WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Alexandra Richardson flips through a scrapbook filled with photos from her first pregnancy in 2019 — a smile, a baby bump and a new life on the way.
What the pictures don’t show is what came after she gave birth.
“I had left my full-time teaching job to be home full-time, and it was the most lonely I have ever felt in my entire life. I was incredibly isolated,” Richardson said.
The loneliness came with a lack of sleep, intrusive thoughts and her new reality of being a new mom.
“I needed resources, I needed mom friends, and we moved into COVID, and I was given nothing,” Richardson said.
Richardson wouldn’t realize until she gave birth to her second child two and a half years later that she was dealing with undiagnosed postpartum anxiety.
She’s not alone. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) reports that each year in the United States, 1 in 5 women experience a mental health or substance use disorder during the perinatal period — pregnancy and the year after birth.
That gap between what new mothers need and what they receive is what Richardson said pushed her to act. She started The 4th Trimester Mission in Wilmington, a nonprofit aimed at connecting mothers to support through home visits, resources and community. The organization has helped more than 500 mothers, she said.
“I think for anyone watching, having community is so important,” Richardson said. “Having people that you can turn to, whether you are pregnant, postpartum, or not even having kids, you need people who can help support you on your mental health journey, and help is available.”
The organization has helped more than 500 mothers and has helped give her perspective on the woman she was just a few years ago.
“I would tell her that it’s going to be okay, and that you’re going to get through this, and those thoughts that you have will get better, and you’re gonna end up creating something that helps hundreds of moms,” Richardson said.
She created the community she never had so no mother has to go through it alone.
To learn more about 4th Trimester Mission, click here.