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Third
Baby Due Soon for Founder of Support Group
Cincinnati Enquirer
January 2001
In the tumultuous months after the birth of her second son, there
were times Rachael Bowling was sure she was dying. A diagnosis of
postpartum depression, made five months after Grant’s birth,
was a lifesaver.
Mrs.
Bowling commemorated Grant’s birth and her struggle with PPD,
by establishing A Lighter Shade of Blue, the Cincinnati chapter
of the group Depression After Delivery, with Maria Korengel of Madeira.
Later
this month, the Bowlings,—Rachael, her husband, Scott, and
their two sons, Zachary 5, and Grant, now 3—will be commemorating
another birth: Their daughter is due Jan. 16.
“It’s quite a different story from a long time ago,”
Mrs. Bowling says.
The
baby girl will be named, appropriately, Hope. “We’re really
excited that we’re going to be doing this again,” she
says.
Mrs. Bowling’s struggle began three days after Grant was born.
First she thought she had the flu, then a bout of nausea and diarrhea
followed. Panic attacks sent her to the emergency room. She called
suicide hot lines for help, along with her obstetrician and primary-care
physician.
Finally
getting a diagnosis and learning about treatment was a huge relief,
Mrs. Bowling says. A Lighter Shade of Blue exists to let other women
struggling with PPD know help is available. The group meets in Anderson
Township on the first Monday of every month. A second group meets
in Dayton. Call 860.4394 for meeting information.
“It’s
been really, really neat. Much more that I ever expected from my
experiences,” she says.
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