Filling the Gaps in Maternal Mental Health Care

One of our best strategies to address the unique behavioral health challenges and demands of pregnant women and new mothers is recognizing that mental health is a central element to physical health, meaning we need to continually treat the whole person in our settings to the best of our abilities.

Identification and early intervention for maternal mental health not only impacts the mother’s overall welfare but also ensures the healthy development of her child. Early detection is important to prevent or identify pre/postpartum depression, anxiety, PTSD, and addiction. Early identification can impact the baby’s well-being related to secure attachment, low birth weight and long-term health outcomes.

Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, La., is the largest single hospital birthing facility in the state, with over 8,000 deliveries annually. Before the pandemic, Woman’s Hospital began offering outpatient mental health services in response to both community and medical staff requests. Louisiana has one of the highest rates of Medicaid coverage for births in the nation, but many patients using Medicaid face significant barriers to accessing mental health care. According to the Louisiana Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review, mental health was a contributing factor in 20% of pregnancy-related deaths in 2020.

As the medical staff at Woman’s Hospital identified patients in crisis, the need for a specialized facility became urgent. Unfortunately, many existing facilities were not equipped to meet the unique needs of pregnant and postpartum women, especially those in their third trimester.

To address this gap in care, Woman’s Hospital repurposed space within the hospital and opened Woman’s Perinatal Mental Health Unit in 2024. The 10-bed inpatient unit provides specialized care for women during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum. Each patient works with a comprehensive team of psychiatrists, obstetricians, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, social workers, psychologists, nurses and recreational therapists.

Halfway across the country, at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, Matthew Grossman, M.D., has developed one of the first new treatments for babies born to mothers addicted to opiates. The treatment reduced babies’ withdrawal time by replacing drug therapy with increased contact with their mothers — a simple yet novel approached termed “more love, less drugs.” One of the key highlights Grossman found was that babies who spent more time with their mothers left the hospital after an average of 22 days instead of the average of 29 days for babies who spent less time with their mothers. Early recognition that a baby has been exposed to substances prenatally improves a team’s ability to immediately engage a high-quality care plan for the best results.

Our maternal health patients are experiencing important life changes, some of which significantly impact mental health, and they benefit from supportive therapeutic interventions to best support overall wellness. Early identification and treatment remain key in quality of care and outcomes. Taking the time to truly connect with patients when they present with behavioral health or substance use disorders provides a safe environment to help patients receive the help they need to become the mothers they have always wanted to become.