Today we’d like to introduce you to Elaine Deakyne
Hi Elaine, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I became involved with Postpartum Support Charleston in the fall of 2012 as a new mom seeking support. I had just had my first baby, a little girl named Eloise. She was the best little baby – happy and calm. I on the other hand was not well. I had planned for everything to take care of this new little baby, but what I didn’t plan for was how I was going to change after becoming a mother. I experienced a lot of anxiety in the first few weeks she was born. She had some minor health complications, and we were having a lot of trouble with breastfeeding and weight gain, and I quickly became worried about every little thing. That worry turned into intrusive thoughts and I suddenly found myself 2 months postpartum, anxious and depressed with absolutely no idea what was going on with me. Postpartum depression and anxiety was not on my radar at all as a new mom. It was not talked about while I was pregnant, and no one I knew was talking about motherhood being difficult. It seemed like I was the only struggling as a new mom. I felt alone and scared. I finally got the courage to contact my ob, and with some encouragement from my doctor was able to find the strength to tell my husband how I was feeling, got into therapy and began medication to help with my symptoms. I found Postpartum Support Charleston during my recovery and attended a support group. Connecting with the organization helped me get the courage to find a group of moms in the community to connect with, and about a year after finding the organization for support – I began working for the organization as a coordinator for the annual Moms’ Run event. I did that for several years, joined the board of directors for a couple years and then became the Executive Director in 2018. This career path was not something I planned, but it has become my hearts work, and I am so honored to be able to help new moms in the community. To not feel alone, and to help them understand that even when it feels like the absolute worst, it will get better. With help and support – every new mom can experience the joy in motherhood.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Postpartum Support Charleston was founded in 2000 as an all volunteer organization, and up until 2018 it remained that way with a few contract and part time positions along the way. When I became ED in 2018, we were supporting and connecting with 100 moms each year.
We know that 1 in 5 new moms will experience a maternal mental illness every year. In the Charleston community, that is roughly 2000 moms every year! And we were reaching only 100 of those moms. So the challenge for me was how can we reach more moms? We focused our attention on support groups. Creating more connections with the community and offering new support groups outside of the traditional gathering where moms talk in a circle and share their story. We implemented walks around the community, tried some online offerings and still held our circle groups. By 2019, we had hired a part time support coordinator, and were reaching nearly 400 moms a year! That was quite an accomplishment for a small nonprofit in Charleston.
Then, 2020 happened and we experienced the biggest obstacle we never could have seen coming. Covid changed everything for our organization. Moms were isolated more than ever, our small little staff had little ones at home and were also isolating while we all figured out remote learning and how to be in community, and our biggest fundraiser – the annual Moms’ Run event had to be cancelled.
Our support coordinator moved all groups virtual, and connected with as many moms as possible through phone and email. And we all did the best we could with almost no funding through the pandemic. As things started to return to “normal” we gathered the board and brainstormed new ways to connect to moms. We knew that new moms were scared and maternal mental illness was on the rise around the country. What we came up with has become our biggest program and in 2025 is set to help us reach more than 4,000 women in the Charleston community!
Our newest program, Beyond Delivery, began in the fall of 2021. We set an ambitious goal to reach 100 moms every month by delivering a homemade lasagna and infant care package to their door. We received a small grant to start our program and partnered with local hospital, Summerville Medical Center. We made our first delivery in October 2021. Shortly after, we had our first Lasagna Night fundraising event hosted by Kate Towill of Basic Projects and her team at Post House. With these two partnerships, we have been able to grow our organization, expand further into the community – partnering with East Cooper Hospital in March 2022, and just this year we expanded our partnership with Summerville Medical Center. Every mom that delivers at Summerville will receive a care package to support baby AND mom. We’ve also added more support groups and have grown our mom mentor program. The community has really rallied behind our new mamas, and is working to provide better support so that no new mom has to suffer in silence.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am the Executive Director for Postpartum Support Charleston. Our organization was founded in 2000 in memory of Ruth Rhoden Craven, a mother from Mount Pleasant, who lost her life to postpartum depression. Her family and friends founded the organization as a peer led foundation – meeting moms and families in their kitchens, talking to them over the phone and getting as much information into the community as they could about this illness and how to help new moms struggling. They didn’t want any family to experience what they had by losing their beloved Ruth.
When I hear Ruth’s story, I think it could have so easily been me. I feel very lucky to have found support during my struggles when there was almost nothing available. It shouldn’t have to come by luck that a mother finds help, and this organization exists so that mothers can find a warm place to land. To help them navigate their feelings in a kind, supportive space where no one is judged. We help moms find the resources they need to help them get better.
I am most proud of the growth of the organization. We took some risks after covid, and it was scary. We are still a very small, but mighty team, so we try to do our best to make the biggest impact in the community while still maintaining a balance for our home lives as moms ourselves. The work we do is deeply personal, as everyone that is involved whether it be staff or volunteer, has been directly impacted by maternal mental illness. So many of us struggled alone, and were scared. We don’t want that for new mothers and so we feel honored to give back to the community in such a positive way.
The thing that sets us apart is that we are peer led. Healing comes in so many forms especially with mental health. There is no one size fits all approach. However, there is something truly life changing when you are able to connect a mom to a mom and say “You are not alone”! To be able to share that you have been where this new mom is, and say that it will get better. Help is available, AND that none of what she is experiencing is her fault. Moms carry so much guilt around being enough, doing everything right, begin everything to everyone. Through our programs, we help moms put themselves back on the list and take care of their needs too so that they can be the very best mother for their baby.
What makes you happy?
My family. Being with my family and spending time with them is where I am happiest. My husband and I have created a work life balance that allows us to spend the most time we can with our two beautiful girls. We could be snuggled up on the couch watching a movie or traveling to another country – the smallest and biggest experiences bring me so much joy.
Pricing:
- All of our programs are free to expecting and new moms through the first year postpartum.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.postpartumsupportchs.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ppdsupportchs/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PPDSupportCHS
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUDtABNEadAn8E7gLn19H6A
