Postpartum Depression

What You Should Know About Postpartum Depression and the Baby Blues

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If you have been reading any pregnancy books or pamphlets, you may have seen something concerning a serious mental condition called postpartum depression or PPD. All the attention is due to some very famous singers and actresses – who are also new moms – telling the public about their own experiences with postpartum issues after childbirth.

So what exactly is ‘postpartum depression’ and is there any difference between PPD and the ‘baby blues’ that mom or grandma may have talked about before?

Well, in a nutshell, the baby blues are:

• A temporary depression occurring within the first few days after giving birth; symptoms may include becoming teary and irritable, with some sleeplessness and mood swings.
• A hormonal imbalance: during pregnancy, your body produces a large amount of a hormone called ‘progesterone’. But after childbirth, your body stops making progesterone completely for about two weeks. After two weeks following your baby’s birth, your body’s progesterone levels return to normal and so should you!

Hopefully that’s all that mom and grandma went through. The baby blues can make you feel “out of sorts”, but with support of family and friends, that short time shouldn’t be too terrible. Unfortunately, some women’s baby blues stretch out longer, anywhere from seven months to a year or two following the birth of their baby. That’s when postpartum issues become more of a concern.

So what makes those postpartum issues such a cause for concern?

• It’s not temporary; the symptoms of ‘mild’ depression and crying are a lot worse. You feel worthless or guilty, you can’t concentrate and you’re really anxious and very unhappy all of the time.
• You can’t sleep, you have a big loss of energy, you don’t walk or talk like you did before (you’re either really hyper or really sluggish) and you experience large weight fluctuations.
• In the worst cases, some women have actually harmed or killed their children blaming PPD as the cause of their dementia.

Postpartum Depression begins within the first four months after the birth of your baby. You may feel really afraid – you may even think about death – you begin to lose control of your reality. Postpartum issues are a real-life medical condition that is also caused by the hormonal changes in your body. You have every right to seek out professional medical assistance for this debilitating and potentially dangerous disorder.

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There are risk factors associated with PPD you should be aware of:

   1) If your mother had any postpartum issues or if there is a history of depression, mental illness or thyroid disease in your family.
   2) If you ever had PMS or anger control problems, talk to your family doctor about possible postpartum issues.
   3) If you’ve suffered abuse recently or in childhood, or you’re having relationship troubles, you owe it to yourself and your baby to talk about this with doctor as well.

What can be done about Postpartum Depression?

If you are experiencing any postpartum issues, you might not think nothing will help you – you may not even have the strength or self-worth to seek out help at all. It’s important to have family and friends around you to support you however; you need and must seek professional help.

Your doctor will explain postpartum depression (PPD) with you in greater detail. Once you’ve discussed the various causes and concerns, you’ll have choices in how to treat your postpartum issues:

• There are antidepressant medications available which are not only safe and effective; there are many that have also been formulated to be safe for your baby if you are breast-feeding. Ask your doctor about SSRI or Tricyclic antidepressants which are shown to be safe for breast-feeding women like you.
• Counseling, either with one-on-one through ‘cognitive-behavioral therapy’, or even a great support group, has also been proven to work, giving you some very valuable coping tools and also letting you know you’re still a normal and productive person and a great mother too.
• You should ask your doctor about getting your hormonal levels and your thyroid gland checked out with the appropriate blood tests.

You deserve to feel great and love being a mom, and feel love for your baby. Remember PPD is treatable, and you can get better sooner and be the best for your baby. You are not being silly, lazy or cranky – you need professional help – please call you physician now.