Are you at risk for postpartum mood disorder?
July 31, 2009
By: Marisa Cohen
When Holly Betten, 28, came home from the hospital after a rough delivery, she had one day to adjust to her new life as a mom before her husband went back to working 12-hour days as a computer-software architect.
Postpartum depression can strike anyone; it has nothing to do with how strong you are or your love for the baby.
Her son, Henry, became severely jaundiced, wouldn't breastfeed, and almost landed back in the hospital for losing too much weight. "All I could think was, 'What did I get myself into? I should never have become a mom,'" recalls Betten, of Grand Rapids, Michigan. "I felt totally overwhelmed and inadequate -- I couldn't even feed my child." Then Henry developed colic and began to wail all the time. Not surprisingly, so did Betten: "I'd be happy one minute, then crying hysterically the next. I just wanted to leave the baby in his room and walk away."
Her husband worried that Betten was becoming depressed, but she insisted that she could soldier on. "I just attributed it to stress and exhaustion, and refused to ask for help," Betten recalls. And she knew that "the baby blues" could make you feel sad, moody, or irritable. In fact, the condition, triggered by hormone shifts, can affect as many as 50 to 80 percent of new moms. Parenting.com: One mom's battle with postpartum depression
Such confusion about what life with a new baby is supposed to be like is a major reason women don't seek help. Another problem: "The shame and embarrassment that surround postpartum mood disorders also keep moms from acknowledging the issue," adds psychiatrist Ariel Dalfen, M.D., Toronto author of "When Baby Brings the Blues." "But without treatment, postpartum depression can linger and become more severe."
Promoting acceptance
Postpartum depression (PPD) can strike anyone, and it has nothing to do with how strong you are or how much you love your baby. When Brooke Shields wrote about her devastating bout with the illness in her memoir, "Down Came the Rain," she helped put a very public face on the issue. "Her book showed that nobody, no matter how rich, famous, or beautiful, is immune to PPD," points out Margaret Howard, Ph.D., director of the Postpartum Depression Day Hospital at Women & Infants Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.
Even Tom Cruise's diatribe on national television against antidepressants and Shields' use of them wound up doing a lot of good by bringing the postpartum-depression discussion into America's living rooms, says Birdie Gunyon Meyer, R.N., the president of Postpartum Support International (PSI), a nonprofit organization that promotes awareness, prevention, and treatment of mental health issues related to childbirth. In speaking out, Shields joined singer Marie Osmond, who also wrote a book about suffering from PPD, and Mary Jo Codey, wife of the former governor of New Jersey, who not only opened up about her own experiences but also helped New Jersey become the first (and thus far only) state to mandate that all pregnant women be screened for and educated about postpartum depression. Parenting.com: 9 health symptoms you shouldn't ignore
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Soon such help may be available nationwide. A piece of legislation known as the Melanie Blocker Stokes Mothers Act -- named for a young mother who committed suicide after suffering postpartum psychosis, an extreme form of PPD -- would help fund related research and education, provide training to medical professionals about the disorder, and increase treatment options and support services. At press time, the bill had been passed in the U.S. House of Representatives and was headed for the Senate. (To learn more and to sign a petition in support of the act, go to PSI's Web site, http://postpartum.net/.)
Understanding your risk
New moms should expect to feel overwhelmed at times, incompetent now and then, nervous about being left on their own to take care of the baby, and to overreact and tear up over seemingly minor things. What's not normal: a darkening storm of anxiety and panic. "The big difference between baby blues and PPD is duration and intensity," Howard explains. "It is a prolonged sense of sadness lasting for two weeks or more." Parenting.com: How to get over new-mom guilt
There are also different degrees of PPD, notes Dalfen. Women who are not enjoying motherhood but can go through the motions of taking care of the baby and themselves may have mild PPD, but are getting by. Those who feel down all the time, have trouble connecting with their baby, and find it hard to get through every day have a stronger case of the illness. Severe PPD sufferers are extremely depressed and unable to take care of themselves or their babies. All of these women need treatment, Dalfen emphasizes.
Scientists still don't know the exact mechanics of PPD, but they do know it is the brain's complex reaction to several forces beyond a woman's control. "The hormones progesterone and estrogen drop after the baby is born," explains Dalfen. "These hormones interact with brain chemicals such as serotonin, which controls your mood." For some women, PPD symptoms begin during pregnancy. Moms with a personal or family history of depression, or a history of premenstrual syndrome, are at increased risk.
Social factors come into play, too: Women who have a conflicted relationship with the baby's father, have limited finances and health care, have limited social support (friends, a sister, a mom to help with the baby), or who give birth to multiples or a demanding, colicky infant are also at higher risk for depression. Parenting.com: Depression during pregnancy -- why it's often overlooked
Getting the right help
The first step in treating PPD is to see your health-care provider or find a specialist on postpartum.net. Therapy and, in some cases, medication, as prescribed by a doctor, can be essential. Several antidepressants, including Zoloft and Paxil, are effective and safe for breastfeeding women. "The top priority is for the mom to get well so she can care for her baby," notes Dalfen.
