Approximately 15% of women experience depression after delivering a baby and, less known, comparable numbers of women experience significant anxiety and depression during pregnancy.
Common Symptoms of Postpartum Depression
- Feeling blue or sad
- Tearfulness
- Little interest in your baby
- Appetite disturbance
- Difficulty with sleeping
- Irritability and worrying
- Feelings of guilt and acute shame
- Loss of pleasure and interest in activities you expect to enjoy
- Thoughts of hurting yourself or your baby
Treatment
The first step in getting help is to let someone know that you are feeling down and having difficulty. Once you reach out to someone who understands what you are experiencing, you are likely to find some relief and you will be on the road to feeling better! SPRING Project therapists are highly trained and are also committed to working out a reduced fee if needed that will make getting help affordable. The SPRING Project therapist will meet with you and, if indicated, your partner or other family member. The therapist will develop a comprehensive approach that will help you gain the tools, support and insight you need for pregnancy and postpartum adjustment. The meetings with the therapist will be as often as required for to you gain a renewed sense of well-being and satisfaction in your mothering.
Did you know?
There are a range of treatable prenatal and postpartum mood disorders that can adversely affect women during pregnancy and after delivery. In addition to postpartum depression, these emotional conditions include:
- Depression and anxiety in pregnancy
- Perinatal Panic Disorder
- Perinatal Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Postpartum Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
- Perinatal Bipolar Disorder
- Postpartum Psychosis
Risk factors for perinatal mood disorders:
- Pregnancy complications and/or a traumatic delivery
- High level of stress
- Your pregnancy is unplanned
- Insufficient support from family and/or friends
- History of sexual physical and/or emotional abuse
- History of infertility
- Chronic sleep deprivation
- Abrupt discontinuation of breast feeding
- Thyroid disease or other chronic illness
- History of severe premenstrual syndrome
- History of miscarriages or other pregnancy losses including neonatal death, stillborn, selective termination, elective abortion
Exacerbating factors during pregnancy or postpartum that may contribute to a perinatal mood disorder:
- Complications in pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding
- Health challenges in baby or parents
- Difficulty of the baby to self-soothe
- Pain
- Lack of sleep