(WHTM) -- Mother's Day is Sunday, May 14, and a few moms in the state legislature are pushing a bill that is focused on postpartum depression. One of those lawmakers is sharing her very personal story to highlight the need.
Pennsylvania State Rep. Jennifer O'Mara celebrated her first Mother's Day after she and her husband struggled to conceive and there were medical complications for both O'Mara and the baby at birth.
"It was just a really scary labor and delivery that resulted in, frankly, a lot of trauma," O'Mara said.
Out of the hospital with her bundle of joy, O'Mara struggled to find joy.
"I was filled with dread and I found myself crying," O'Mara said.
Her husband and friends noticed, intervened, and urged O'Mara to get help.
"Since January, I have been in regular counseling for postpartum depression," she added.
O'Mara wants to protect other moms, so she signed on to a bill that would require postpartum education before birth and screening for it afterward.
"I think that pre-delivery is so important because it will help you and your family know what signs to look for," O'Mara added.
It's not the first time O'Mara has used her platform to share her personal story.
"I lost my dad to gun suicide when I was young," she said.
Her father, Joseph O'Mara, was a marine and a Philadelphia fire fighter for 25 years.
"In sharing his story, I could advocate for him because we lose more firefighters and police officers and other first responders to suicide than we do in the line of duty," O'Mara said.
O'Mara's Extreme Risk Protection bill would let loved ones request the removal of guns from those exhibiting harmful behaviors, but only temporarily and only if a judge signs off.
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O'Mara knows gun bills don't often move in Pennsylvania, but hopes her story will move opinions.
"When we can get our colleagues to see us in that way and then realize that this problem that's impacting us is probably also impacting someone in their family, someone on their street, definitely their voters and constituents. Then suddenly it becomes an issue that we can work together on, and we are working together on it, not dividing each other to accomplish something," she said.
Lawmakers sharing personal stories is not new and has been effective in the past. Former Senator Mike Folmer pushed medical marijuana legislation after battling cancer and Senator Kim Ward pushed for breast cancer screening.
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