Search Results for: blog postpartum depression

Baby Blues or Postpartum Depression

After giving birth a woman goes through a myriad of emotions. The drop in hormones at such a rapid rate after giving birth can trigger feelings of depression. It is not uncommon for a woman to go through many emotional changes as she encounters the changes in her life a baby brings. Some women feel unattractive, some are still experiencing pain or had difficult births, and some may have relationship problems which can contribute to feelings of depression. For many these feelings subside yet others experience a more serious depression called postpartum depression. What are the differences? Baby Blues The … Continue reading →

Postpartum Depression Linked to Genetic Marker

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Did you experience postpartum depression after your baby was born? Did you mother have the same experience? How about the other women in your family? A study indicates that postpartum depression could have a genetic link, as well as an environmental one. Postpartum depression is a serious medical illness. It is something that can be experienced by both women and men (but we tend to hear more about it being diagnosed in women). Symptoms of postpartum depression can begin a few months after a baby has been born, and can also occur after a stillbirth or miscarriage. Parents who suffer … Continue reading →

Do I Have Postpartum Depression?

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I didn’t realize that I had postpartum depression until it was over. That’s a scary thought. But, like every first-time Mom, I kind of had the attitude that I would be so in love with my baby that there was no way that I would be depressed! No way. My situation was hard because my husband was in graduate school when we had our first baby. He was working long hours, and took the car with him to travel to his surgery rotation an hour one way. We just had one car. So, all day, Monday through Friday I was … Continue reading →

Dad’s Depression has an Impact on Baby

When we discuss postpartum depression, we automatically think of moms suffering from this illness. But a recent study showed that many dads may experience depression after a new baby is born. And this study also revealed that dad’s depression can have major ramification of your children. There appears to be a direct correlation between dad’s depression and spanking. The study showed that 40 percent of depressed dads have spanked their one year old child, compared to only 13 percent of dads that are not suffering. These results are alarming, as children this young most likely will not make the connection … Continue reading →

Postpartum Depression: Angie’s Story (1)

Looking back at her life, Angie could see that she typified the perfect candidate for postpartum depression. In the months prior to becoming pregnant, and she had been promoted in her job, but her boss had also taken leave and she was expected to take on a large part of his workload. In addition, her parents were having marital problems. When she was three months pregnant she received a hysterical phone call from her mother demanding that she come immediately to the family home as her father was threatening to leave and had also hidden his heart medication tablets in … Continue reading →

Pregnancy and Postpartum Depression Screening

Depression can affect just as many pregnant women as it does postpartum women, if not more. Fourteen to twenty-three percent of pregnant women suffer from depression while five to twenty-five percent of women will have postpartum depression. Typically your obstetrician and your pediatrician will give you a short questionnaire on multiple occasions after your baby is born that will screen for signs of postpartum depression. The questionnaire might contain statements like “I cry more than usual” and ask you to rate that statement on a scale of one to five. Postpartum depression is not something you should try to hide … Continue reading →

Mommy Blog Bashers

Have you ever considered that you could be helping a struggling single mom of four young children make ends meet each time you click on a link that leads to her blog? Earlier this year Oprah Winfrey devoted an entire show to the “Secret Lives of Moms.” It featured an audience full of women drooling at the chance to discuss the joys and pitfalls associated with raising the next generation. A portion of the episode spoke to a “new” kind of motherhood, in which women no longer suffer in silence about negative parenting experiences, mistakes and lack of maternal instincts. … Continue reading →

Treatment for Depression During Pregnancy

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Did you know about 12 million women in the US experience clinical depression each year? What happens to these women when they become pregnant? According to a story in the Los Angeles Times, 13% of pregnant woman took antidepressants at some point during their pregnancy. For many women, the choice of whether to continue with their medication when they become pregnant is a difficult one. They must weigh the risks of not treating their depression with the risk of what the drugs may do to their unborn child. The American Psychiatric Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists … Continue reading →

Stress, Weight Gain and Depression in Adoptive Parents

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“At least you don’t have to deal with the ‘maternity forty’!” chirped a colleague while I waiting for my third child’s arrival from Korea. Adoptive parents frequently hear comments like, “Oh, you’re doing it the easy way”. Now, having had a difficult pregnancy myself, I’m inclined to agree that MY adoption process wasn’t as difficult as my pregnancy. But I was blessed to have had the choice both to conceive and to adopt. Remember that many adoptive parents have been dealing with the grief of infertility. They often feel that their dreams of a family are at the mercy of … Continue reading →

Identifying and Treating Postpartum Depression

Post partum depression is often underdiagnosed. New mothers don’t seek help for a variety of reasons or fail to notice the symptoms of PPD. Health care providers have limited contact and women often put on a brave face, which prevents diagnosis in some cases. Researchers in England may have discovered the key to better diagnosis for women. Studies conducted in England involved training health visitors to recognize the signs and symptoms of post partum depression. The study looked at over 4,000 new mothers in England. The mothers were identified by the health care visitors. The women were divided into two … Continue reading →