Copyright Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — As Staten Islander Alexsis Gilles continues to advocate for mental health care and support for mothers who have experienced a traumatic childbirth, she has been able to connect with State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, who sees the need for meeting women’s needs in postpartum care. Gilles, of Grasmere, said she gave birth to her daughter, Ella Rae, two years ago after a very challenging pregnancy and delivery during which she hemorrhaged severely, nearly bleeding to death. Looking back, Gilles, a licensed social worker for the New York City Board of Education, said she needed more assistance recovering from the trauma once she returned home to care for her daughter. It opened her eyes to the need for support, so she initiated a series of virtual, donation-based groups, allowing mothers to connect with others. She’s also been working with Scarcella-Spanton, who has attended a support group. Legislative considerations “Alexis has been a great advocate,’' the senator said, noting she’s working with Gilles and considering whether legislation or a pilot program might be best to address the need for better follow-up care for postpartum women. A more comprehensive plan will be in place heading into the January session, Scarcella-Spanton said. “I had the privilege to meet with her support group, and so many women simply feel they just need someone to see if they are OK,’' said the senator, who represents the North Shore and parts of Brooklyn. ”Postpartum mental health check-ins are vital, and we should be meeting women where they are at, and more frequently." As for the initial support group meetings, Gilles said she couldn’t be happier with the results. “I got amazing feedback,’' she said of the two-hour meetings of five women. ”I think the best part is just knowing that we all have this thing in common. We’re not processing it alone anymore." Participants in the first group of weekly meetings ranged in age from 19 to 42, she said. Care kits Donations were used to create care kits for mothers who couldn’t or weren’t comfortable with talking about their experience. Sanitary products, affirmation notes, journals, Tylenol, hair scrunchies and facial masks are just some of the pampering products delivered to the new moms, she explained. “Not everyone can share these personal feelings with each other, so there’s other ways for them to feel supported,’' Gilles said. The first five-session group, “The Post Care,” was held in the spring, and a fall session of 10 women is already filled, with a waiting list available, she said. But Gilles said she plans additional five-week sessions of meetings, each for 10 participants, online in March 2026 and July 2026. Those interested may also sign up for the current session, in the event a participant drops out, leaving a space open, she said. And while Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, does not currently offer a perinatal program, discussions are underway to bring such programming to the borough in the future, a spokesperson for the hospital previously told the Advance/SILive.com. “Our team recognizes the critical need and is committed to advancing efforts to make them accessible to our community,” the spokesperson said. Richmond University Medical Center offers comprehensive bereavement counseling and resources to parents who have suffered a loss, and a hospital spokesman said the service could potentially be expanded to include traumatic birthing experience. Online gallery Gilles also created an online gallery “Dear Postpartum Self,’' giving women ”a space to speak the truths we wish we’d heard in those tender, transformative postpartum days.“ The gallery invites women to write letters: To your past postpartum self To your baby during those raw early weeks To your partner or support system To your birthing body She’s also working on and arranging a public exhibit she said she hopes will be displayed in Clove Lakes Park, West Brighton, in summer 2026. And a children book she’s penned on the subject, written from the perspective of a mother addressing her child, will be available in mid- to late November, she said.
