postpartum presentation information also outline for paper blog 11

Postpartum Depression
By Bonny Ellingwood
What is postpartum depression?
Also known as PPD
It is a depression that can affect a new mother after the birth of a child.
This depression not only affects mothers; it can affect the entire family as well.
There is a difference in the severities of the depression.
These are three different types of postpartum depression in order of severity.-
Baby blues
Postpartum Depression
Postpartum Psychosis
Next, I am going to tell you the difference between the three, what their symptoms are, and how they can be helped through medication and therapy.
Baby Blues
Effects 70-80% of new mothers
Occur 3-4 days after the birth of child
Usually go away in 14 days
The symptoms of the baby blues are:
Anxiety
Sadness
Irritability
Crying
Headaches
Exhaustion
A sense of inadequacy
Baby Blues Continued
Since this down period is usually short and not severe; it does not need medical attention.
There some things that can be done to help ease these symptoms:
Try to sleep when the baby sleeps.
Don't try to be super mom; do what you can but try to rest as much as you can.
Swallow your pride and ask for help from family for chores and, if bottle feeding, nighttime feedings.
Talk! Tell your husband, friends, and/or family how you are feeling. You could also join a support group of new mothers feeling the same way.
If this period of “blues” last longer than 2 weeks; the mother or family should seek help.
If it lasts longer than 2 weeks the baby blues can turn into postpartum depression.
There is a 10-20% ( 1 out of 5) chance of a mother developing postpartum depression after those 2 weeks.
Postpartum Depression
Though the signs of postpartum depression are very similar to the baby blues; the depression’s symptoms are more severe and they last longer.
the symptoms of the depression are:
Constant fatigue
Lack of joy in life
A sense of emotional numbness, feeling like a failure, feeling guilty, or feeling overwhelmed
Withdrawal from family and friends
Lack of concern for self and baby
Scared of hurting self or baby
Decreased sex drive
Severe mood swings
Impaired thinking or concentration
Sleeping too much or too little
Constant crying
Eating too little or too much
Having panic attacks
Headaches, chest pains, heart palpitations (heart beating very fast and a feeling like it is skipping beats), and/or hyperventilation.
Postpartum depression continued
Postpartum depression can come into affect anywhere within the first year after the child is born.
10-20% of new mothers will end up with PPD
This part of depression can last for months to years; it usually does not go away without help.
This depression can affect family life severely, but I will talk about that later.
Now onto the scariest part of PPD -postpartum psychosis
Postpartum Psychosis
This is the most severe but rarest form of PPD
Occurs about 1 or 2 out of 1000 births
Usually appears within the first six weeks after the child is born.
Some of the symptoms for the psychosis are:
Total loss of grip on reality
Delusions
Hallucinations
Sleep disturbances
Rapid mood swings
Obsessive thoughts about the baby
Paranoia
Thoughts of suicide or thoughts of killing the baby
A mother experiencing these symptoms needs to receive medical attention as soon as possible.
The most famous case of this is Andrea Yates.
Drowned all five of her children because she thought if she didn’t they would go to hell. She was tried and found guilty of capital murder. She was sentenced to life in prison. In July 2006, she was retried and was found NOT guilty by reason of insanity.
What causes PPD?
They have found that three major factors that can lead to PPD-
Physical changes
Emotional changes
Lifestyle changes
Physical changes:
A major drop in estrogen and progesterone after the child is born
Hormones produced by the thyroid may drop suddenly
Leaving the mother feeling tired, sluggish, and depressed
changes in blood pressure, blood volume, immune system, and metabolism
Can cause fatigue and mood swings
Possible Causes of PPD
Lifestyle changes:
A demanding baby or older children
Which can lead to exhaustion
Having difficulty breastfeeding
Financial problems
Lack of support from family, friends, and/or partner.
Having been diagnosed with depression/bipolar disorder
Also if it runs in the immediate family there is an increased risk
Also severe PMS has been attributed
Marital discord
Young age
The pregnancy was unwanted or unplanned
Possible Causes of PPD
Emotional Changes:
When you are exhausted, it is harder to manage simple things. So you may feel:
Overwhelmed
Anxious about the new arrival
May feel less attractive
Feel a loss of self identity
Feel loss of control over life and decisions
Why do I need to know this?
If a mother is suffering from PPD; it is vital for that mother to receive some sort of help.
If the mother is not treated:
Could harm herself
Harm the child
Since the mother doesn’t really care
May not be as involved with the child
Early childhood interactions are found to be important to development of the child. This can cause the child to have behavioral and learning problems.
could cause the couple so much stress; could lead to divorce
This makes it very important to identify this disorder early so that the mother and family can cope with it.
How do you treat it?
They are using a either hormone therapy, talk therapy, medication, or a combination of all three.
Hormone therapy:
Estrogen replacement may help counteract the drop after childbirth
Runs risks of drying up breast milk, and increased risk of developing blood clots in legs and lungs. Weigh the pros and cons of this treatment before trying it.
Talk therapy:
Talking to a counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist, or a group of mothers going through what you are going through.
Helps you find better ways to deal with stresses, feelings, helps set realistic goals, and helps with problem solving.
Treatment continued
Medication:
Antidepressants:
Found to be the most effective
There are certain ones that can be given to mothers who are breast-feeding
Can enter the breast milk if breast-feeding; but there are have been studies that show, with certain antidepressants, the amount that goes from that mother to child has little to no effect on the child later on.
Anti-psychotics:
These are given to the mothers with postpartum psychosis.
The one that is best known is Lithium.
It is used as a mood stabilizer.

What can you do?
To help mothers who are going through this the family and partner can play a very important part.
Talk to her
Help her with household chores
Sweeping, dishes, general cleaning
Taking over the baby so she can catch a cat nap or a break
If she is having trouble sleeping:
Provide a hot bath
Ear plugs
A snack and/or warm milk
Encourage activity but don’t pressure her
Swimming
Walking
Deep breathing
More you can do…
Don’t take her attacks at you personally
If you do get mad; get mad at her depression not her. It is hard for her to control her outbursts.
Don’t expect her to just “snap out of it.”
It is a serious illness, much like a flu or cold, but it affects her hormones and chemicals on the brain. It is a serious thing that takes time to recover from.
Encourage her to take her medication and to seek a group/counselor to talk to about how she is feeling.
Also remember, it is okay for you to feel overwhelmed and depressed too.
If you feel this way; find someone to talk to as well. What’s it going to hurt?


As you can see, this is a serious disorder that needs to be recognized and dealt with. It does not just affect the mother, but the whole family. Be on the look out for the symptoms and you could be able to help someone you love.
EL FIN
The End