May is both Maternal Mental Health Month and Infant Mental Health Month, and that overlap is no coincidence. A mother’s emotional well-being and her baby’s are not separate stories. They are the same story, told in two voices.
In Michigan and across the country, we have made meaningful progress in understanding that mental health is just that: health. But for new and expecting mothers, as well as infants and toddlers, we still have a long way to go. Too many families are navigating postpartum depression alone. Too many babies are experiencing developmental stress without anyone trained to recognize it. This month, we want Michiganians to understand what mental health care actually looks like for mothers and young children, and what all of us can do to support it.
Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, including postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety and perinatal OCD, are the most common complications of childbirth, affecting up to one in five mothers. Despite being both common and treatable, these conditions remain underdiagnosed and undertreated due to stigma, limited access to care and because so many mothers are told that exhaustion and worry simply come with the territory. When these conditions go unmet, the consequences extend beyond the mother: untreated perinatal mental health conditions can disrupt bonding and contribute to developmental challenges that follow a child into school and beyond.
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When people hear “infant mental health,” some assume it is a metaphor. It is not. Ninety percent of brain development occurs before age five, and the relationships children form in their first years of life, particularly with parents and primary caregivers, literally shape the architecture of the developing brain. Whether their emotional cues are met with acceptance or ignored, whether they feel safe or not ― these experiences are not just shaping their personalities. They are shaping their neurobiology. Early trauma and chronic stress leave a lasting mark. One in five children has at least one diagnosable mental health condition.
For nearly 50 years, the Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health has trained and supported Michigan’s perinatal and early childhood mental health workforce, reaching caregivers, home visitors, child care professionals, doulas, clinicians and pediatric teams with a “no wrong door” approach. Every $1 invested in infant mental health programs saves $3.64 in future medical treatment costs.
Four key programs put this work into practice:
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The evidence is clear: these programs work. But they are chronically underfunded and at risk. As Michigan’s FY 2027 state budget is deliberated, our state elected officials must maintain funding for home visiting programs, including Infant Mental Health Home Visiting; boost investment in Early On; restore funding for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation; and maintain support for MC3.
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You do not have to be a policymaker to make a difference. If you know someone who is pregnant or a new parent, genuinely check in on them, and more than once. Postpartum depression and anxiety do not always look like sadness; they can look like hypervigilance, rage, numbness or an inability to bond. Let the people in your life know that struggling is not a sign of failure, and that help exists. If you work with young children and families, training and consultation resources exist across disciplines. Use them. And if you are a parent struggling, please know you are not alone. Reach out to your doctor, ask about home visiting programs or contact Early On if your child has a developmental concern.
You can also hear real experiences directly from parents and providers navigating the perinatal, infant and early childhood mental health systems in a new video from Think Babies Michigan. The window of early childhood brain development does not pause while we deliberate over budget line items. This May, let us honor these awareness months not just with awareness, but with action. Our youngest Michiganians, and the parents who love them, deserve nothing less.
Alicia Guevara is chief executive officer at the Early Childhood Investment Corporation. Amy Zaagman is executive director of the Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan must invest in moms’ and babies’ mental health | Opinion
Reporting by Alicia Guevara and Amy Zaagman, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
