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Postpartum Depression

  • Surviving Postpartum Psychosis and Losing my Son...

    I survived Postpartum Psychosis, my Son did not...

    In March of 1999 I had just turned 25 and was about to give birth to my second child. My daughter was turning 6 later that month as well so there should have been a lot of celebrating to do. I went a week and a half past my due date, and my son was born on March 11th at 11:10pm; Hunter Macarthy Ramsey.
    Although I was excited, exhausted and not feeling quite right, little did I know a month later my little boy would be dead and I would be committed to the Augusta Mental Health Institute; responsible for his death.

    I grew up in a small coastal town in Maine. I always refer to my family as "Old Maine". I guess alluding to the fact that nobody talks about their feelings. We still banked the house in the winter with plastic and hay and things always went unspoken. We were strong Maine women. It would have been nice if we were half as strong as what we thought we were supposed to be.
    My mother was one of 6 children, very typical around here; they were Catholic. She had me when she was 17 and married my father I was told to get out of the house. Secrets, Secrets, Secrets...

    I bounced around from relative to relative after the divorced and started kindergarten late waiting for my mother to come back from where ever it was she had gone. Eventually she did and ended up in a co-dependent relationship with my Stepfather and they had my brother and sister. There were years and years of fighting, alcohol, staying, leaving, packing up and moving back.
    When I was 14, after a two day bender of not going to school, my Mom and stepdad fighting, packing and unpacking; my mother hung herself in our bathroom. I learned of this from her father (my grandfather) as she had sent me there to spend the night.
    He informed me since I was the oldest child it was my responsibility to plan the funeral. Looking back, I think he was just devastated and was doing the best he could in those moments. So, with my grandfather driving me around and footing the bill, I proceeded to plan my mother's funeral. I don't remember everything, just bits and pieces. What I do remember is finally demanding to see her at the funeral parlor as we were writing her obituary. I had to; I couldn't or wouldn't bel

  • Tuning into Channel Mom: Learn How to Connect with your Newborn

    Teaching new mothers who are dealing with postpartum depression how to relate to and respond to their babies' cues can help to lay the groundwork for healthy mother-baby attachments.

  • Can Walking Relieve Symptoms of Depression?

    We've heard that exercise is good for relieving symptoms of depression. A new study suggests that walking could ward away depressive symptoms, too.

  • Benefits of Infant Massage

    Hello all readers/bloggers.

  • Study Shows Older Moms At Higher Risk For Depression

    A new study by the University of British Columbia, revealed that new mothers in their early forties are five times more likely to suffer depression after giving birth than their younger counterparts.

  • Postpartum Anxiety

    Now that the baby's here, have you become a professional worrywart? One of the most common symptoms of postpartum depression is anxiety. Use these helpful suggestions to help keep it under control.

  • This is Your Brain on the Postpartum Blues

    Elevated levels of a brain protein known to deplete the body of feel-good hormones like serotonin may be responsible for triggering powerful feelings of sadness in new mothers.

  • Brooke Shields Has Baby Fever!

    Brooke Shields recently revealed that she would love to have a third baby. However, given her prior bouts with postpartum depression, she is apparently quite open to the possibility of adopting!

  • Depression: A Risk Factor for Preterm Birth

    A recent study found that depressed pregnant women are twice as likely to give birth prematurely as pregnant women without any symptoms of depression.

  • Depression and anxiety-How are they related?

    Generally both these terms appear as if they have the similar meaning but actually both are different. In literal terms, both have the different meaning. But mostly, people take it as if both are same.
    Depression causes sadness, despair and people often remain angry. While a person with anxiety experiences a lot of fear. It seems he is always afraid of the situations.

  • Laughing Through the Chaos - 5 milligrams is all it takes

    I've got a great support network of other moms online, and one day I told them that I was really irritable and stupid little things were really pissing me off. I told them that I'd cry really easily over stuff that never would have bothered me before. Postpartum depression was brought up. I shrugged it off and said - nope, not me, not depressed.

  • Antidepressants and Nursing

    For a nursing mother, making the decision to take medicine to treat this depression is tricky. We know some medicines are not safe to take when nursing; others are okay. For most medicines, there is not enough known to do better than make an educated guess. Most of the antidepressants fall into this last category.

  • Surviving Postpartum Depression First Hand

    Have you gone through Postpartum Depression or are suffering from it right now? Read, experience, and discover that this is not a rare condition, but one that affects many women all over the world.

  • Allison's PPD Story

    I think a lot of my depression was triggered by not getting enough rest right after he was born, and in large part by my failure to breastfeed.

  • Jill's PPD Story

    I was diagnosed with Postpartum Depression when my daughter was 3-months-old. I knew that I had the Baby Blues, but they just didn't seem to go away and I felt like it was getting worse, not better.

  • Scared of Infertility

    QUESTION

    Dear Midwife,
    I am going on twenty years old this year. I dated a guy from for four years; from the age of barely fourteen to just before I turned eighteen. The first six months we did not use protection (I know it was foolish and risky) but I luckily at the time never became pregnant.

  • Postpartum Anxiety

    Now that the baby's here, have you become a professional worrywart? One of the most common symptoms of postpartum depression is anxiety. Use these helpful suggestions to help keep it under control.

  • Michele's PPD Story

    Hi my name is Michele and I am 31 years old. I was diagnosed with PPD when she was approximately 4 months old.

  • Partner's Guide to the Baby Blues and Postpartum Depression

    The baby blues are common mood swings experienced after childbirth. Keep an eye out for these symptoms and be as supportive as possible. Remember your partner's body has been through a tough nine months and hormones are rampant. These symptoms should disappear within 10 days.

  • Study Shows Older Moms At Higher Risk For Depression

    A new study by the University of British Columbia, revealed that new mothers in their early forties are five times more likely to suffer depression after giving birth than their younger counterparts.