Community Heroes: Kristina Dulaney’s ‘Cherished Mom’ organization aims to educate, help new moms
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Ask any mother, and they’ll say having children is one of the most difficult, yet rewarding experiences. But what happens to new mothers struggling after childbirth?
This week’s community hero took her personal experience and is helping raise awareness for post-partum mental health.
Kristina Dulaney loves being a mom to her girls. There was a time, though, when she said she struggled.
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“I had my own lived experience with postpartum psychosis almost exactly nine years ago now,” she said. “And I spent two weeks in a psychiatric unit literally battling for my mind and my life. And it was very unexpected. It blindsided all of us. And I really felt like moms and families needed more, especially around education, because even as a registered nurse, I didn’t know anything about it.”
She said her post-partum psychosis diagnosis came out of the blue. After she was treated, Dulaney was determined to educate other new moms so they could get help. So she started the organization “Cherished Mom.”
“Right now we mainly raise awareness and provide education for perinatal mental health,” she said. “We have our Momma U program where moms can get free education all about the signs and symptoms to look for, what to look for, how to get help. And then we have one of our biggest things we have recently is our Perinatal Psychosis Awareness Day.”
Dulaney says Cherished Mom also offers peer support groups, free doula programs for the under-insured and uninsured, and care packages to new moms in the hospital. She said education is paramount, and it’s important for new moms to admit when something feels off.
“It’s okay to say, ‘I’m not feeling myself, I’m not feeling OK, Something isn’t right,'” she said. “Especially for postpartum psychosis, it’s really important for the family members and those that are taking care of the mom to know, because it’s usually not going to be the mom that says ‘I shouldn’t be having these thoughts,’ or ‘something isn’t right.'”
Dulaney says through Cherished Mom, she will continue to take good care of moms, so they can take good care of their children. More information about the organization can be found at CherishedMom.org.
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