Health Library
MayoClinic.com: Postpartum depression
On the home front, new moms need to take care of themselves (get more sleep, eat healthier, take breaks from baby care) and ask for the help that makes that possible. Emotional support is also crucial: A recent study in the British Medical Journal found that simply talking on the phone with other mothers who had recovered from PPD helped at-risk new moms cut their chances of developing depression nearly in half. Find a support group in your area at postpartum.net. Or log on to our community board on babytalk.com.
When Betten's husband finally persuaded her to see her doctor, an antidepressant brought quick relief from her six-month siege. "Within a week it evened out my moods and gave me a lot more patience," she says. "If the baby started screaming, I didn't freak out and start sobbing myself. I thought, 'OK, he can cry for a minute and then I'll pick him up.'" Parenting.com: When postpartum depression lingers
Now expecting her second baby, Betten is prepared to ask for help: "Now I realize that anyone who has ever had a kid understands that you can't do it alone."
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Copyright 2009 The Parenting Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
Marisa Cohen is a mom and the author of "Deliver This! Make the Childbirth Choice That's Right for You."
article taken from http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/07/31/postpartum.mood.disorder/?imw=Y
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Does PPD serve some evolutionary purpose?
So it has been awhile since I have been able to update my blog. On my recent quest to post information I did find this article. After reading it I take offense to a few things said on this view. Even though I suffered from PPD I do not think that my parenting skills were lacking. I took care of my baby each and everyday. He was breastfed, changed, had clean clothes and most of all, he was loved and held all the time. I held myself together for him. I knew that he needed me to be there and to take care of him. Babies cannot take care of themselves, but I do not think that my PPD had anything to do with my wanting help or thinking that I was unable to do it alone.
I would welcome comments on what others think of this theory...
Does postpartum depression serve some evolutionary purpose?—Clint Johnson, Ridgecrest, Calif.
Anthropologist Edward H. Hagen of Washington State University replies:
Postpartum depression (PPD), which afflicts 10 to 15 percent of new mothers, may have evolved as a strategic response to a lack of social support because it helped in passing on genes successfully. Many doctors believe PPD is triggered by the changes in a mother’s hormones after giving birth, yet studies have failed to find much evidence for a link between extreme hormone fluctuations and PPD. The fact that fathers, who do not experience such changes, also suffer from PPD is strong evidence that it is not “just hormones.”
The finding that PPD often plagues people who have marital problems or little outside support led biologists Randy Thornhill and F. Bryant Furlow of the University of New Mexico and me independently to propose that PPD has an evolved function. Many animals improve their chances of passing on their genes if they desert their young when food or parenting help is scarce and invest instead in future offspring that are more likely to survive and reproduce.
This “parental investment theory” should apply especially well to humans. Human children are “expensive” to raise, requiring years of parenting before they can survive on their own. When a mother lacks support from the father or other family members, she may unconsciously conclude she cannot successfully raise her infant. The ensuing emotional pain from PPD operates somewhat like physical pain: stop what you’re doing—it’s harming your reproductive fitness! Studies confirm that mothers with PPD do significantly reduce parenting efforts and often have thoughts of harming their baby.
This “psychic pain hypothesis” cannot explain the whole story, however, because few parents suffering from PPD abandon their newborn. I propose an additional function of PPD that is like a labor strike, in which a mother’s reduced interest in her baby may serve to elicit help from others. Studies do suggest that higher levels of PPD symptoms in mothers motivate more child care by fathers, and increased social support is one of the best predictors for the remission of PPD.
These hypothesized functions for PPD are far from proved. If you or a loved one is suffering from PPD, contact a doctor immediately—treatments, including antidepressants and talk therapy, are available and effective.
taken from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=ask-the-brains-does-postpartum-depression
I would welcome comments on what others think of this theory...
Does postpartum depression serve some evolutionary purpose?—Clint Johnson, Ridgecrest, Calif.
Anthropologist Edward H. Hagen of Washington State University replies:
Postpartum depression (PPD), which afflicts 10 to 15 percent of new mothers, may have evolved as a strategic response to a lack of social support because it helped in passing on genes successfully. Many doctors believe PPD is triggered by the changes in a mother’s hormones after giving birth, yet studies have failed to find much evidence for a link between extreme hormone fluctuations and PPD. The fact that fathers, who do not experience such changes, also suffer from PPD is strong evidence that it is not “just hormones.”
The finding that PPD often plagues people who have marital problems or little outside support led biologists Randy Thornhill and F. Bryant Furlow of the University of New Mexico and me independently to propose that PPD has an evolved function. Many animals improve their chances of passing on their genes if they desert their young when food or parenting help is scarce and invest instead in future offspring that are more likely to survive and reproduce.
