Do I Have Postpartum Depression? (Adapted from Healthy Steps)

Postpartum Depression: Definitions and Issues

After delivery, about 50 % of women experience feelings of anxiety, depression, weepiness, and unpredictable mood swings. Some women feel elated and excited to face the new challenges of getting to know their baby. All women experience hormonal fluctuations, and some postpartum blues pass in time. Some fathers and adoptive mothers also have this experience. Here are some other issues to consider:

• You may feel a sense of loss and emptiness and miss having the baby inside you.
• Friends and family may shift their attention, pampering, and compliments to the new baby instead of you.
• Many parents are eager to get home from the hospital and get on with their own way of parenting. Other parents may feel overwhelmed and not ready to bring the baby home where other responsibilities await.
• Exhausted from many nights of interrupted sleep, many parents of newborns feel that they have lost the ability to cope with even a minor stressful event.
• Many parents feel inadequate and unprepared for their new role. Many feel guilty that they are even considering going back to work at some point, and some feel guilty that they are looking forward to going back to work as a respite from these overwhelming responsibilities.
• You are certainly not "the old you." You don't look like yourself right after birth. You may miss the activities and routines that provided relaxation and enjoyment not so long ago.
• Many women feel ongoing pain in their bodies and begin to develop a negative self-image.
• Many new parents feel some disappointment and must mourn the loss of the idealized childbirth or baby they had imagined. At the same time, they must readjust their expectations of themselves as parents.
• Many parents have a hard time asking clearly for the kind of help and support that they want and need.
• Families may also experience a shift in their financial or work status if one parent remains at home with the baby and other small children.

Management of Postpartum Depression

• Accept help with baby care and with housework and cooking from friends and family.
• Sleep when the baby does. Make feeding time a restful time in the rocking chair.
• Take some time out for yourself to walk with a friend, do some stretching and toning, read a book, spend special time with your partner, get outside, and go out for lunch.
• Tell your partner how you are feeling. Let him know that you need his support.
• Eat very well. Avoid sugar and caffeine. Get lots of fiber from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and pastas. Eat small portions of protein. Continue to take a good multivitamin tablet and look for ways to keep up your calcium intake. Many women have trouble digesting pasteurized milk.
• Find or start a new mother and baby group in your neighborhood. You can meet weekly to share notes, give and get advice, share good company, and make new friends for yourself and your baby.
• Stay in close touch with your obstetrician and your baby's pediatrician. Let them know how you are feeling and what you are experiencing. They will listen and can get you to a specialist or counselor if needed.
• Depression is very treatable. Don't wait to get some help.
• Ask for professional help immediately if you experience:
• Sleeplessness even when the baby sleeps
• Depression or anxiety that lasts more than a week
• Loss of appetite or overeating
• Lack of interest in yourself, your family and friends, or your environment
• Feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and lack of control over life
• Impulses to harm your baby or yourself
• If you can't call your doctor yourself, ask a friend or family member to call.

Adapted from Healthy Steps. Edited and Compiled by the Center for Promotion of Child Development Through Primary Care 2011