Moms come to woman’s rescue after tearful postpartum depression video goes viral: ‘I could use some friends’

A woman’s TikTok viral video about her struggles with postpartum depression sparked a support group on Facebook with other mothers.

Juana Witty, 28, of Glasgow, Kentucky, posted a video on TikTok last month asking for help from her followers while holding her now three-month-old baby.

“Postpartum depression is real,” says Witty in the short video. “I didn’t know I had it. But I could use some friends.”

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The video has been viewed more than 3 million times and was inundated with comments from other women who responded in support.

“My phone just kept going off,” Witty told Fox News. “People commented and told me that they are there for me and if I need anything to call them.”

Witty, a mother of three children, ages 9, 2, and 3 months, told Fox that she didn’t really know what postpartum depression was and that she didn’t think she suffered from it until June.

“That’s always when it hit me because … I was crying and scared,” said Witty. “I didn’t know. And my husband was at work so I was alone and I really needed someone to talk to.”

Juana Witty, 28, from Glasgow, Kentucky, posted on TikTok about her struggles with postpartum depression and has been endorsed by other mothers.
(Courtesy Juana Witty)

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Then Witty decided to publish the video on TikTok.

Aside from supportive comments on the video, Witty said that actress and comedian Angelina Spicer – who speaks openly about her experience with PPD – flew to Kentucky to speak to her about postpartum depression and to help Witty find a therapist.

In 2018, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) announced its “redesign” of postpartum care, recommending “ongoing” postpartum care rather than a single visit to the doctor after having a child. Experts call this period the “fourth trimester,” which is when women recover physically, emotionally, and mentally after giving birth while caring for a newborn.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), postpartum depression affects about one in eight women.

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Dr. Jessica Shepherd, OB / GYN at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, and chief medical officer of Verywell Health, told Fox News that asking for help and getting assistance are “of the utmost importance” in relation to obstacles having to overcome mental and emotional health problems, including postpartum depression.

“Support is one of the most important factors in how people manage these moments in their lives,” said Shepherd.

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Shepherd said social media can encourage and help people better understand their own experiences.

“There are some people who can see and say, ‘I’ve felt this way’ or ‘I’ve felt this way in the past and maybe I’m depressed too,'” Shepherd said. “And that could put a light on them to identify some signs and symptoms they might be showing and then ask for help.”

Witty started a Facebook group to support other mothers struggling with anxiety and depression.  The group has about 800

Witty started a Facebook group to support other mothers struggling with anxiety and depression. The group has about 800 “great” members, Witty said.
(Courtesy Juana Witty)

The internet can sometimes help people find the support they need through online groups, health care providers, and mental health providers, many of whom offer telemedicine services, Shepherd said.

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Witty herself decided to start a Facebook group for other mothers struggling with anxiety or depression “so they don’t feel alone,” she told Fox.

The group has about 800 members, and Witty said the women in the group are “great”.

“For anyone who feels they are alone or cannot speak to people in their family, there are these people who they can give free rein to without judgment,” said Witty.

Witty said some people told her she was brave to ask for help, but Witty doesn’t see it that way.

“I only did it because I needed someone,” she said.

If you are unsure of what you will experience after giving birth, speak to your doctor about visiting a therapist or contact the Postpartum Support International international helpline at 1-800-944-4773.

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