‘Journey To Motherhood’: WJBF’s Barclay Bishop shares postpartum mental health challenges in new series

Posted: Jun 6, 2023 / 04:47 AM EDT

Updated: Sep 15, 2023 / 04:48 PM EDT

AUGUSTA (WJBF) – Mental Health is a big topic across the country and it’s one that postpartum mothers deal with often. Many watch NewsChannel 6’s Barclay Bishop Monday – Friday on ‘Good Morning Augusta’, but what many may not know are the challenges she faced during her postpartum journey.

“We don’t do enough of asking ‘but how are you feeling emotionally?’ And giving our loved ones space to say ‘I don’t feel great’,” said Dr. Donna Adams-Pickett, PhD, MD, Augusta Women’s Health & Wellness Center.

It was at Barclay’s 6 week postpartum checkup with her OB, Dr. Donna Adams -Pickett, that she identified something may be a little off.

“If they really can’t even articulate how their days have been, that’s telling me they’re not plugged in to their emotional well-being,” said Dr. Adams-Pickett.

And Barclay said she wasn’t. She’d already dealt with miscarriages, high risk pregnancies, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, months of bed rest, and now she’s nursing with two under two. While trying to win at being the best, employee, wife to George and mom to Grace and Cole, she really felt like she was losing at it all.

“If you ask anyone how they feel about starting a new job, a new school, moving in to a new neighborhood, they are overwhelmed by the newness of trying to figure out how to handle this unique, new situation,” said Dr. Adams-Pickett.

There are mental and emotional changes, but then you can throw in the physical changes.

“You’re not going to be who you were at 14 or 15, or even 20. Embrace the battle scars of having brought a life in to this world and what that has done FOR you, not TO you,” said Dr. Adams-Pickett.

Barclay very slowly started to help herself. She accepted more help from family and friends, she got into the Word more to strengthen her spiritual life, she packed clothes to walk after work, and even cleaned up her diet. But sometimes we need more, like counseling and medicine.

“The idea that we can do it all alone, that we can ‘will’ our bodies to do better, we need to abandon that notion. We can’t ‘will’ our way out of bad blood pressure” said Dr. Adams-Pickett.

Sometimes we just need help, so never be ashamed to ask for it. Parenting is tough. Finding a balance is tough. So here’s permission to make yourself a priority. Not only for you, but for those who need you most.

Learn more about Barclay Bishop’s fertility journey during ‘Finding Hope: Fertility Freedom’ on Thursday, June 22nd at 7:30pm on WJBF NewsChannel 6. Dr. Donna Adams-Pickett will join her as they discuss all things fertility.