemed obsolete, and I often wondered how I could pry myself out of that dark place. This is not fair for any mom to go through, and I truly believe TGH's movement for moms can help guide so many women in the right direction and offer copious amounts of support in a desperate time of need. This program at TGH will help support moms like me who faced unexpected complications or traumatic experiences, during what is supposed to be one of the happiest times of their life, giving them a place to turn to."

Taylor Traviesa Baker, TGH Foundation Vice President of Development

"I've worked through various levels of anxiety my entire life. I noticed my anxiety increasing in a big way when I was pregnant with my first and then hitting a whole different level with my second. Both babies were low risk pregnancies with no complications. So why was I a mess in my mind? Women have come a long way in not feeling shame speaking about the mental health impact of pregnancy, even low risk can have on your mental health. What I love about this campaign even more than the important wrap around mental health services it will provide, is the fact that this program will be launched by moms for moms through fundraising, but more importantly through story sharing." 

Taylor West, TGH Women's & Children's Affinity Council Member & TGH Foundation Board Member

"Helping moms and families in our community has been a focus of our family since we became parents ourselves. The perinatal program at TGH is a great way for us to better support moms through such a vulnerable and transformative period from pregnancy to postpartum."