Womb to Bloom - Maternity & Beyond

It is very common to experience moodiness and exhaustion after giving birth: but when is it post-partum depression? This syndrome is still not widely understood, and it can be dangerous to assume that a despondent new mother is simply suffering from a brief bout of the “Baby Blues.” If you feel desperate, or even angry, for an extended period of time after giving birth, or know another mother who displays these symptoms, you should take action. There is a lot of help out there for new mothers suffering from this illness, but first it must be properly diagnosed.

Post-partum depression carried a stigma for a long time: people tended to avoid the subject, even if it was happening to them. Women felt they were poor mothers if they had the signs and symptoms of this disorder, and so they hid their problems, and suffered all alone. Times have changed, and modern science and psychiatry have allowed us to see the link between the rapidly changing hormone levels of pre and post partum women, and depression.

We have compiled a list of symptoms you should be aware of, if you suspect you are seriously depressed after having your baby, or know a woman who is:

Symptoms:

• Do you feel that you’ve lost your identity through having a baby?
• Do you struggle to bond with your baby, rather than it being easy and natural?
• Do you feel tired and despondent?
• Have you lost interest in caring for your baby?
• Are you unable to cope?
• Do you feel hopeless about the future?

These are serious symptoms of depression, and they will not go away without proper treatment. If you have many of the symptoms above, it’s important for you and your baby that you seek help: noone in the medical community will judge you, they are there to help you and your baby.

Celebrities such as Brooke Shields have suffered from post-partum depression, and been successfully treated for the disorder. Brooke Shields wrote a poignant account of her battle with post-partum depression, in her book, Down Came The Rain.

Brooke Shields went on to have a second child, and, though she feared a second bout with depression after giving birth to her new daughter, she did not have a recurrence. The actress and model is an advocate for new mothers suffering from this disorder, and she wants to let people know that it is real, but that there is hope.

With therapy and medication, you can regain a sense of joy while caring for your baby: you can be happy again. If you are feeling lost and depressed, and don’t see your way out, please pick up the phone and call your doctor right away. Why not take the help that is out there, and see the light at the end of the tunnel? Taking the difficult first step of calling your doctor, or even a close friend, and confiding in them, may seem pointless or impossible, because you are depressed: but one phone call could lead to a whole new life, full of love and hope.