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Post-Partum Depression

How does post-partum depression happen and why? This kind of depression is similar to other forms of depression, except it happens after giving birth. It is not totally clear why some women develop PPD (as it is called) while other women may have the “baby blues” (a normal affliction including mood swings, crying jags, mild depression/ sleep problems/loss of appetite) and others have no symptoms of depression at all. As with any form of depression, if you have had it in the past you may be more likely to develop it during or after your pregnancy. If you had PPD with a previous pregnancy that will also increase your risk. Other risks include: significant stresses in the past year, marital conflict, insufficient support system, or unplanned pregnancy.

Some of the symptoms of PPD include loss of appetite, insomnia, intense anger or irritability, overwhelming fatigue, feelings of guilt, shame, or inadequacy, mood swings, difficulty bonding with your baby, withdrawl from family and friends, and thoughts of harming yourself or your baby. This is a long and scary list! The main thing to remember is that getting information as in reading this post or other information online, and getting early treatment are very helpful and important. And since isolation is a hallmark of depression, finding ways to reach out are extremely helpful.

I’ve been reading a blog about PPD called “The Elephant in the Room” on the “Barely Knit Together” website. As if it’s not hard enough having PPD, it is sometimes hard to diagnose, and if you do have it, you may need to decide whether to continue breastfeeding. That’s because some of the medications used in PPD may not be good for your baby to ingest. And then there’s the shame of it all.

So what do you do? The most important thing–and worth repeating, is to get support from people and from professionals trained to know how to treat this problem. This is often the first step in getting help with any problem, and a woman with PPD may be so bogged down with sleep deprivation and stress about childcare she may not know where to turn for support. I think parental stress lines are fantastic in this regard. Some even have volunteers who can follow up with you and stay in touch until you are feeling better. In San Francisco the Family Service Agency has had a phone support line for parents for many years and it works!! It is so important to find non-judgemental patient understanding and education for what you are going through. There are many websites to help you decide if you may have PPD. I like barelyknittogether.com and also mayoclinic.com/health/postpartum-depression.

Let me know what you have experienced and how you found help. If you are still searching, please keep trying.