This “parental investment theory” should apply especially well to humans. Human children are “expensive” to raise, requiring years of parenting before they can survive on their own. When a mother lacks support from the father or other family members, she may unconsciously conclude she cannot successfully raise her infant. The ensuing emotional pain from PPD operates somewhat like physical pain: stop what you’re doing—it’s harming your reproductive fitness! Studies confirm that mothers with PPD do significantly reduce parenting efforts and often have thoughts of harming their baby.
This “psychic pain hypothesis” cannot explain the whole story, however, because few parents suffering from PPD abandon their newborn. I propose an additional function of PPD that is like a labor strike, in which a mother’s reduced interest in her baby may serve to elicit help from others. Studies do suggest that higher levels of PPD symptoms in mothers motivate more child care by fathers, and increased social support is one of the best predictors for the remission of PPD.
These hypothesized functions for PPD are far from proved. If you or a loved one is suffering from PPD, contact a doctor immediately—treatments, including antidepressants and talk therapy, are available and effective.
taken from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=ask-the-brains-does-postpartum-depression
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Top Ten Myths about PPD
Article taken from http://mededppd.org/mothers/myths.asp
Top 10 Myths About PPD
Myth 1: PPD is normal -- all new mothers feel tired and depressed.
Fact: New mothers often feel tired and overwhelmed. They may be experiencing "baby blues." Women with baby blues may feel tired, weepy, and have no energy. However, the feelings that go with PPD are stronger and longer lasting. A mother with PPD may not want to play with her baby. She may have trouble paying attention to things and may not be able to meet her baby's needs for warmth and affection. She may feel guilty or worthless.
Myth 2: If you don't get PPD right after you give birth, you won't get it at all.
Fact: PPD can happen any time in the first year after a woman gives birth.
Myth 3: PPD will go away on its own without treatment.
Fact: The "baby blues" may last up to 4 weeks but usually goes away on its own. Like many illnesses, PPD almost never goes away without treatment. The good news is that there are available treatments that work.
Myth 4: All women with PPD have thoughts about hurting their children.
Fact: Women with postpartum psychosis, which is a life-threatening disorder separate from PPD, are at risk for hurting their babies or themselves. If you have thoughts about harming yourself or your child you should ask for help right away from your family and your doctor.
Myth 5: Women with PPD look depressed or stop taking care of themselves.
Fact: You can't tell someone has PPD by looking at her. A woman with PPD may look perfectly "normal" to everyone else. She may even try especially hard to look polished or put together – keeping her makeup done, and her hair styled – to turn attention away from the pain she is feeling on the inside.
Myth 6: Women with PPD are bad mothers.
Fact: Having PPD does not make someone a bad mother.
Myth 7: If you have PPD, you must have done something wrong.
Fact: PPD is nobody's fault. There is nothing that a woman with PPD could have done to avoid having this disorder.
Myth 8: You'll get over your PPD if you just get more sleep.
Fact: Although it's important for women with PPD to get enough sleep, sleep by itself will not cure PPD.
Myth 9: Women with PPD can't take antidepressants if they are breastfeeding.
Fact: Studies have shown that there is a very small risk to the baby with the antidepressants most likely to be prescribed for PPD. If it is necessary for a woman with PPD to take an antidepressant, her doctor will carefully choose one that is most likely to help her and least likely to hurt her baby.
Myth 10: Pregnant and postpartum women don't get depressed.
Fact: Being pregnant, or having just given birth, is not a guarantee against getting depression. In other words, pregnancy does not protect a woman from depression, and in fact, studies show that the childbearing years are when a woman is most likely to experience depression in her lifetime.
Top 10 Myths About PPD
Myth 1: PPD is normal -- all new mothers feel tired and depressed.
Fact: New mothers often feel tired and overwhelmed. They may be experiencing "baby blues." Women with baby blues may feel tired, weepy, and have no energy. However, the feelings that go with PPD are stronger and longer lasting. A mother with PPD may not want to play with her baby. She may have trouble paying attention to things and may not be able to meet her baby's needs for warmth and affection. She may feel guilty or worthless.
Myth 2: If you don't get PPD right after you give birth, you won't get it at all.
Fact: PPD can happen any time in the first year after a woman gives birth.
Myth 3: PPD will go away on its own without treatment.
Fact: The "baby blues" may last up to 4 weeks but usually goes away on its own. Like many illnesses, PPD almost never goes away without treatment. The good news is that there are available treatments that work.
Myth 4: All women with PPD have thoughts about hurting their children.
Fact: Women with postpartum psychosis, which is a life-threatening disorder separate from PPD, are at risk for hurting their babies or themselves. If you have thoughts about harming yourself or your child you should ask for help right away from your family and your doctor.
Myth 5: Women with PPD look depressed or stop taking care of themselves.
Fact: You can't tell someone has PPD by looking at her. A woman with PPD may look perfectly "normal" to everyone else. She may even try especially hard to look polished or put together – keeping her makeup done, and her hair styled – to turn attention away from the pain she is feeling on the inside.
Myth 6: Women with PPD are bad mothers.
Fact: Having PPD does not make someone a bad mother.
