Postpartum Depression
Many women experience depression after pregnancy. If you have symptoms, you can turn to Reid Health for the care you need to diagnose and treat postpartum depression.
Dedicated to women’s mental health after pregnancy
During pregnancy, your body and mind go through changes to accommodate and nourish a growing baby. This includes many hormonal changes, both during pregnancy and in the months after childbirth.
Although you can expect to have some mood swings — especially considering caring for a new baby brings sleepless nights and significant shifts to your daily routine — long-lasting emotional changes aren’t a normal part of new parenthood.
Postpartum depression can cause you to feel happy one minute and cry the next. It causes extreme sadness and might even interfere with your ability to bond with your baby.
There is hope, and postpartum depression can be treated. Knowing the signs and how to find help allows you to get care for your mental health as soon as possible so you can enjoy life with your new baby.
Postpartum depression care at Reid Health
At Reid, our team of behavioral health providers has specialty training in diagnosing and treating postpartum depression. We also have dedicated advanced practice providers who specialize in caring for women’s mental health. They can help you find the right treatment to improve and strengthen your mental health.
We know every moment with your new baby is precious, which is why we offer convenient access to postpartum depression treatment in clinics throughout East Central Indiana and West Central Ohio. Find the care you need, without traveling far.
What is postpartum depression?
Postpartum depression is a mood disorder that develops anytime during the first year after you give birth. It causes intense feelings of sadness, worry, and anxiety, along with many other symptoms, that last for a long time.
This serious mental health condition is more than “the baby blues,” which can develop a few days after giving birth. This milder condition can make you feel sad, worried, and tired, but usually, those feelings go away or at least become less frequent after a short time.
If you have these symptoms and they last for more than two weeks, talk to your OB/GYN so you can get the care you need to feel better. You shouldn’t feel ashamed or like you’re a bad mother for seeking help. Postpartum depression is very common, and it’s treatable.
Perinatal depression
Perinatal depression is an umbrella term for depression that occurs during or after pregnancy. Postpartum depression is one type that develops after childbirth.
You can also experience depression during pregnancy. This is called “prenatal depression,” and it causes symptoms similar to those of postpartum depression.
Less commonly, women can also develop a serious condition known as postpartum psychosis, which can cause hallucinations, delusions, extreme confusion, and a loss of touch with reality. A condition that requires emergency care, postpartum psychosis affects only one to two women for every 1,000 who give birth.
Symptoms of postpartum depression
Recognizing the symptoms of postpartum depression can help you get the care you need. Postpartum depression symptoms are similar to those of major depressive disorder, often simply called depression.
Symptoms of postpartum depression might include:
- Appetite changes, such as eating too much or eating too little
- Difficulty bonding with your baby
- Difficulty concentrating, thinking clearly, or making decisions
- Excessive or persistent crying
- Fear you aren’t a good mother
- Feelings of worthlessness, shame, guilt, or inadequacy
- Hopelessness
- Intense irritability and anger
- Losing interest or loss of pleasure in activities you once enjoyed
- Pain, digestive issues, or other physical symptoms that don’t go away with treatment or have an obvious cause
- Persistent fatigue and a lack of energy
- Restlessness or difficulty sitting still
- Sadness or emptiness
- Severe mood swings
- Sleep changes, including being unable to sleep, waking too early, or sleeping too much
- Thoughts of death or suicide
- Thoughts of hurting yourself or your baby
Postpartum depression risk factors
All expectant mothers are at risk of developing postpartum depression, but some factors increase a woman’s risk. Talk with your provider during your pregnancy about whether you’re at a higher risk.
- Risk factors for postpartum depression include:
- Being age 20 or younger
- Experiencing abuse or adversity during childhood
- Experiencing challenges with breastfeeding
- Experiencing pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia or gestational diabetes
- Experiencing relationship struggles, money problems, job loss, or other life challenges during pregnancy
- Facing difficult cultural expectations about motherhood
- Giving birth to a premature baby or a baby with special needs
- Giving birth to multiples (twins, triplets, etc.)
- Having a Cesarean delivery
- Having a difficult or traumatic birth
- Having a family history of depression or other mood disorders
- Having an unplanned pregnancy
- Having had depression or anxiety before pregnancy
- Having had problems during a previous pregnancy or birth
- Lacking support from your partner, family, and friends
Breastfeeding support for mom and baby
Struggling to breastfeed your baby can be a risk factor for postpartum depression. It’s understandably devastating when your newborn won’t latch, you feel you’re not producing enough milk, or you can’t feed your child.
Our caring lactation consultants, breastfeeding classes, and Milk Matters support group can help ease the anxiety and boost your confidence with breastfeeding. Our consultants answer questions and provide ongoing support at home. Classes help troubleshoot common challenges, while our support group connects you with moms like you.
Diagnosing postpartum depression
If you’re not feeling quite like yourself in the weeks after giving birth, let your OB/GYN know. You deserve to enjoy these first moments in your little one’s life while feeling physically and mentally healthy.
At Reid, you can access the care you need. We offer diagnosis, treatment, and support groups to help you overcome the effects of postpartum depression.
Your postpartum OB/GYN visit
When you leave the hospital after delivering a baby, you’ll have a follow-up visit scheduled with your OB/GYN. Keep this appointment! It has several purposes — for your provider to be sure your body is physically healing after delivery and for your provider to screen you for postpartum depression.
Your OB/GYN might ask you questions from a depression screening that can help them spot signs of postpartum depression. If your answers suggest you might have it, your OB/GYN can get a treatment plan started as soon as possible.
Of course, you don’t have to wait for this visit. You can schedule an appointment any time you feel intense emotions or mood changes that don’t feel normal to you, especially if your symptoms disrupt your life and your ability to care for your baby.
Psychiatric evaluations
If your OB/GYN suspects you have postpartum depression, they might refer you to a behavioral health specialist who can offer a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation.
These evaluations allow your specialist to review your symptoms, personal and family medical history, and other indicators of mental health.
In some cases, the evaluation includes lab tests because depression-like symptoms can sometimes be caused by an underlying medical condition, such as thyroid problems. Your provider might order blood, urine, and imaging tests to rule out other potential causes.
The psychiatric evaluation helps your provider collect as much information as possible to understand your needs and develop a treatment plan.
Postpartum depression treatments
Your OB/GYN and behavioral health specialist can treat postpartum depression with medications, psychotherapy, or a combination of both.
Medication management
Medications can change how your brain uses or produces hormones that can contribute to depression. Those commonly prescribed for postpartum depression include antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved two medications specifically for postpartum depression.
Our behavioral health teams include two advanced practice providers who specialize in caring for pregnant and postpartum women. They'll help you find medications that are safe to take during pregnancy if you have prenatal depression and while you’re breastfeeding.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy, also called talk therapy or counseling, involves meeting with a mental health professional to talk through what you’re experiencing and find ways to cope with your challenges and symptoms. We offer cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a specific type of psychotherapy, to help new moms identify negative thought patterns and learn ways to overcome them.
Our dedicated maternal mental health specialists also provide counseling. They understand the hormonal fluctuations that affect women during and after pregnancy, and they help you navigate how those hormones influence your mental health. They also meet with pregnant women more frequently than is typical in our program because we understand how important protecting your mental health is during this crucial time of life.