Under the Umbrella of Postpartum Depression

It's the little unspoken secret among moms and dads in the world of new babies. 

I'm not talking about the secret of how to soothe a fussy baby or how to help your baby sleep longer. This kept secret impacts up to 30% of women nationwide and as many as 64% of moms in Utah. This untold secret is postpartum depression and the cloud it casts over new moms everywhere. We are taught this SHOULD be the most joyful moment of our lives, but what if it's not? Let's talk about it.  

What exactly is Postpartum Depression? Postpartum Depression is an umbrella term that includes mood disorders after you've had a baby. These include The Baby Blues, Postpartum Anxiety, Postpartum OCD, Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Postpartum Psychosis. While each diagnosis may have it's own unique set of symptoms, what they all have in common is a mother who may be silently suffering asking herself:  Why am I feeling this way?  Will I ever feel normal again?  Is there help?  These symptoms can occur right after birth showing up anytime in pregnancy up to the first 18 months after the baby is born.

Understanding these symptoms can help you, a family member or a loved one get the help, education and support they need. Let's look at each of the symptoms under the umbrella.

BABY BLUES - The Baby Blues, not a mood disorder, is a common and normal response during the first two weeks after the birth of a baby and impacts up to 80% of new moms.  You may feel happy one minute and crying the next.  If these symptoms last longer than two weeks or are disrupting your life more than you'd like, you may be experiencing more than the baby blues. See below.

POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION - You may be experiencing postpartum depression if you are having persistent feelings of anger, sadness, irritability, guilt, lack of interest in the baby, changes in eating and sleeping habits, trouble concentrating, thoughts of hopelessness and possibly even thoughts of harming the baby or yourself. 

POSTPARTUM ANXIETY - You may be experiencing postpartum anxiety if you are having persistent feelings of worry and fear, 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.

POSTPARTUM OCD - You may be experiencing postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder if you are having repetitive, upsetting and unwanted thoughts or mental images (obsessions), and sometimes you need to do certain things over and over (compulsions) to reduce the anxiety caused by those thoughts. Often times these thoughts can be very scary, intrusive and unusual and moms are very unlikely to ever act on them.

POSTPARTUM POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER- You may be experiencing postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder if you had a traumatic birth experience, had a troubled pregnancy, baby going to the NICU, or having a sense of powerlessness or lack of support during your birth.  Moms may experience flashbacks of the event and tend to avoid things relating to that event. 

POSTPARTUM PSYCHOSIS - You may be experiencing postpartum psychosis if you see images or hear voices that others cannot see or hear.  You may believe things that aren't true and distrust those around you.  You may have periods of memory loss, confusion and may feel like you have excess energy and don't have a need for sleep for days.  This part of the umbrella is severe and dangerous and needs medical emergency attention immediately.

Now that I've let you in on the postpartum depression secret, I will share another secret with you. You are not alone. With proper treatment and support things will get better and you will feel like yourself again.  If you or someone you love is experiencing any of the above symptoms talk with your doctor, midwife, pediatrician, talk with a counselor or contact your local chapter of Postpartum Support International.

Postpartum Depression Therapy From The Healing Group

The Healing Group specializes in all of the postpartum mood disorders mentioned above. We currently offer:

A FREE online postpartum support group.

Postpartum therapy groups lead by one of our specialized therapists. These groups provide education, processing, and tools for healing.

Individual therapy with highly-qualified and experienced therapists.

Call or text 801-305-3171 to speak with a Client Care Coordinator who can assist you in finding postpartum depression therapy.