Myth 7: If you have PPD, you must have done something wrong.
Fact: PPD is nobody's fault. There is nothing that a woman with PPD could have done to avoid having this disorder.
Myth 8: You'll get over your PPD if you just get more sleep.
Fact: Although it's important for women with PPD to get enough sleep, sleep by itself will not cure PPD.
Myth 9: Women with PPD can't take antidepressants if they are breastfeeding.
Fact: Studies have shown that there is a very small risk to the baby with the antidepressants most likely to be prescribed for PPD. If it is necessary for a woman with PPD to take an antidepressant, her doctor will carefully choose one that is most likely to help her and least likely to hurt her baby.
Myth 10: Pregnant and postpartum women don't get depressed.
Fact: Being pregnant, or having just given birth, is not a guarantee against getting depression. In other words, pregnancy does not protect a woman from depression, and in fact, studies show that the childbearing years are when a woman is most likely to experience depression in her lifetime.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009
National Depression Screening Day
Upcoming Screening Day:October 08, 2009
http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/events/ndsd/register.aspx
-->
Find a National Depression Screening Day (NDSD) event in your area or take an anonymous screening online.
Register NOWfor National Depression Screening Day® : online, or download a PDF form.
Check-out the NEW Online Screening Assessments for: Community, College, and Military.
Find a local event offering
free, anonymous screenings.
For 18 years, Screening for Mental Health’s National Depression Screening Day® (NDSD) has offered health care providers evidence-based, affordable and easy-to-use mental health education and screening resources. Reaching community members with undetected and untreated mental disorders has never been more important. Studies show that most Americans wait years before they seek treatment for a mental health disorder, and many never seek treatment at all.
National Depression Screening Day® 2009 registration available now!
Community program: Register online or download the PDF to host an screening event in your community or to purchase the online screening program
College program: Register online or download the PDF to host an event on your campus or to purchase the online screening program
Military program: Register online or download the PDF to host an event at your installation or to receive the online screening program (all materials free of charge for military organizations thanks to funding by the Department of Defense)
We are pleased to presentStop a Suicide Today! as the theme for
National Depression Screening Day® 2007. Stop a Suicide Today! is an
effort to bring suicide prevention to the forefront of our NDSD program. Our
goal is to help you educate the public about the link between suicide and
mental illness.
If you would like more information about NDSD, please email ndsd@mentalhealthscreening.org.
http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/events/ndsd/register.aspx
-->
Find a National Depression Screening Day (NDSD) event in your area or take an anonymous screening online.
Register NOWfor National Depression Screening Day® : online, or download a PDF form.
Check-out the NEW Online Screening Assessments for: Community, College, and Military.
Find a local event offering
free, anonymous screenings.
For 18 years, Screening for Mental Health’s National Depression Screening Day® (NDSD) has offered health care providers evidence-based, affordable and easy-to-use mental health education and screening resources. Reaching community members with undetected and untreated mental disorders has never been more important. Studies show that most Americans wait years before they seek treatment for a mental health disorder, and many never seek treatment at all.
National Depression Screening Day® 2009 registration available now!
Community program: Register online or download the PDF to host an screening event in your community or to purchase the online screening program
College program: Register online or download the PDF to host an event on your campus or to purchase the online screening program
Military program: Register online or download the PDF to host an event at your installation or to receive the online screening program (all materials free of charge for military organizations thanks to funding by the Department of Defense)
We are pleased to presentStop a Suicide Today! as the theme for
National Depression Screening Day® 2007. Stop a Suicide Today! is an
effort to bring suicide prevention to the forefront of our NDSD program. Our
goal is to help you educate the public about the link between suicide and
mental illness.
If you would like more information about NDSD, please email ndsd@mentalhealthscreening.org.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Post Partum Depression: Information for husbands and families
Great Information taken from www.pregnancy.org for husbands and family members.
by Karen Kleiman
Understanding Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression (PPD) affect 20% of all postpartum women.
PPD is a medical condition that can be treated successfully.
PPD is a clinical depression that can occur any time immediately after birth up to a year postpartum.
If your wife has been diagnosed with PPD, it's very important for you to be informed and part of the treatment.
PPD can strike without warning -- in women with no history of depression or women who have had it before. It can happen to women who are highly successful in their careers or women who stay home with their children. It can strike women in stable marriages and conflictual marriages, as well as single women, and adoptive mothers. It can happen to women who love their baby more than anything in the world. It can happen after the first baby, or after the fourth.
It can happen to women who swore it would never happen to them.
It is not completely understood why PPD affects some women and not others -- why women who have many risk factors may no experience it, and others who have no risk factors may end up with a full blown episode.
Women are twice as likely to experience depression than men.
Women are most at risk to experience emotional illness following the birth of a baby than at any other time.
PPD is a real illness.
She is not making this up.
This did not happen because she's a bad mother, or doesn't love her baby enough.
It did not happen because she's having negative thoughts about herself or about you or about your baby.
