Postpartum Depression Related To Hormone Changes

Postpartum Depression: Not Just the Baby Blues

Prior to her first pregnancy more than three years ago, 31-year-old Brittany Edge, a licensed marriage and family therapist, was a really happy, content person. But that all changed when she was pregnant.

“I went through a drastic change when I was pregnant with our first child, a daughter,” Edge said. “I cried uncontrollably for hours at a time, and I felt intense loss and devastation over being pregnant. What kind of mother would I be? How would my life change?”

Edge sought help to get her emotions under control, but the response she received from the physicians and therapists she talked to was less than she expected.

“I was told that I was just facing a hard time in my life and what I was going through was normal,” Edge explained. “I could not imagine why women would want to be pregnant if what I was feeling was normal.”

Edge got pregnant with her second child, a son, about a year and a half after her daughter was born. And she experienced some of the same emotions as those with the first pregnancy, and then some.

“I didn’t gain much weight, I didn’t enjoy being pregnant and I felt totally disconnected from the baby,” Edge said.

To make matters worse, her son was a fussy baby and developed heightened startle reflex, a condition common in babies whose mothers suffer from postpartum depression. Edge said she had a fear of losing control of herself, but when she looked for help, she found nothing.

“I needed someone to tell me that what I was suffering from was postpartum depression, but nobody did,” she said.

After much perseverance, Edge found and connected with professionals who could help her and went on to earn certification in the assessment and treatment of perinatal mood disorders so that she could help other women who felt like she did. She also got started on some medications that helped her feel better.

Edge now spends a great deal of her time educating women on postpartum depression and developing support groups.

“There are not a lot of resources for women who are experiencing postpartum depression. I want to try to help these women," she said.

That desire, combined with her own personal experience with postpartum depression, has led her to her current role as the western Pennsylvania area coordinator for Postpartum Support International.

Postpartum depression affects up to 20 percent of women in the United States and should not be confused with the baby blues, which occurs as the woman’s body is adjusting to hormonal changes and sleep deprivation and affects up to 80 percent of women, according to Edge. Symptoms of postpartum depression include sadness, anxiety, worry, guilt, feeling disconnected from the baby, anger and a fear that something bad is going to happen to the baby. The highest incidence of developing postpartum depression is between four and eight weeks after birth.

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The “baby blues” are considered a normal part of adjusting to motherhood. It is caused by fluctuating hormonal changes after birth and characterized by crying, exhaustion, mood swings and anxiety. Up to 85% of new mothers experience the baby blues. However if your symptoms don’t go away within two to three weeks or in extreme cases, if you are having suicidal thoughts or an inability to care for your newborn then you might be suffering from an illness known as postnatal or postpartum depression. Postpartum depression in detail

Postpartum depression is a complex of different emotional reactions that occur several days after birth. It may continue from days to weeks and months, if the woman doesn’t change her experiences in the first days after she notice that something is wrong. This condition is not directly caused by birth, but arises from biological, family and personal factors. Canada pharmacy undeerstands Postpartum Depression

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Symptoms of postpartum depression include severe depression, situational anxiety, detachment from loved ones, feelings of loneliness and a despondent attitude towards activities of daily life.

Other studies tend to show that more likely causes are the significant changes in a woman’s hormones during pregnancy.

Experts agree there is no single cause but rather a combination of hormonal, biochemical, environmental, psychological, and genetic factors. Other causes include changes in your body from pregnancy and delivery, changes in work and social relationships and hormone levels change during pregnancy and right after childbirth. Those hormone changes may produce chemical changes in the brain that play a part in causing depression.

Then what are the symptoms of baby blue? Symptoms can include inability to sleep, agitation, and mood swings. You may feel restless, anxious, fatigued and worthless. Some new moms worry they will hurt themselves or their babies. Unlike the “baby blues,” postpartum depression does not go away quickly. Rarely, an extreme form of postpartum depression known as postpartum psychosis develops after childbirth.

What can you do to get along with postpartum depression? Get plenty of rest. Do not try to do it all. Try to nap when the baby naps, and try not to feel guilty about the way you feel now. Tell someone you trust about how you feel. Taking care of your physical self can sometimes help you feel better inside. Join a support group for women with depression. Call a local hotline or look in your telephone book for information and services. Ask your doctor or nurse for a referral to a mental health therapist.

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