Father who lost wife after daughter's birth raising awareness for postpartum depression

PITTSBURGH — A father is raising awareness for postpartum depression after losing his wife just weeks after the birth of their daughter.

Stephen D’Achille said it was love at first sight when he met the woman he married a year and a half later.

“I knew right away I was going to marry her. Immediately,” he said.

Family and friends describe Alexis Joy D’Achille as having been a vivacious, beautiful and outgoing woman. But something changed after she and Stephen welcomed their daughter, Adriana, in August 2013. %

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“She always wanted a little girl from the time she was a little girl, so it was a dream come true,” Stephen said.

However, Alexis’ excitement leading up to Adriana’s birth faded and her personality changed. Although she had no history of depression, she was suddenly crippled by it.

“She was crying a lot, 'I can't do this.’ We would go out and see other parents with kids, and she would break down, ‘How do they do it?’” Stephen said.

Repeated attempts to get help from doctors, crisis centers and social workers were unsuccessful.

“For one reason or another, nobody took her serious. Nobody gave the care that she deserved,” Stephen said. “How hard it is to admit you have a problem and then go to professionals and try to seek that help, and to every single time be turned away … she just lost hope.”

On Oct. 10, 2013, six weeks after Adriana’s birth, Alexis took her own life.

She was not alone in her battle with postpartum depression.

A study of 10,000 new mothers found that 14 percent of them suffered from postpartum depression. Of that group, more than 19 percent thought of harming themselves.

In the months following Alexis’ death, Stephen’s fight for change began. He has hosted a fundraiser and other events that have raised awareness for postpartum depression, as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The more than $350,000 raised has funded a new clinic at West Penn Hospital. It is one of four in the country where women and their babies are treated together.

“We've touched about 170 women's lives just since September,” Debbi Linhart, vice president of women’s health initiatives at Allegheny Health Network, said.

Alexis’ picture hangs on the wall at the clinic, for which there are plans to expand its facility and services. And Stephen’s dedication to his wife’s legacy gives their daughter, now almost 3 years old, something to be proud of.

“Every night she looks at the stars, and she always points at the brightest one and says, ‘That's my mommy,’” Stephen said.

One woman who received helped from the clinic is Hayley Hinkle.

Leading up to her son’s birth, Hinkle said she was filled with anticipation.

“We didn't know what we were having, so that was really exciting. I couldn't wait until he came out,” she said.

But weeks after her son, now 8 months old, was born, it became obvious to Hinkle and her husband that something was wrong.

“(I was) crying, anxious (and) always worried,” she said.

Hinkle sought help at the Women’s Behavioral Mood Disorder Clinic and was diagnosed with postpartum depression.

“It's a significant illness that has significant downside risk,” Dr. Pamela Kridgen, an obstetrician-gynecologist at the Allegheny Health Network, said.

Hinkle said she is still working through her postpartum depression, but said the therapy and medication she’s received since visiting the clinic have made a huge impact.

“I felt like I had to be a strong person. I didn't want to ask for help,” she said.

For more information about the Alexis Joy D’Achille Foundation, CLICK HERE.

• Perinatal Support Local Helpline: 412-578-4030
• Suicide Prevention Helpline: 1-800-SUICIDE

Cox Media Group