By Tyler Van Milligen, DO
A multitude of expectations are placed on women and mothers - new mothers included. Many women balance and exceed these expectations and so it becomes an auto-catalyzed standard to uphold. But what happens when the snapped, tucked and filtered social media portrayals are challenged and real stuff gets talked about? Behavioral health is something we all possess and need to nurture. The postpartum period for many women can be one of the more challenging times for maintaining any sort of mental health.
Talking about maternal mental health
The stigma surrounding behavioral health unfortunately creates a very unsafe silence that holds many new parents hostage. I often try to create a space so you can feel okay talking about mental health, especially during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. The three-day-old, inside out milk-stained t-shirt version of things shouldn’t only be shared, but it should be normalized.
What are the baby blues?
Most women will experience what’s known as the “baby blues,” a period following delivery when moms are perhaps more tearful, disconnected, apathetic and irritable. When our bodies finish expelling another human that was developing for almost a year in our bodies, our systems need to reboot. This includes our hormones and their homeostatic surge back to baseline.
After parturition, our estrogen and progesterone levels drop significantly which can lead to neuroendocrinological effects like the baby blues. Combine this with the compounding pressure of navigating a new life role, returning to a career, finding childcare and a culture that is overly preoccupied with a sexualized version of the female body and what they should do with it, it becomes clear just how normal “not normal” can be.
Postpartum depression vs. baby blues
Here are some quick questions that can help guide new moms to help determine if you should seek professional help.
Have you been experiencing at least five of the following for at least two weeks:
- Reduced interest in things you used to like doing? Are you pulling away or isolating more?
- Depressed mood most of the day for most days?
- Reduced appetite?
- Moving or talking slowly?
- Feeling constantly tired or having very little or no energy?
- Trouble concentrating on even basic tasks?
- Guilty or worthless feelings?
- Thoughts of death?
When symptoms persist beyond a couple of weeks, are more intense over time, include suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming the baby, talk about it and seek resources.
There are many misconceptions regarding postpartum depression (PPD) and its treatment including the impact of psychiatric medications on the developing fetus and excretion in breastmilk. Many safe options exist and all options can be discussed in detail with a provider.
It’s critical women stop blindly yielding to the caregiver cultural assignment and unsilence themselves. PPD occurs in 1 out of 7 women. Think about that the next time you’re in grocery line or sitting in a coffee shop looking at the women around you. Let’s focus on making normal “normal” and that includes PPD.
