A Postpartum Depression Intervention
Mothers and Babies (MB) is a mental health intervention, listed on SAMHSA’s evidence-based
practice registry, that promotes healthy mood management by teaching
pregnant women and new moms how to effectively respond to stress in their lives
through increasing the frequency of thoughts and behaviors that lead to positive mood
states. By providing the intervention during the perinatal period (pregnancy through
baby’s 1st year), the preventive effects of MB can provide the earliest intervention to
prevent adverse outcomes in early childhood that can have lifetime effects.
Based on principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy, attachment theory, and psychoeducation, MB offers a
“toolkit” of approaches for women to observe their mood, note factors affecting their mood, and make changes
in their daily lives to impact these areas. The MB Course has a modular structure including: (1) Laying the
foundation for understanding the relationship between our personal reality and our mood; (2) Engaging in
pleasant activities to improve mood and reduce stress; (3) Increasing helpful thoughts and reducing harmful
thought patterns; (4) Increasing positive contacts with others and developing effective communication styles to
get needs met.
