Baby Blues

Introduction

Postpartum Depression “PPD” is a serious medical condition which is estimated to affect one in eight women who give birth. It can also affect women who have miscarriage or other loss of preg-nancy. The causes of PPD can be both physical and emotional.

Physically, the drop in progesterone levels in the body after the placenta is delivered can cause depression for women who are hormonally sensitive. Breast feeding may be difficult for some women, leading to feelings of inadequacy as a mother. The hor-mone prolactin, which causes lactation, is thought to contribute to depression in some women.

An idealized expectation of having a "perfect, natural birth expe-rience" but which unfortunately results in a highly medicalized birth, ending in a C-section, can be both physically and emotionally devastating for a woman. The weeks of recovery from surgery and other complications may lead to depression or anxiety disorders. A woman may mourn the loss of her “dream” birth experience and feel angry or disappointed.

Women treated for infertility may also have a higher risk for PPD for hormonal reasons. Often they have had extensive medical in-tervention with the use of strong hormonal treatments in order to become pregnant. There may be fear in trusting the body’s wis-dom. The underlying causes of infertility may have never been ad-dressed, leading to an increased risk of PPD.

Emotionally, some women just “don’t feel right” after giving birth. A history of emotional or mental disorders will add to their risk. Stressful life events, negative birth experiences and poor practical or emotional support from family or friends can also increase their difficulties.

“Baby Blues” vs. PPD

Most women (70-80%) will experience “Baby Blues” beginning a few days or weeks postpartum. Symptoms will include irritability, mood swings, crying spells, feelings of tension or nervousness, sleep disturbance, feelings of being overwhelmed, loss of appetite, and sadness. Baby Blues will generally last anywhere from a few hours to a few days and is caused by the sudden fluctuation of hormones following the birth. Baby Blues will go away quickly without treatment.

On the other hand, postpartum depression (PPD) will include the above symptoms but will not resolve quickly. Symptoms can oc-cur anytime during the first year but generally occur during the first three to six months following the birth. Other symptoms include: strong feelings of dejection, anger, guilt, anxiety, exhaustion, memory loss, depression, paranoia, inability to concentrate, feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy, inability to cope, guilt, despair, loss of concern or over concern for the baby, panic attacks, fears of going insane, strange and bizarre violent thoughts, thoughts of death or suicide, fears of hurting the baby, loss of interest in pleasurable activities, loss of sex drive, loss of cognitive function and insomnia. These symptoms can take up to one year to develop.

Early warning signs of PPD include difficulty bonding with the ba-by, thoughts of giving the baby away or wishing it did not exist, not wanting to hold or care for the baby, or not being able to care for oneself. The possibility of recurrence with future pregnancies is estimated to be 68%.

On the far side of the spectrum of postpartum disorders is postpar-tum psychosis. Psychosis occurs in less than 2% of women and will include delusional thoughts, hallucinations, and hearing voices. This serious condition requires immediate medical attention. The woman and her children may be at risk for injury. Psychosis can recur 25% of the time with future pregnancies.

Naturopathic Medicine

This book is based upon naturopathic principles. The paradigm of naturopathic medicine is based upon uncovering and removing the cause of disease. Many times the conventional medical approach is based on removing the symptoms. In the long run, a condition may become chronic and cause serious harm to the body. Naturo-pathic medicine is not a bandaid approach to health, but rather a holistic model for health and healing based upon the following Na-turopathic Physician’s Oath.