It did not happen because she is weak and not working hard enough to get better.
She cannot "snap out of it."
This is not fair. This is not what you expected. But if your wife has been diagnosed with PPD, it will take a while for her to recover. Recovery may take weeks to months.
She will get better. She will return to her "normal" self. She will begin to experience pleasure again. This will not happen overnight.
The more supportive you are of her treatment, the smoother her recovery will be.
PPD is nobody's fault. It is not your wife's fault. It is not your fault.
Try to reassure your wife that there is nothing she has done to make this happen.
Often, when we are struck by something we do not understand, we try to cast blame on someone or something. This will be counterproductive.
Remember that we do not know exactly why this happened. What we do know is what to do to maximize the healing process.
Do not spend excessive energy trying to figure out what went wrong or why this happened. Your search for reason will frustrate you and it will keep your wife spinning along side of you. Save your energy for navigating through this unfamiliar territory.
What to say
Her moods and emotional vulnerability will get in the way of good communication for now. Here's what you're up against:
-If you tell her you love her, she won't believe you.
-If you tell her she's a good mother, she'll think you're just saying that to make her feel better.
-If you tell her she's beautiful, she'll assume you're lying.
-If you tell her not to worry about anything, she'll think you have no idea how bad she feels.
-If you tell her you'll come home early to help her, she'll feel guilty.
-If you tell her you have to work late, she'll think you don't care.
But you can:
Tell her you know she feels terrible.
Tell her she will get better.
Tell her she is doing all the right things to get better (therapy, medication, etc.).
Tell her she can still be a good mother and feel terrible.
Tell her it's okay to make mistakes, she doesn't have to do everything perfectly.
Tell her you know how hard she's working at this right now.
Tell her to let you know what she needs you to do to help.
Tell her you know she's doing the best she can.
Tell her you love her.
Tell her your baby will be fine.
What NOT to say
Do not tell her she should get over this.
Do not tell her you are tired of her feeling this way.
Do not tell her this should be the happiest time of her life.
Do not tell her you liked her better the way she was before.
Do not tell her she'll snap out of this.
Do not tell her she would feel better if only: she were working, she were not working, she got out of the house more, stayed home more, etc.
Do not tell her she should lose weight, color her hair, buy new clothes, etc.
Do not tell her all new mothers feel this way.
Do not tell her this is just a phase.
Do not tell her if she wanted a baby, this is what she has to go through.
Do not tell her you know she's strong enough to get through this on her own and she doesn't need help.
Things you should know about her treatment
Good therapy can be expensive. But expensive therapy isn't always good.
Getting help for your wife has to be the priority here. If you are more worried about how much it costs, she will stay sick longer.
Her illness is real. She needs treatment.
So, how do you know if her therapist or doctor is good? Ask yourself these questions:
Did you feel comfortable with this person? (Yes, you should attend a session).
Does your wife like him/her? (This is more important than you might think. Connecting with this person is half the battle)
How does your wife feel about her sessions?
Does she think it's helping?
Does she feel good about going?
Does she trust this person and feel comfortable talking?
Try to find someone who works short-term and focuses on the here-and-now, rather than issues from the past. These issues are important, but not necessarily productive at the outset, when we want to manage symptoms.
The cost of treatment is a very real concern. But so is her staying sick, isn't it? Please do not let the financial issues get in the way of her getting the help she needs. There are options. Sliding scales. Insurance plans. Payment schedules. Bringing up your worries about the money can actually sabotage her recovery by making her feel guilty. Be careful how you do that.
Encourage your wife to discuss any financial concerns with her therapist. Contact your insurance company. Depending on your particular plan, find out whether you need a referral from your primary and if so, try to find a therapist who is a provider for your network. If not, find out whether or not they reimburse this particular therapist. Most insurance companies will ask you the therapist's credentials to determine reimbursement. If the therapist is not covered at all, find out what arrangement can be made.
Yes, you should go to a session with her. Some women like their husbands to join them for the first one. Others prefer their husbands wait until a relationship has been established with the therapist. Ask your wife if she'd like you to go with her and when. Then do it.
You are going for a few reasons:
To show your support;
To meet her therapist and see who's "taking care" of her;
To ask questions, to get information, to receive support;
To provide information to the therapist about your wife, your relationship, relevant history, etc.
PPD becomes a family issue. Do not let your wife carry the load of this illness alone. Supporting her decision to go to therapy is vital for her recovery. Remember, therapy for PPD should be short-term. In therapy terms, this usually means 3-5 months. But she should receive initial relief right away. Depending on the severity of her illness, she should start feeling somewhat better in the first few weeks.
Emergency situations
If your wife tells you she cannot take this pain anymore, it's a very serious statement that means it's time for an evaluation by someone who specializes in the treatment of depression.
Remember, her thoughts are distorted and it is possible that things feel much worse to her than they appear to you.
It is not up to you to determine whether she's at risk for hurting herself or someone else. A professional should determine it.
