For Kansas expectant moms Ashley Etheridge and Kristi Blevins, free resource kits they received from a KU School of Medicine-Wichita maternal health center are helping them handle the stress, anxiety and depression that can come with a pregnancy and adding a new baby to their families.

In November, the KUSM-Wichita Center for Research for Infant Birth & Survival started distributing its Growing Hope mental health kits to pregnant moms taking its Baby Talk prenatal education classes. The recipients were offered the resource if they screened positive for perinatal depression, anxiety or substance use, or disclosed a pre-existing diagnosis of depression and anxiety.

The kits are the result of a collaboration between CRIBS and Wichita State’s Health Outreach Prevention and Education Services, which has been distributing mental health kits since 2015.

“I saw an article about WSU’s HOPE kits being distributed to those who were in crisis and experiencing symptoms of suicide, and I thought, ‘Wow, that’s a really innovative and exciting way to help support individuals,’ and I wondered if we could develop something like that to support participants in our programs during and after pregnancies,” said CRIBS Founder and Director Cari Schmidt, Ph.D., who is also a research professor in the KUSM-Wichita Department of Pediatrics.

Grant funding from the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services and Schmidt knowing WSU’s assistant vice president for wellness, Jessica Provines, Ph.D., from their graduate school days helped bring about the partnership.

CRIBS received funding to put together 250 kits, which contain gun and medication locks, an activities flash card deck, an adult coloring book, the book “Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts” by Karen Kleiman, reference guides for safe sleep, offers for home visits and other personalized help, plus more. The materials in each kit cost about $60, and they can be shipped anywhere in the state.

Discovering hope through the kits

When Blevins, from Hutchinson, got her Growing Hope kit, her first thought was, “I didn’t expect the box to be so big.”

She immediately hung up the chart that lists common mental health symptoms and helps identify the severity and recommended actions so that both she and her husband can readily refer to it.

“I’m really good at pushing my health to the side so it’s good to have a guide for when I’m having those thoughts; I can reach out for help,” said Blevins, who received the free kit when she asked her Baby Talk instructor about how she could manage her pre-existing anxiety during her pregnancy.

“I really appreciate the book too,” she said. “I wish I had known about it when I had my daughter. I didn’t realize how much overthinking goes into parenting.”

Factors like parenting a 4-year-old while dealing with some health concerns during her pregnancy have increased her anxiety, Blevins said. Following her first pregnancy, she also struggled with postpartum depression.

Etheridge, from Hillsboro, has been dealing with similar issues: parenting 12- and 8-year-old boys, health issues including multiple pulmonary blood clots and a history of postpartum depression. So, when Etheridge’s results from a Baby Talk screening survey showed elevated anxiety and depression symptoms, she wasn't surprised.

“They told me about the kit and asked if I would be interested in it,” said Etheridge. “I thought it was a great idea to get it and see what’s in it to help me. And I’ve definitely been using it, like the coloring book and coloring pencils if I’m feeling anxious at the moment. Coloring helps me calm down.

“They give a lot of resources for during pregnancy and I’m also really focusing on after the baby arrives, making sure I stay strong.”

Addressing Kansas’ maternal health ‘deserts’

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders  — which is the term used to include more than postpartum depression — affect both expectant parents.

About one in eight women experiences postpartum depression after having a baby, according to a national survey cited by the National Institute for Child and Maternal Health. Anxiety during and after pregnancy is as common as depression and may happen at the same time as depression, according to the NICMH. Sometimes the onset of depression occurs up to a year following the baby’s birth.

And it's not just moms who can experience PMADs. Studies have shown 7% to 10% of new dads develop postpartum depression, according to the American Association of Pediatrics.

With the state of maternal health care in Kansas, programs like Baby Talk and the Growing Hope kits are much-needed resources, Schmidt said.

“We know that a lot of the state is not just a maternal health care desert but also mental health care deserts,” Schmidt said.

Kansas has a higher percentage of maternity care deserts compared to the rest of the U.S., according to the March of Dimes. A 2023 report indicated that 45.7% of Kansas’ 105 counties are defined as maternity care deserts, compared to 32.6% in the U.S. overall.

The Baby Talk program, which started in Sedgwick County in 2015 and was expanded statewide in 2022, has served more than 3,000 participants, Schmidt said.

Continuing to grow hope

About four to six weeks after a Growing Hope kit is distributed to an expectant mom, CRIBS will send a follow-up survey to help evaluate whether the materials were useful.

“Once we identify that we have the right materials and resources included in the kit … we’ll be looking for funding to support and distribute them more broadly,” Schmidt said. “We’d also love to get them translated into Spanish to support Spanish-speaking families.”

Above, left: Expectant mom Ashley Etheridge received a Growing Hope kit and says it’s helping her stay strong.

Above, right: The Growing Hope kit gave expectant mom Kristi Blevins a chart that lists common mental health symptoms, which she and her husband refer to for recommended actions.