08/28/2026
In recognition of Wellness Month, we are pleased to share a message on postpartum health from our Chief Executive Officer/Administrator, Aubree Olsen, who recently welcomed her second daughter.
“Welcoming our second daughter has had me thinking a lot about postpartum wellness and how different it can look for every mom.
When I was newly pregnant with her, we were right in the middle of the zoning process for AshaVista. I remember sitting through some of the harder conversations and thinking back to the postpartum period after having my first daughter. It made everything we were working toward feel a lot more personal.
There is so much focus on how a mom is recovering physically after having a baby, but we don’t always talk enough about how she is doing mentally.
Postpartum struggles aren’t always obvious. It can be constant worry, feeling like something bad is going to happen, panic, anger or irritability, crying more than usual, not being able to sleep even when you have the chance, or just feeling like you aren’t yourself.
It can also be intrusive thoughts. Those thoughts can be scary and incredibly hard to admit to someone, especially when you’re worried about how they might be perceived.
There are also more serious symptoms that should never be ignored, including confusion, paranoia, hallucinations or feeling disconnected from reality. Those can be signs of postpartum psychosis and need immediate medical attention.
During the zoning process, I remember thinking about the women in our own community who may experience these things. What happens when someone finally works up the courage to say, “I need help,” but the care she needs isn’t available close to home?
I also thought a lot about my daughters.
I don’t ever want them to feel like mental health is something they have to whisper about. If either of my girls ever goes through something like this, I want them to know they can say they’re struggling without worrying about what anyone will think of them.
Now, with our second little girl here, I think about that even more.
So while we’re celebrating her arrival, I’m also thinking about the moms. Check on them. Ask how they’re doing, not just how the baby is doing. And if you’re the mom who doesn’t quite feel like yourself, please tell someone.
Taking care of your mental health is part of taking care of yourself after having a baby. Sometimes that means more sleep or more support. Sometimes it means talking to your doctor, therapy or medication. And sometimes it means needing more intensive care.
There shouldn’t be shame in any of it.
I hope my girls grow up in a community where asking for help is normal and where that help is there when they need it.”