Stay with her. Ask her if she feels safe from harm. Help her make an appointment with some she feels can help her. Call her doctor. Do not leave her alone.
The following situations are rare, but warrant immediate intervention. Emergency situations mean you should take her to the closest hospital, call 911. DO NOT LEAVE HER ALONE FOR ANY REASON:
Talk of hurting herself;
Bizarre thinking patterns, hallucinations, delusions;
No sleep in several days. This means NO sleep, usually coupled with manic-like symptoms. Sleep deprivation can worse symptoms;
Noticeable withdrawal from all social contact;
Preoccupation with death, morbid ideas, or religious ideation;
Persistent feelings of despair and hopelessness;
Expressions such as: "My children would be better off without me here."
Karen Kleiman, MSW, Licensed, Clinical Social Worker, co-author of This Isn't What I Expected: Overcoming Postpartum Depression and author of The Postpartum Husband: Practical Solutions for Living with Postpartum Depression, has been working with women and their families for over 20 years. A native of Saint Louis, MO., Karen has lived in the Philadelphia area since 1982 with her two children and her husband. After graduating in 1980 from the University of Illinois at Chicago with her Masters in Social Work, she began her practice as a psychotherapist, specializing in women's issues. In 1988 she founded The Postpartum Stress Center where she provides treatment for prenatal and postpartum depression and anxiety
by Karen Kleiman
Understanding Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression (PPD) affect 20% of all postpartum women.
PPD is a medical condition that can be treated successfully.
PPD is a clinical depression that can occur any time immediately after birth up to a year postpartum.
If your wife has been diagnosed with PPD, it's very important for you to be informed and part of the treatment.
PPD can strike without warning -- in women with no history of depression or women who have had it before. It can happen to women who are highly successful in their careers or women who stay home with their children. It can strike women in stable marriages and conflictual marriages, as well as single women, and adoptive mothers. It can happen to women who love their baby more than anything in the world. It can happen after the first baby, or after the fourth.
It can happen to women who swore it would never happen to them.
It is not completely understood why PPD affects some women and not others -- why women who have many risk factors may no experience it, and others who have no risk factors may end up with a full blown episode.
Women are twice as likely to experience depression than men.
Women are most at risk to experience emotional illness following the birth of a baby than at any other time.
PPD is a real illness.
She is not making this up.
This did not happen because she's a bad mother, or doesn't love her baby enough.
It did not happen because she's having negative thoughts about herself or about you or about your baby.
It did not happen because she is weak and not working hard enough to get better.
She cannot "snap out of it."
This is not fair. This is not what you expected. But if your wife has been diagnosed with PPD, it will take a while for her to recover. Recovery may take weeks to months.
She will get better. She will return to her "normal" self. She will begin to experience pleasure again. This will not happen overnight.
The more supportive you are of her treatment, the smoother her recovery will be.
PPD is nobody's fault. It is not your wife's fault. It is not your fault.
Try to reassure your wife that there is nothing she has done to make this happen.
Often, when we are struck by something we do not understand, we try to cast blame on someone or something. This will be counterproductive.
Remember that we do not know exactly why this happened. What we do know is what to do to maximize the healing process.
Do not spend excessive energy trying to figure out what went wrong or why this happened. Your search for reason will frustrate you and it will keep your wife spinning along side of you. Save your energy for navigating through this unfamiliar territory.
What to say
Her moods and emotional vulnerability will get in the way of good communication for now. Here's what you're up against:
-If you tell her you love her, she won't believe you.
-If you tell her she's a good mother, she'll think you're just saying that to make her feel better.
-If you tell her she's beautiful, she'll assume you're lying.
-If you tell her not to worry about anything, she'll think you have no idea how bad she feels.
-If you tell her you'll come home early to help her, she'll feel guilty.
-If you tell her you have to work late, she'll think you don't care.
But you can:
Tell her you know she feels terrible.
Tell her she will get better.
Tell her she is doing all the right things to get better (therapy, medication, etc.).
Tell her she can still be a good mother and feel terrible.
Tell her it's okay to make mistakes, she doesn't have to do everything perfectly.
Tell her you know how hard she's working at this right now.
Tell her to let you know what she needs you to do to help.
Tell her you know she's doing the best she can.
Tell her you love her.
Tell her your baby will be fine.
What NOT to say
Do not tell her she should get over this.
Do not tell her you are tired of her feeling this way.
Do not tell her this should be the happiest time of her life.
Do not tell her you liked her better the way she was before.
Do not tell her she'll snap out of this.
Do not tell her she would feel better if only: she were working, she were not working, she got out of the house more, stayed home more, etc.
Do not tell her she should lose weight, color her hair, buy new clothes, etc.
Do not tell her all new mothers feel this way.
Do not tell her this is just a phase.
Do not tell her if she wanted a baby, this is what she has to go through.
Do not tell her you know she's strong enough to get through this on her own and she doesn't need help.
Things you should know about her treatment
Good therapy can be expensive. But expensive therapy isn't always good.
