Health expert gives mental health advice as Mother’s Day approaches
WATCHING WLWT. NEWS 5 LEADING THE WAY. WELCOME BACK. YOU KNOW, MOTHER’S DAY CAN BE A JOYFUL CELEBRATION FOR SO MANY FAMILIES, BUT IT CAN ALSO BRING STRESS, LONELINESS, AND OTHER EMOTIONAL CHALLENGES, ESPECIALLY FOR NEW MOMS. SO HOW DOES A MOTHER KNOW IF HER SHE SHOULD MAYBE SEEK SOME TREATMENT? JOINING ME HERE TODAY IS PAIGE BALLARD. SHE’S A CLINICAL LICENSED PROFESSIONAL AND COUNSELOR AND ALSO THE FOUNDER OF HOLISTIC THERAPY AND HEALING. THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. YEAH, THANKS FOR HAVING ME. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT BECAUSE I DO THINK, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR FIRST BABY, WHEN YOU’RE LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET PREGNANT, YOU JUST EXPECT IT TO JUST ALWAYS BE EASY AND HAPPY. AND BEING A MOM CAN REALLY BE EXHAUSTING. AND THERE’S A WHOLE RANGE OF EMOTIONS. IS THAT NORMAL? INTENSE TIME OF ANY WOMAN’S LIFE, PROBABLY. AND WE’RE TALKING SO MUCH MORE IN THE NATIONAL SCOPE ABOUT POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION. BUT MOST WOMEN ACTUALLY EXPERIENCE A WHOLE CLUSTER OF SYMPTOMS THAT ARE MORE ALIGNED WITH POSTPARTUM ANXIETY OR POSTPARTUM OCD. AND IT’S WAY MORE PREVALENT THAN EVEN POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION IS. HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN IT’S SOMETHING THAT’S TOTALLY NORMAL? BECAUSE, I MEAN, YOUR BODY CHANGES SO MUCH AND THERE’S A LOT OF PRESSURE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THIS NEW BABY WHO’S NOT SLEEPING. SO HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN IT’S JUST NORMAL STRESS THAT A MOM FEELS, AND WHEN IT’S SOMETHING WHERE YOU DO NEED A LITTLE BIT OF HELP? YEAH. SO A LOT OF THE SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH POSTPARTUM ANXIETY AND OCD, 90% OF PARENTS EXPERIENCE. AND SO THEY’RE VERY, VERY COMMON WHEN YOU KNOW THAT IT’S DIAGNOSABLE OR THAT YOU NEED EXTRA SUPPORT IS IF IT FEELS DEBILITATING OR IF IT’S REALLY IMPACTING YOUR FUNCTIONING, YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BABY, OR EVEN JUST YOUR OVERALL PERSPECTIVE ON MOTHERHOOD. AND I WOULD THINK IT’S THE SAME WHEN YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY START TO SEE THAT IN YOU. IS THAT WHEN THEY SHOULD MAYBE LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. WE GET CALLS ALL THE TIME FROM LOVED ONES THAT WANT TO BRING A FAMILY MEMBER IN, AND THAT’S A TENDER CONVERSATION. BUT WE REALLY NEED THAT VILLAGE TO SPEAK UP AND SUPPORT US. AND SOMETIMES THAT LOOKS LIKE ADVOCATING FOR CARE. HOW CAN WE BALANCE CARING FOR OTHERS WHILE ALSO PROTECTING OUR OWN MENTAL HEALTH? BECAUSE I OFTEN SAY, I FEEL THAT WITH, YOU KNOW, HAVING THREE BOYS OF MY OWN, TWO BONUS KIDS, YOU KNOW, WORK, AND THEN SOMETIMES YOU’RE DEALING WITH STUFF WITH YOUR OLDER PARENTS THAT YOU’RE TRYING TO TAKE CARE OF. IT REALLY IS A BALANCING ACT. OH, IT IS A HUGE BALANCING ACT. AND THERE’S SO MUCH BRAIN CHEMISTRY ASSOCIATED WITH MOTHERHOOD THAT CHANGES AN EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNT IN THE BRAIN. SOMETHING I WANTED TO TELL YOU IN PARTICULAR IS THAT RESEARCHERS CALL IT THE I OF THE AMYGDALA. IT’S THIS PLACE IN OUR LIMBIC CENTER THAT’S SORT OF OUR SURVIVAL THREAT DETECTION CENTER. AND THEY SAY IT WAKES UP IN MOTHERHOOD, AND ONCE IT WAKES UP, IT NEVER GOES DORMANT AGAIN. SO NO MATTER HOW OLD YOUR KIDS ARE, YOU FEEL VERY CONNECTED TO THEM. AND YOU ALSO WORRY ABOUT THEM INCESSANTLY. AND IT’S BECAUSE OF THAT FIRST CHILD