Savannah women brings hope and help with new Maternal Mental Health app
By Frank Sulkowski
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SAVANNAH, Georgia (WJCL) — Melanie DeFilippis has created a community.
“I want this to just be one modality of inspiration and to overcoming this crisis,” said DeFilippis.
That crisis, maternal mental health.
DeFilippis turning her own painful experiences with a late-term miscarriage and severe postpartum depression into a positive, supportive platform for others.
The Leto Health app is a free resource designed to guide and support women dealing with fertility struggles, pregnancy loss, and postpartum mood disorders.
“What I did was hurt hard and really tell myself that in order for me to help women and develop a resource that was going to help women, I had to hurt as bad as I did so that I could build something to keep them from feeling that hurt,” said DeFilippis. “That’s how I’ve come to terms with what I’ve gone through.”
Developing the app was a way of healing for DeFilippis, who over the span of three years, visited with hundreds of women who suffered just like her.
Those conversations a catalyst for this peer-support app.
“Women really want to help other women,” said DeFilippis. “Experiences are so unique that it really takes those other experiences to help you understand what you’re going through.”
While the Leto Health app aims to empower women and birthing parents as they navigate maternal health challenges, DeFilippis says what’s really important, is to make sure those women feel like they are being heard.
“If you feel like you might find something here, even if it’s just a friend, everybody’s invited,” adds DeFilippis. “Everyone’s going to be supported. There’s no harm in trying. It’s free. Give it a shot.”
Leto Health launched just a couple weeks ago and is available for free download at the Apple and Android app stores.
January is Mental Health Wellness Month. It’s a time to prioritize mental health and start the new year with a focus on well-being.
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