Credit: BC Women’s Health Foundation.
Chek News by Liz Brown March 1, 2025
Postpartum depression (PPD) affects close to one quarter (20%) of all new Canadian mothers, and according to research, in half (50%) of the cases, depressive episodes begin prior to delivery.
To mark the start of Women’s Health Research Month, the BC Women’s Health Foundation in collaboration with other partners, has launched a new postpartumcare.ca digital resource.
The online platform aims to provide educational resources to support individuals and families in British Columbia.
The digital resource includes a list of questions to help identify the signs and symptoms of postpartum. One of the platform’s resources titled ‘It’s Not Your Fault: Postpartum Depression Can Affect Anyone’, seeks to normalize the experience and guide users to credible in-person resources across B.C.
While new parents are at the highest risk for PPD, it can be experienced directly or indirectly by any parent and family member.
“People of any culture, age, income level, and ethnicity can develop perinatal mental illnesses. Postpartum depression can affect anyone in the family, including the mother, partner, and other family members,” states the BC Women’s Health Foundation.
The digital resource also seeks to support the current information gap for those who experience postpartum.
“Today, less than 6% of Canada’s national health research funding is dedicated to women’s health,” states a recent Canadian health study.
