Mercedes Small-Lewis
Mommy&Me Virtual Mommy Meet-ups Co-Facilitator
Mercedes Small-Lewis, Mommy&Me Virtual Mommy Meet-ups co-facilitator and Stakeholder Engagement Core member, is mother to two young sons, creator of the Virtual Mommy Meet-ups, certified Clinical Medical Assistant and lactation peer educator. She’s also Founding Member of Moms’ Collective Wisdom, focus group members whose comments continue to shape the Mommy&Me(opens in new tab) study. Mercedes knows firsthand how difficult childbirth can be, even for young mothers. Alone with a brand-new baby, she wished that she had more support. She didn’t have the energy or capacity to do it by herself initially. Mercedes was able to make major progress when she came up with the idea for Virtual Mommy groups. She knew about in-person sessions, but as she recovered from a cesarean section, she couldn’t leave her home. The virtual meet ups that she created are for women only and let mothers who experienced postpartum depression talk with other women who feel and felt the same way. The groups give new moms, future moms and older moms a safe space to talk about what’s on our minds and to support each other.
Meet Mercedes: https://youtu.be/V-WPsCPeYNI(opens in new tab)
Key Studies
| April 2025 | Le HN, Andescavage N, Keller JM, Bassa MM, Danielson AL, Henderson D, Bond S, Mjenga N, Wells S, Quinn P, Limperopoulos C. Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial of the Mommy&Me Study: A Multi-Modal Approach to Address Social Determinants of Health and Mental Health Among Low-Income Black Perinatal Populations. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications. 2025 Apr 21;45:101489. doi: 10.1016/j.conctc.2025.101489. PMID: 40336702; PMCID: PMC12056800 | view |
Date: April 2022
Seed M, Limperopoulos C. In Utero Brain Growth Matters for Fetuses With Congenital Heart Disease. Circulation. 2022 Apr 12;145(15):1120-1122. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.122.058683. Epub 2022 Apr 11. PMID: 35404677
View: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35404677
Date: January 2010
Limperopoulos C, Tworetzky W, McElhinney DB, Newburger JW, Brown DW, Robertson RL Jr, Guizard N, McGrath E, Geva J, Annese D, Dunbar-Masterson C, Trainor B, Laussen PC, du Plessis AJ. Brain Volume and Metabolism in Fetuses With Congenital Heart Disease: Evaluation With Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy. Circulation. 2010 Jan 5;121(1):26-33. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.865568. Epub 2009 Dec 21. PMID: 20026783; PMCID: PMC2819908
View: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2819908
Date: February 2024
Wu Y, De Asis-Cruz J, Limperopoulos C. Brain Structural and Functional Outcomes in the Offspring of Women Experiencing Psychological Distress During Pregnancy. Molecular Psychiatry. 2024 Jul;29(7):2223-2240. doi: 10.1038/s41380-024-02449-0. Epub 2024 Feb 28. PMID: 38418579; PMCID: PMC11408260
View: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38418579
Date: April 2022
Wu Y, Espinosa KM, Barnett SD, Kapse A, Quistorff JL, Lopez C, Andescavage N, Pradhan S, Lu YC, Kapse K, Henderson D, Vezina G, Wessel D, du Plessis AJ, Limperopoulos C. Association of Elevated Maternal Psychological Distress, Altered Fetal Brain, and Offspring Cognitive and Social-Emotional Outcomes at 18 Months. JAMA Network Open. 2022 Apr 1;5(4):e229244. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.9244. PMID: 35486403; PMCID: PMC9055453
View: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35486403