Women with postpartum depression have intense feelings of sadness, anxiety, or despair that can interfere with their ability to do their daily tasks.  It can occur up to one year after having a baby, but it most commonly starts about one to three weeks after childbirth.  The term “postpartum depression” commonly includes major and minor depression, which differ in severity and prognosis, and have a combined incidence of 12% in healthy women, who gave birth to full-term infants.¹  Risk factors for postpartum depression include a history of postpartum major depression with a previous pregnancy, antenatal depressive symptoms (relative risk [RR] = 5.6), a history of major depressive disorder (RR = 4.5), poor social support (RR = 2.6), major life events or stressors during pregnancy (RR = 2.5), and a family history of postpartum major depression (RR = 2.4).^2,3  Treatment options include lifestyle changes, counseling, dietary supplementation, and pharmaceuticals.

Lifestyle

Encourage mothers to be open about their feelings and reach out.  Help them get in touch with people who can help with childcare, household chores and errands. They can consider hiring a postpartum doula, if such services are available locally.  Encourage finding a social support network to help her find time for herself, so she can rest.  Eliminate the stigma of postpartum depression and baby blues.

Advice to give to mothers:

·         Find time every day to do something for yourself, even if it's only 15 minutes a day. Try reading, exercising (walking is great for your health and is easy to do), taking a bath or meditating.

·         Exercise for 30 minutes a day may help to alleviate symptoms.

·         Keep a diary. Every day, write down your emotions and feelings. This is a way to let out your thoughts and frustrations. Talking with supportive friends is another way to express your feelings.

·         Even if you can only get one thing done on any given day, remember that this is a step in the right direction. There may be days when you can't get anything done, but try not to get angry with yourself when this happens.

·         It's okay to feel overwhelmed. Childbirth brings many changes, and parenting is challenging. When you're not feeling like yourself, these changes can seem like too much to cope with. Most mothers can relate to what you're going through.

·         You're not expected to be a "supermom."  Be honest about how much you can do, and ask other people to help you when you need it.