Getting help for your wife has to be the priority here. If you are more worried about how much it costs, she will stay sick longer.
Her illness is real. She needs treatment.
So, how do you know if her therapist or doctor is good? Ask yourself these questions:
Did you feel comfortable with this person? (Yes, you should attend a session).
Does your wife like him/her? (This is more important than you might think. Connecting with this person is half the battle)
How does your wife feel about her sessions?
Does she think it's helping?
Does she feel good about going?
Does she trust this person and feel comfortable talking?
Try to find someone who works short-term and focuses on the here-and-now, rather than issues from the past. These issues are important, but not necessarily productive at the outset, when we want to manage symptoms.
The cost of treatment is a very real concern. But so is her staying sick, isn't it? Please do not let the financial issues get in the way of her getting the help she needs. There are options. Sliding scales. Insurance plans. Payment schedules. Bringing up your worries about the money can actually sabotage her recovery by making her feel guilty. Be careful how you do that.
Encourage your wife to discuss any financial concerns with her therapist. Contact your insurance company. Depending on your particular plan, find out whether you need a referral from your primary and if so, try to find a therapist who is a provider for your network. If not, find out whether or not they reimburse this particular therapist. Most insurance companies will ask you the therapist's credentials to determine reimbursement. If the therapist is not covered at all, find out what arrangement can be made.
Yes, you should go to a session with her. Some women like their husbands to join them for the first one. Others prefer their husbands wait until a relationship has been established with the therapist. Ask your wife if she'd like you to go with her and when. Then do it.
You are going for a few reasons:
To show your support;
To meet her therapist and see who's "taking care" of her;
To ask questions, to get information, to receive support;
To provide information to the therapist about your wife, your relationship, relevant history, etc.
PPD becomes a family issue. Do not let your wife carry the load of this illness alone. Supporting her decision to go to therapy is vital for her recovery. Remember, therapy for PPD should be short-term. In therapy terms, this usually means 3-5 months. But she should receive initial relief right away. Depending on the severity of her illness, she should start feeling somewhat better in the first few weeks.
Emergency situations
If your wife tells you she cannot take this pain anymore, it's a very serious statement that means it's time for an evaluation by someone who specializes in the treatment of depression.
Remember, her thoughts are distorted and it is possible that things feel much worse to her than they appear to you.
It is not up to you to determine whether she's at risk for hurting herself or someone else. A professional should determine it.
Stay with her. Ask her if she feels safe from harm. Help her make an appointment with some she feels can help her. Call her doctor. Do not leave her alone.
The following situations are rare, but warrant immediate intervention. Emergency situations mean you should take her to the closest hospital, call 911. DO NOT LEAVE HER ALONE FOR ANY REASON:
Talk of hurting herself;
Bizarre thinking patterns, hallucinations, delusions;
No sleep in several days. This means NO sleep, usually coupled with manic-like symptoms. Sleep deprivation can worse symptoms;
Noticeable withdrawal from all social contact;
Preoccupation with death, morbid ideas, or religious ideation;
Persistent feelings of despair and hopelessness;
Expressions such as: "My children would be better off without me here."
Karen Kleiman, MSW, Licensed, Clinical Social Worker, co-author of This Isn't What I Expected: Overcoming Postpartum Depression and author of The Postpartum Husband: Practical Solutions for Living with Postpartum Depression, has been working with women and their families for over 20 years. A native of Saint Louis, MO., Karen has lived in the Philadelphia area since 1982 with her two children and her husband. After graduating in 1980 from the University of Illinois at Chicago with her Masters in Social Work, she began her practice as a psychotherapist, specializing in women's issues. In 1988 she founded The Postpartum Stress Center where she provides treatment for prenatal and postpartum depression and anxiety
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Healing Postpartum Depression
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5293553n
Dr. Jennifer Ashton sits down with Dr. Elizabeth Fitelson to discuss post-partum depression. Dr. Fitelson's advice for new mothers includes counseling, nutrition and awareness to signs of depression.
Taken from www.cbsnews.com
follow blog in real time at www.condron.us and www.alphainventions.com
Dr. Jennifer Ashton sits down with Dr. Elizabeth Fitelson to discuss post-partum depression. Dr. Fitelson's advice for new mothers includes counseling, nutrition and awareness to signs of depression.
Taken from www.cbsnews.com
follow blog in real time at www.condron.us and www.alphainventions.com
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Postpartum Depession and Fathers, Study with Colic
Article taken from NY Times Magazine September 19, 2009
Motherlode, Adventures in Parenting
August 14, 2009
Postpartum Depression and Fathers
By Lisa Belkin
My older son had colic. Every day at about four in the afternoon he would start to scream, and he would not calm down until eight or nine. We checked for every medical cause, tried every folk remedy, and nothing worked. If you treat colic, our pediatrician quipped, it goes away in about twelve weeks. If you don’t, it takes about three months. In other words, there’s very little you can do.
