New Program Helps Mothers Adjust

November 24, 2025

This year, HAP released an action plan for Pennsylvania hospitals and policymakers to improve maternal health quality, equity, and access. Following our inaugural Maternal Health Summit, we’re spotlighting promising practices and innovations that Pennsylvania hospitals have implemented to improve care for moms and babies.

According to experts, 75 percent of women who experience maternal mental health symptoms go untreated. Thanks to a new program from Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), part of Jefferson Health, mothers don’t have to go through postpartum depression and other mental health conditions alone.

LVHN’s Women Adjusting to Various Emotional States (WAVES) program helps women struggling with mood and anxiety disorders through pregnancy and the first 12 months postpartum.

“Perinatal mood and depressive disorders can start before, during, or after pregnancy and people can go without treatment for a variety of reasons,” Christina Felten, DNP, WHNP, RNC-OB, FACNM, PMH-C, said during a presentation at HAP’s recent Maternal Health Summit in Harrisburg.

Women with untreated maternal mental health conditions may be unable to manage their own health or may experience greater challenges such as drug or alcohol use, said Felten, who serves as associate practice leader, OBGYN/midwifery at LVHN.

Here are a few key takeaways:

Proven practices:  The WAVES program emphasizes three shown-to-be effective treatments— medication, therapy, and exercise—and provides related advice or referrals for mothers.

Healthy mom, healthy baby:  Self-care recommendations and action plans for mothers on paths toward wellness are included in the WAVES program.

Specialized care:  WAVES providers are doctors, midwives, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants with extra training and certifications in perinatal women’s health. LVHN employs licensed behavioral health therapists who specialize in obstetrics and women’s health.

The more you know:  Additional resources, hotlines, and other information are available for mothers through the WAVES program.

Therapy and emotional support are key to the treatment of perinatal health disorders and other mental health conditions mothers may experience, said Felten.

Watch video coverage of HAP’s Maternal Health Summit online.