A mission supporting mothers

Often regarded as the “baby blues,” postpartum depression was once a topic quietly whispered among mothers. It wasn't until the early 1990s that postpartum depression officially became medically classified. 

Now decades later, reproductive psychiatry has its own textbook. Screening guidelines are standard practice. And new mothers are encouraged – even expected – to talk about their mental health.  

Helping reshape that conversation locally is the nonprofit group Postpartum Support Charleston. 

For 25 years, PSC's mission has been to provide a safety net for those mothers who once felt invisible by stitching together a community where no one has to navigate postpartum alone. 

What began as one mother’s determination to prevent tragedy has grown into a far-reaching network of peer mentors, care packages, warm meals, education, and hope.  

The mental health organization's impact can be felt in the Lowcountry, as it has supported more than 10,000 mothers in the Tri-County area with emotional and practical support during what can often be a vulnerable chapter in a mother's life. 

Daniel Island resident and longtime board member Dr. Piave Pitisci Lake has witnessed PSC's evolution firsthand.  

“In a word, it’s dedication,” she said. “The dedication of a mother preventing similar tragedies, and the dedication of many mothers over time helping each other through vision, creativity, identifying needs, and creating programs to address those needs.” 

A LIFELINE THAT MULTIPLIES 

Dr. Lake said PSC’s impressive outreach to women can be attributed to a human ripple effect. 

“It’s an exponential impact. Multiply that by the number of people touched by one mother – children, partners, grandchildren, parents – and you get better health and well-being,” she said. “It’s paying it forward so that more women can be helped.” 

Those ripples originate in the gaps PSC fills as the organization helps support needs that traditional health care may not address alone. 

Practitioners can screen, diagnose, and refer. But they cannot show up with meals, sit beside a mother on a hard morning, or share the life experience of someone who has survived postpartum depression. 

“We offer peer support, education, and outreach in ways the health care system cannot and is not designed to do,” Lake said. 

PROGRAMS BUILT ON CONNECTION 

PSC’s peer mentor program remains the organization’s beating heart. Mothers who have lived through postpartum depression, anxiety, OCD, or PTSD volunteer to support other mothers currently in crisis through texts, phone calls, walks, coffee meetups, or simply the promise that someone understands. 

“The sense of being seen is comforting; having community, being part of something, and not alone,” Lake said. 

PSC’s Beyond Delivery program adds another layer of care: warm, home-cooked meals delivered to families with newborns. 

“Having a meal prepared and delivered is a great relief to parents with a newborn,” Lake emphasized. “It also helps parents and families know they are not alone and there is help if they need it.” 

In its more than two decades in existence, PSC has assembled 5,303 care packages, supported 10,159 moms, and formed 2,260 group members – numbers that reflect not just scale, but sustained intention. 

Lake describes mothers telling her the nonprofit has been “life-saving” and says the support has even inspired some to become mental health providers for other moms themselves. 

A CHANGING CULTURE 

Piave calls the last decade a “sea of change” in how postpartum conditions are understood. Awareness has expanded alongside research, formal training programs, reproductive psychiatry fellowships, and statewide access initiatives such as MUSC’s Mom's IMPACTT, a perinatal resource and referral program led by Dr. Connie Guille. 

Screening guidelines from obstetrics, psychiatry, and pediatrics now establish best practices that didn’t exist 20 years ago. New textbooks and curricula have filled longstanding knowledge gaps. Yet the stigma can persist. 

One in five mothers experiences postpartum depression or anxiety. Some studies suggest it may be as high as one in three. And still, 85% of mothers never seek help. 

PSC exists to change that number: one mother, one connection, one meal at a time. 

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS 

On Dec. 7, PSC celebrated its 25th anniversary with a Gather & Give Oyster Roast at Alhambra Hall in Mount Pleasant. The event featured live music, oysters, photos with Santa, and a silent auction, all supporting the nonprofit’s core programs – from its peer mentor program to the Beyond Delivery initiative and community education efforts – helping more Charleston-area mothers access essential postpartum mental health resources. 

For Lake, the milestone carries both joy and gravity. 

“I remember attending several of the moms' runs on Daniel Island when the organization was in its earliest years. I was starting my own family at the time,” she said. “This anniversary, seeing the (grown-up) sons at the moms' run this year was bittersweet. It is a reminder of why PSC was started and how far we have to go, as well as a tribute to how far we have come.” 

Her advice to the community is simple and perhaps the heart of PSC’s mission. “Ask how moms are doing, and acknowledge that becoming a parent involves complex feelings, as most life changes do.” 

If you or someone you know is struggling with postpartum depression, support, treatment, and healing are available. Contact Postpartum Support Charleston at 843-410-3585 or contact@ppdsupport.org.