THAT YOU HAD, THE WAKING UP OF THE AMYGDALA, AND NOW YOU’RE PERMANENTLY CHANGED. I WAS JUST TALKING TO ASHLEY ABOUT THIS IN THE BREAK, BECAUSE I’M GOING AWAY TOMORROW NIGHT, EVEN THOUGH I HAVE A 15 YEAR OLD ABOUT TO BE 16. TOTALLY CAN BE BY HIMSELF. IT’S LIKE, I KNOW I’LL WORRY ABOUT HIM. KYIV ALL NIGHT. WHAT IS HE DOING? WHERE IS HE GOING? IS HE. IS HE HAPPY? THAT SORT OF THING. I GUESS FINALLY, LET’S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SMALL BUT REALISTIC HEALTH CARE TACTICS, SELF-CARE HABITS THAT MOMS CAN TRY TO PRACTICE EVERY DAY? I THINK LIKE KNOWING I’M SO GLAD TO BE HERE BECAUSE I THINK KNOWING WHAT TO EXPECT AND SORT OF BEING PRE EDUCATED ON WHAT’S LIKELY REALLY HELPS. I, I STUDIED POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION IN GRADUATE SCHOOL. IT’S BEEN A SPECIALTY AREA OF MINE DIDN’T CHANGE THOUGH, THAT WHEN I GOT PREGNANT WITH MY FIRST AND I STARTED HAVING ALL THIS ANXIETY IN THE POSTPARTUM PERIOD AND JUST LIKE THINKING SOMETHING HORRIBLE WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TO HER, THAT SORT OF FOREBODING FEELING IN MY BODY, I IT WAS SURPRISING. IT WAS KIND OF SHOCKING. AND SO KNOWING WHAT TO EXPECT. AND THEN WHEN IT DOES HAPPEN, YOU CAN SORT OF CATALOG THE SYMPTOM, KNOW THAT IT’S REALLY COMMON AND STILL SEEK SUPPORT AROUND IT. BUT THERE’S LESS STIGMA IN DOING THAT. I WAS ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, I HAVE TONS OF FAMILY, YOUNGER FAMILY MEMBERS, ALWAYS THE BABYSITTER. AND WHEN I HAD MY FIRST, I THOUGHT, OH, THIS WILL BE EASY. AND I REMEMBER WHEN MY MOTHER IN LAW WAS LEAVING THE HOUSE AFTER THAT FIRST WEEK, AND I WAS LIKE, JUST BE WITH THIS KID. WHAT DO I DO? RIGHT? THANK YOU SO MUCH, PAIGE, FOR SUCH A CANDID CONVERSATION. I SO APPRECIATE IT. WITH HOLISTIC THERAPY AND HEALING. SO AS WE CELEBRATE MOTHER’S DAY WEEK AND WEEKEND, EXPERTS ARE REMINDING ALL OF US, JUST DO A CHECK IN ON THE WELL-BEING OF ALL MOMS OUT THERE HAVING THOSE OPEN CONVERSATIONS, AS PAIGE WAS SAYING ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH CAN REALLY MAKE SUCH A HUGE DIFFERENCE. AND IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW NEEDS HELP, RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE. SCAN THE QR CODE HERE AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SCREEN. WE’LL ALSO HAVE ALL OF THIS INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE.
Health expert gives mental health advice as Mother’s Day approaches
Updated: 4:36 PM EDT May 8, 2026
Mother’s Day can be a joyful celebration for many families, but it can also bring stress, loneliness and other emotional challenges.That can especially be the case for new mothers.So how does a mother determine if her symptoms are normal, or whether she should seek treatment from a licensed professional?On Friday, WLWT was joined by Paige Ballengee, a licensed professional clinical counselor and founder of Holistic Therapy and Healing, who talked more about it.See the full interview in the video player at the top of the story.
CINCINNATI —
Mother’s Day can be a joyful celebration for many families, but it can also bring stress, loneliness and other emotional challenges.
That can especially be the case for new mothers.
So how does a mother determine if her symptoms are normal, or whether she should seek treatment from a licensed professional?
On Friday, WLWT was joined by Paige Ballengee, a licensed professional clinical counselor and founder of Holistic Therapy and Healing, who talked more about it.
See the full interview in the video player at the top of the story.