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Postpartum
Mental Health
Postpartum Depression and Postpartum anxiety plague many moms after birth. There is no need to continue suffering. There is no shame in seeking help... You can get real, practical solutions and loving support - the kind of nonjudgmental care that makes all the difference! You will recover faster from Postpartum Depression if you have a doula by your side!
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Did you
know... If you suffered from depression or anxiety
before pregnancy, you have a higher risk of struggling with prenatal depression (depression during pregnancy) and postpartum depression (depression during the post-natal period)?
Did you
know that more than 1 in 10 new dads also struggle with depression
during the postpartum period?
Postpartum
Dads Project - Article on Depression
How can
you help yourself to prepare?
Get adequate support, with plenty of rest and emotional-health-promoting
nutrition and don't expect yourself to fight this struggle alone!
Women have been helping other women get through this tough transition for centuries, together. You don't have to battle postpartum depression of postpartum anxiety on your own.
It's natural and healthy to desire support.
Give yourself permission to seek out the best providers
and receive the care that you and your babies deserve.
Is
This Normal?
-
Are you feeling sad or depressed?
- Do you feel more irritable or angry with those around you?
- Are you having difficulty bonding with your baby?
- Do you feel anxious or panicky?
- Are you having problems with eating or sleeping?
- Are you having upsetting thoughts that you can’t get
out of your mind?
- Do you feel as if you are “out of control” or “going
crazy”?
- Do you feel like you never should have become a mother?
- Are you worried that you might hurt your baby or yourself?*
Any
of these symptoms, and many more, could indicate that you have
a form of perinatal mood or anxiety disorder, such as postpartum
depression. While many women experience some mild mood changes
during or after the birth of a child, 15 to 20% of women
experience more significant symptoms of depression or anxiety.
Please know that with informed care you can prevent a worsening
of these symptoms and can fully recover. There is no reason
to continue to suffer.
Women
of every culture, age, income level and race can develop perinatal
mood and anxiety disorders. Symptoms can appear any time
during pregnancy and the first 12 months after childbirth. There
are effective and well-researched treatment options to help
you recover. Although the term “postpartum depression”
is most often used, there are actually several forms of illness
that women may experience, including:
Pregnancy
(also called antepartum) or Postpartum Depression.
A woman with PPD might experience feelings of anger, sadness,
irritability, guilt, lack of interest in the baby, changes in
eating and sleeping habits, trouble concentrating, thoughts
of hopelessness and sometimes even thoughts of harming the baby
or herself. Learn more about PPD, including risk factors, symptoms
and treatment options.
Pregnancy
(also called antepartum) or Postpartum Anxiety.
A woman with PPA may experience extreme worries and fears, often
over the health and safety of the baby. Some women have panic
attacks and might feel shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness,
a feeling of losing control, and numbness and tingling. Learn
more about PPA, including risk factors, symptoms and treatment
options.
Pregnancy
or Postpartum Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
Women with PPOCD can have repetitive, upsetting and unwanted
thoughts or mental images (obsessions), and sometimes they need
to do certain things over and over (compulsions) to reduce the
anxiety caused by those thoughts. These moms find these thoughts
very scary and unusual and are very unlikely to ever act on
them. Learn more about PPOCD, including risk factors, symptoms
and treatment options.
Postpartum
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
PPTSD is often caused by a traumatic or frightening childbirth,
and symptoms may include flashbacks of the trauma with feelings
of anxiety and the need to avoid things related to that event.
Learn more about PPTSD, including risk factors, symptoms and
treatment options.
Postpartum
Psychosis.
PPP sufferers sometimes see and hear voices or images that others
can’t, called hallucinations. They may believe things that
aren’t true and distrust those around them. They may also
have periods of confusion and memory loss, and seem manic. This
severe condition is dangerous so it is important to seek help
immediately. Learn more about PPP, including risk factors, symptoms
and treatment options.*
* from PSI, Postpartum.net
Email
Anne or Call 210-548-8800 About
Support
Natural
Health Options for Up-Moods
-
Bergamot, essential oil
Bergamot is an inexpensive
and mood-lifting essential oil. One sniff and you'll agree,
it's sunshine in a bottle. Use drops on your wrist, as a perfume,
on your pillow, a drop in your morning tea, drip a few drops
on the floor of your shower when you step in, use in a diffuser
or just keep a bottle handy for sniffing.
-
Vitamin B
Using a Vit. B complex
can help your body manage water levels and thereby stabilize
mood. This is water-soluble and something we excrete in urine
quite quickly, so will need to be taken daily.
-
Iron
When moms are anemic,
they find themselves exhausted easily and their moods also suffer.
Getting enough sleep and taking an iron supplement, can improve
your emotional state.
-
Sleep!
This seems like
a no-brainer, but the truth is, we need more sleep than we get
when we're new moms. Have your partner (or a grandparent/aunt/friend)
allow you to nap in silence while he/she takes the children
for a walk or to the park or a playdate. Hire a postpartum doula
to care for your home and newborn overnight while you catch
up on needed zzzzzzzzz's.
-
Sunshine
Sit on the porch
or in a sunny window and enjoy some warm rays and all the benefits
of UV therapy. Sunshine positively affects our mood and can
help us achieve more restful sleep at night.
- Hire a Postpartum Doula!
Hiring a Postpartum
Doula can make all the difference in your home and give you
a feeling of peace and sanity - even if it's just once a week.
You can never underestimate the power of in-person, practical
support.
Email
Anne or Call 210-548-8800 About Support
Additional
Resources:
Great
Publications: Guides for Self-Care
A
Self-Assessment Scale
Postpartum
Depression Support Group
