Week 1—Who Am I?

Post Partum Depression

The Silent Killer…. Literally! Let’s talk about it.

Welcome Mommy’s….. and daddy’s if you’re here 😊

 Today we’re kicking off week 1 of a 3-week series entitled “Who am I?” I say we’re kicking it off because I hope to have other contributors soon. Today’s topic is Postpartum Depression.

What is it?

Simply put, Post-Partum Depression is depression that occurs after childbirth. This typically occurs within the first 3 months of giving birth but can occur anytime within the first year or two years. It is important to mention that while men aren’t brought up often in the Post-Partum Depression discussion, about 1 in 10 men experience Post-Partum Depression.

What are the Symptoms?

Symptoms of Post-Partum Depression may affect someone’s mood, behavior, cognition, weight, psychology, and whole body. Here’s what that may look like:

Changes to your mood may include anger, anxiety, guilt, hopelessness, loss of interest or pleasure in activities, mood swings, or panic attack. Behavioral changes may look like crying or irritability. Cognitive changes would include a lack of concentration or unwanted thoughts. You might also see weight gain or loss. Overall thoughts of fear, fatigue, loss of appetite, or restlessness are also symptoms.

What Causes It?

According to Mayo Clinic There’s no single cause of Post-Partum Depression, but genetics, physical changes and emotional issues may play a role. As far as genetics are concerned, studies show that having a family history of postpartum depression — especially if it was major — increases the risk of experiencing postpartum depression. I find this factor to be most interesting because this isn’t a topic moms discuss often, especially within families, so most woman would have no way of knowing if you are predisposed to PPD genetically.

Statistics say that 6.5% to 20% of moms experience PPD but I believe the number to be greater. Thinking back on my personal experience, I didn’t realize I was suffering with PPD until it was over so when asked about it at follow up appointments my answer was always “I’m fine.”

Personal Experience

I’m someone that already has a history of depression so I really should have seen the signs of PPD when it started. I had my daughter in March of 2019 vis emergency C-section which was stressful in and of itself. When I was in the hospital recovering I was on some amazing medication (and I don’t even like meds), but once I got home I couldn’t find the liquid versions of anything and because I can’t swallow pills, I literally recovered on Motrin. Now picture this… you just had major surgery, you have a newborn that did not come with any instructions, you’re in pain with no real relief, you’re told not every time you want to hold or feed your baby someone will need to hand her to you because you can’t bend over, and you’re struggling to breastfeed. Does that now sound like a lot of reasons to be depressed?

It was all those things combined that left me feeling worthless. There were days when Patience and I would just cry together for hours. Thankfully my saving grace was that this was precovid so one of my brother-in-law and sister-in-law would stop by daily on their lunchbreaks. Some days socialization would help, other I’d send a text saying, “When you get here I’m gonna nap, wake me before you leave”. For me the PPD showed up as hopelessness and unwanted thoughts. Panic attacks happened quite a bit when we had too much company, especially unannounced. I really didn’t start to feel like myself again until I went back to work and adjusted to my new normal, but even that took some work. Next week we’ll talk about what the process of “rediscovering me” was like and how you can do it too.

Parents check-in. Did you experience PPD? What was that experience like for you and how long did it last?

Dads, I’d love to hear from you too about your experience or how you were able to help your wife through it.