Symptoms of Post Partum Depression

The symptoms of post partum depression include depressed mood, tearfulness, irritability, and appetite disturbances. These seem to hit after the birth of a baby and could hit up to a year and a half or so later.

Depression affects an average of 19 million Americans with the vast majority being women. Depression stems from different reasons:

• Diet
• Emotional stress
• Environment
• Hormonal imbalances
• Medical conditions
• Physical ailments
• Postpartum

In an interview with Christine Harris, a psychology professor and author of "The Pregnancy Journal" she spoke of the symptoms of post partum depression.

Christine says "The vast majority of women, upwards of 85%, experience some kind of postpartum reaction." PPD is one of the ways that women suffer a reaction. Christine goes on to say, "Postpartum reactions have been identified into three categories in order of increasing severity- postpartum blues or baby blues, postpartum depression, and postpartum psychosis. Most commonly, mothers experience these reactions the first week after childbirth. (It should be noted that the symptoms of postpartum blues are typically less severe than the negative symptoms after other surgical procedures, that positive mood ratings after birth tend to be higher than negative mood ratings, and that depression is generally more common in the third trimester of pregnancy than in the first ten days postpartum.)


Is it the same thing as Baby Blues?

Christine says "postpartum blues involves depressed mood, tearfulness, irritability, and appetite disturbances. The best predictor of the postpartum blues is experiencing depression during pregnancy, having a night-time labor, and/or a history of sleep disruption in the latter stages. It tends to be intermittent and usually disappears without medication within 4 weeks."

I asked her how many new mothers suffer from PPD – Christine says, "Postpartum depression affects 7-26% of new mothers and is characterized by feelings of sadness, fearfulness, and uncontrollable crying -- essentially, a clinical depression that follows childbirth."

Christine goes on talking of the different causes of PPD. "Postpartum depression may be caused by the sudden emotional, physical, and hormonal changes that accompany birth, as well as by emotional or situational factors. For example, unemployed women, those with lower occupational status, poor inner city women, and recent immigrants, particularly those who were not working or who had given birth to a second child, were found to be at higher risk."

I asked her how long PPD can last. She said, "In 6-10% of women, postpartum depression continues for six weeks; in 4% the depression persists for a year or longer."


What about the treatments for the symptoms of post partum depression?

According to Christine, "Treatment is generally recommended for persistent postpartum depression. However, only 1/3 of women who were depressed 12-18 months after childbirth reported seeking any form of professional assistance (each woman's case is unique, so medication for breastfeeding moms would need to be evaluated by each health care provider.)"


The first step toward recover is recognizing the symptoms. PPD is not to be confused with post partum psychosis. Remember Andrea Yates, the infamous mother who drowned her five children in Texas? She suffered from the post partum psychosis. This illness requires invasive medical therapy and treatments, while PPD and be more easily managed and cured. The good news is that post partum psychosis only affects one or two women for every one thousand who suffer from PPD.


Symptoms of post partum depression:

• Aches and pains that don’t respond to treatment
• Decreased energy, fatigue and lethargy
• Drug abuse
• Excessive crying
• Feelings of guilt, hopelessness, worthlessness
• Irritability and agitation
• Lack of concentration
• Loss of interest in ordinary activities, including sex
• Persistent sadness or depressed mood
• Sleep disturbances – oversleeping or insomnia
• Suicidal thoughts
• Weight gain or loss, associated with eating habits

Seek the advice of your doctor if you suffer from at least 5 of these symptoms for a proper diagnosis.


Traditional Medical Treatments for Symptoms of Post Partum Depression

1. Antidepressants – these are given if the depression is caused from emotional stress or a chemical imbalance in the brain. Because these medications are habit forming, close monitoring is needed. Often therapy is used in conjunction with antidepressants.
2. Psychological therapies – this is used when emotional stress or personal problems are the root. Therapy helps the patient to better cope with the situations thus allowing the patient to feel more control over her life. In mild cases, therapy alone can cure the depression.


Natural Treatments for Symptoms of Post Partum Depression

1. Ask for help. Get Daddy involved and even other family and friends. Even if you don't want to ask, chances are if you do ask most people are more than willing to help you out. Sometimes just having company helps. Other times, you may inlist help to care for the baby or of older children or with your housework.
   
2. Breastfeeding
   
3. Get fresh air. Spending some time in the outdoors helps to clear your head and stave off those depressive feelings.
   
4. Have someone to watch the baby for an hour or two each day to allow you some "me" time. Self-pampering may be all the doctor ordered for a nice cure to the baby blues.
   
5. Herbs – always clear this with your physician first. Some may not be taken if you are breastfeeding

   a. B Vitamins
   b. Bee pollen
   c. Ginseng
   d. Oats
   e. Rosemary
   f. Skullcap
   g. St. John's Wort
   

6. Recognizing where the symptoms of post partum depression stems from – hormonal imbalance – can be enough to cope. Fortunately PPD hits in small time frames, so knowing ahead of time where it stems from helps to get through it.
   
   When I suffered from PPD after my 4th pregnancy, the PPD would hit in the evenings and would last a couple of hours for about 2 weeks. Knowing what it was helped me to cope and get through it.
   
7. Regular and sustained exercise.

If you suspect you may be suffering from post partum depression you should talk to your doctor. All the advice in this article and on this site is strictly for informational purposes only. Your physician will be able to diagnose and treat your depression.


These is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed if you feel you are suffering from the symptoms of post partum depression. It is an illness that needs attention and the good news is that it’s treatable! Don’t allow the condition to progress if you suspect you may have it. PPD is a very real condition and with the help of your doctor one that can be cured.