Am I Normal?
Posted by Laurie
You are pregnant or you just had a baby and you’re supposed to be ecstatic. It’s the gift of life! But some women feel like this gift has taken away their life.
I’m not talking about the baby blues, like I had. With the baby blues, symptoms generally go away within a few weeks after the birth. I’m talking about lasting, serious desperation and sadness. I know this is not something you want to think about during pregnancy, but you will be so much better off later if you at least learn the terminology now. Whether it helps you or helps you help a friend seek treatment, knowledge is power! Share this information with your partner so both of you know what to look for after the baby comes.
I had heard of postpartum depression before I got pregnant, and I assume most of you have too if you paid any attention to the whole Tom Cruise – Brooke Shields spat about her taking medication for her PPD. But did you know that there are a number of other postpartum mental illnesses? Let’s go through them one-by-one.
Postpartum Depression affects up to 20% of postpartum women. It’s onset can begin anytime during the first year after the birth. For one woman’s revealing story of the discovery of her PPD through her husband’s insistence that she see a doctor, visit her blog at www.hisboyscanswim.com and be sure to read the posts beginning in August, 2009.
How do you know if you have PPD?
The Department of Health and Human Services offers this helpful list of frequently asked questions about depression during and after pregnancy.
“When you are pregnant or after you have a baby, you may be depressed and not know it. Some normal changes during and after pregnancy can cause symptoms similar to those of depression. But if you have any of the following symptoms of depression for more than 2 weeks, call your doctor:
- Feeling restless or moody
- Feeling sad, hopeless, and overwhelmed
- Crying a lot
- Having no energy or motivation
- Eating too little or too much
- Sleeping too little or too much
- Having trouble focusing or making decisions
- Having memory problems
- Feeling worthless and guilty
- Losing interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy
- Withdrawing from friends and family
- Having headaches, aches and pains, or stomach problems that don’t go away”
Risk Factors for PPD
According to the Mayo Clinic postpartum depression can develop after the birth of any child, not just the first.
“The risk increases if:
- You have a history of depression, either during pregnancy or at other times
- You had postpartum depression after a previous pregnancy
- You’re experiencing marital conflict
Postpartum Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder may affect up to 6% of postpartum women, according to a recent study . It’s a severe anxiety reaction to a traumatic event. It’s only recently that a typical birth, a difficult or complicated birth, a miscarriage, and cesarean section have been included as traumatic events capable of causing PPTSD.
In the book Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood, author Michael Lewis describes his wife’s experience with PPTSD following the birth of their third child.
He writes, “Just before two in the morning, I’m prodded awake. It’s Tabitha, with a look on her face I’ve never seen there before…. “What’s the matter?” … [Tabitha answers] “I’m really, really scared…. As if something really bad’s going to happen.” Tears fill her eyes… “I feel like I don’t have any control of anything. I feel like I might be going insane.”
How do you know if you have PPTSD?
According to Psychiatrist Christine Hibbert symptoms include:
- feelings of extreme anxiety and recurring panic attacks,
- including shortness of breath,
- chest pain,
- heart palpitations, agitation,
- and excessive worry or fears.
Three common fears experienced by women with a Postpartum Panic Disorder are:
- fear of dying
- fear of losing control, and/or
- fear that one is going crazy
Postpartum Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder affects 3-5% of postpartum women. Katherine Stone who suffered and recovered from POCD writes a very informative blog Postpartum Progress about postpartum disorders and treatments.
How do you know if you have POCD?
Ms. Stone writes that the symptoms include :
- “Obsessions, which are persistent upsetting and involuntary thoughts or mental images that are usually related to the baby. These are also called intrusive thoughts, and can be very disturbing. I call them little “what if” horror movies that play over and over in your head — what if I did this horrible thing, what if that horrible thing happened …
- Compulsions, which are activities you may be doing over and over in order to try and keep yourself occupied and reduce your fears. These can include things like constant cleaning, counting or checking (like checking if the door is locked or checking to see if the oven is turned off.)
Postpartum Psychosis occurs in 1-2 of every 1,000 postpartum woman. There are certain risk factors that can make it more likely for a women to suffer from this illness.
According to Psychiatrist Christine Hibbert symptoms include:
- Acute onset of psychotic symptoms including
- Delusions and/or hallucinations
- Extreme agitation
- Hyperactivity
- Insomnia
- Mood lability
- Confusion/ Poor judgment
- Irrationality
- Difficulty remembering/concentrating
Risk Factors for Postpartum Psychosis include:
- previous postpartum psychosis
- manic-depressive (bipolar) history
- prenatal stressors (lack of supportive partner, social support, low socioeconomic status)
- obsessive personality traits
- family history of mood disorder
The Good News
Alright, now that I’ve scared you, let me give you some comfort. There are effective treatments for these illnesses. That’s why it’s so important to for the mom and dad-to-be to have awareness of the symptoms so that if they do appear, you won’t ignore them or wait for them to disappear on their own. These illnesses are serious disorders that require medical attention. The sooner you recognize what’s happening, the sooner you’ll seek treatment, the sooner you will recover. There is no shame in asking for help. It is the necessary courageous thing to do.
Do you know anyone who’s experienced PPD or any other postpartum illness? How long did it take for the person to ask for help? Have you or your partner faced emotional and mental difficulties postpartum? Did your feelings surprise you? Do you wish you had gotten help sooner? What advice can you share?
This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 at 3:41 pm and is filed under Emotional Support, Health & Wellness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.
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