Womb to Bloom - Maternity & Beyond

Having a baby is one of the hardest things your body can do. Since it is such a tough process both physically and emotionally, it affects your hormones and chemical balance. When there is a chemical imbalance in the brain, one of the resulting conditions is called post partum depression or PPD.

In recent years, post partum depression has been talked about a lot more than ever before. Hollywood celebrities such as Brooke Shields, Marie Osmond and Gwyneth Paltrow have all come forward and said they suffered to some extent from a form of post partum depression. When people are talking about the condition, it makes it a little easier to understand and a bit easier to diagnose. Usually.

So, what do you do when you have read about the symptoms and signs for PPD and think you have it?

The first answer would be to call your obstetrician. Since they delivered your baby and have monitored your condition for the last ten months, they are in the best position to diagnose you and prescribe the proper treatment. Treatment may include a daily anti-depressant or other suitable medicine taken orally. The medicine may only be needed for the short term until your hormone influx can balance itself out.  If the prescription is needed long-term, don’t fret. Many men and women have taken anti-depressants long term with no ill side effects.

Sometimes you don’t even need medicine, but support in the form of a psychologist. They can speak with you and get to the root of the problem in a few sessions or less. This doctor may discover in your conversations that you may benefit from medicine and prescribe it. As long as the medicine helps you, it doesn’t matter which doctor it comes from.

What happens when you call your doctor, but they offer no help?

This may sound unlikely, but it has happened. One harried first time mom was feeling blue, unusually so, and called the doctor’s office to ask questions. The nurse who answered her call asked a bunch of questions and came up with this response. “You’re just tired. You just need to sleep it off and then you’ll feel better.”

That is not an adequate answer. First, it wasn’t a diagnosis from the doctor and second, the diagnosis wasn’t made in person. Make an appointment to sit with the doctor or even a nurse in person. Sometimes sitting in the office face to face will get you better results than a short discussion over the phone will.

When calling or even an appointment doesn’t get the results you think you need, getting a second opinion is an option. If you truly believe you are suffering from PPD, call another doctor. Try your family physician or even a pediatrician if you already have one. They may be able to prescribe you the medicine or therapy you need to feel better. When they cannot, they can always refer you to a different practicing doctor who can.

Don’t settle for no treatment if you are feeling blue. Chances are the first call you make will be successful and you will get the help you need immediately. But just in case you don’t, know that you always have other options. Sometimes you just need to investigate your options a little bit harder or with more than one specialist.