Alicia Music recalls not being “OK” following the traumatic birth of her son.

“I was off. I was not myself. I was surviving one step at a time,” Music said. “I began trying to get medication help with a psychiatrist. I was not well. I was battling a lot of trauma.”

Her trauma back then, about 11 years ago, included being diagnosed with a case of gestational diabetes so unusual that it has been highlighted at national conventions. Around the same time, she was involved in a serious car crash and had severe preeclampsia, which ultimately led to the emergency cesarean section and preterm birth of her son.

She was diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder, a mental health condition that develops from chronic exposure to trauma.

When Music became pregnant again, she sought help for her perinatal mental health issues — but this time wasn’t alone in facing her challenges.

She was referred to the maternal-fetal medicine division at UC Davis Health for high-risk pregnancies. She received medication and a referral to a weekly support group for OB/GYN patients who are pregnant or postpartum with a mental health diagnosis.

The support group is called Connected.

“We started this as a medication management group to provide weekly check-ins and medication refills for our pregnant and postpartum patients with mood and anxiety disorders. Over time, the group grew. So has the demand,” said Shannon Clark, the doctor who treated Music for anxiety and depression when Music was eight weeks pregnant.

Clark, a UC Davis triple board-certified doctor in family practice, obstetrics and perinatal psychiatry, split care with maternal-fetal medicine physician and gestational diabetes expert Nancy Field.

Connected referrals come from across Northern California and joining the group only requires a consult with Clark’s clinic.

For many patients, Connected has been a lifeline, providing support through mental health challenges that can arise unexpectedly during pregnancy and the postpartum period and touch people from all walks of life.

The only support group of its kind in the Sacramento region

Clark and Elizabeth DeFazio, an obstetrics nurse who is also a marriage family therapist, created this free service, which is the only one of its kind in the Sacramento region.

The group has about 60 active members with an average of 10 people who attend each week. Patients can attend the group up to two years postpartum. A host of trained volunteers help facilitate the sessions.