I was already weepy with what I now realize was mild post-partum depression back then, and this was not the news I wanted to hear. The whole nerve-fraying, battle-scarring experience has left me more attuned than average to news about either colic or post-partum depression, though, and earlier this summer an article in the journal Pediatrics wrapped the two topics into one study. Researchers at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, surveyed 4,426 expectant couples when the mothers were 20 weeks pregnant, and found that 12 percent of fathers and 11 percent of mothers showed symptoms of depression at that point.
Then, when the babies were two months of age, the researchers tallied parental reports of “excessive crying.” Twice as many of the depressed fathers (4.1 percent) and mothers (4.8 percent) had infants who cried for three or more hours a day (a definition of colic) than the non-depressed parents (2.2 percent of both non-depressed mothers and fathers.)
The “news” here? That Dad’s mental health can affect a newborn. Previous studies have looked almost entirely at Mom’s mental health. The advice? That parents-to-be of either gender might be well served by addressing signs of depression before a baby is born.
“It is likely that a substantial part of the fathers who were depressed during pregnancy were depressed after childbirth as well. In this respect, one could imagine that fathers with chronic depressive symptoms are less sensitive to their children, make less effort to comfort their children, and could also react with irritability or aggression toward their children,” the authors conclude. “On the other hand, it is plausible that excessive infant crying will put fathers with depressive symptoms during pregnancy at a higher risk to remain or become more depressed after childbirth because of the higher demands of caring for a child who cannot be comforted.”
This comes on the heels of a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in May confirming that men, too, appear to get post-partum depression. The symptoms may differ, with women becoming sad and withdrawn and men becoming irritable, but it can be classified as post-partum depression nonetheless.
The study, by researchers at the Center for Pediatric Research at the Eastern Virginia Medical School, reviewed data on 5,000 couples when their children were nine-months-old. One in ten fathers met the criteria for “moderate to severe postpartum depression,” which is well above the three to five percent of men in the general population who meet those criteria. (In contrast, 14 percent of new mothers have post-partum depression compared with 7 to ten percent of women in the general population.)
But while both men and women who are depressed interacted “significantly” less with their children – less reading and singing and story telling – it was only paternal depression that seems to have a measurable effect on a child’s development later on. Children of fathers with postpartum depression had smaller vocabularies at two years than children of non-depressed fathers or those of depressed mothers.
Does it ring true to you that fathers get depressed in the months after a baby arrives? Or that a depressed father has as at least as much of an effect on their baby’s development as a depressed mother? Have you lived with colic in your newborn? Postpartum depression in your spouse? What got you through?
Follow blog in real time at www.condron.us or www.alphainventions.com
Motherlode, Adventures in Parenting
August 14, 2009
Postpartum Depression and Fathers
By Lisa Belkin
My older son had colic. Every day at about four in the afternoon he would start to scream, and he would not calm down until eight or nine. We checked for every medical cause, tried every folk remedy, and nothing worked. If you treat colic, our pediatrician quipped, it goes away in about twelve weeks. If you don’t, it takes about three months. In other words, there’s very little you can do.
I was already weepy with what I now realize was mild post-partum depression back then, and this was not the news I wanted to hear. The whole nerve-fraying, battle-scarring experience has left me more attuned than average to news about either colic or post-partum depression, though, and earlier this summer an article in the journal Pediatrics wrapped the two topics into one study. Researchers at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, surveyed 4,426 expectant couples when the mothers were 20 weeks pregnant, and found that 12 percent of fathers and 11 percent of mothers showed symptoms of depression at that point.
Then, when the babies were two months of age, the researchers tallied parental reports of “excessive crying.” Twice as many of the depressed fathers (4.1 percent) and mothers (4.8 percent) had infants who cried for three or more hours a day (a definition of colic) than the non-depressed parents (2.2 percent of both non-depressed mothers and fathers.)
The “news” here? That Dad’s mental health can affect a newborn. Previous studies have looked almost entirely at Mom’s mental health. The advice? That parents-to-be of either gender might be well served by addressing signs of depression before a baby is born.
“It is likely that a substantial part of the fathers who were depressed during pregnancy were depressed after childbirth as well. In this respect, one could imagine that fathers with chronic depressive symptoms are less sensitive to their children, make less effort to comfort their children, and could also react with irritability or aggression toward their children,” the authors conclude. “On the other hand, it is plausible that excessive infant crying will put fathers with depressive symptoms during pregnancy at a higher risk to remain or become more depressed after childbirth because of the higher demands of caring for a child who cannot be comforted.”
This comes on the heels of a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in May confirming that men, too, appear to get post-partum depression. The symptoms may differ, with women becoming sad and withdrawn and men becoming irritable, but it can be classified as post-partum depression nonetheless.
The study, by researchers at the Center for Pediatric Research at the Eastern Virginia Medical School, reviewed data on 5,000 couples when their children were nine-months-old. One in ten fathers met the criteria for “moderate to severe postpartum depression,” which is well above the three to five percent of men in the general population who meet those criteria. (In contrast, 14 percent of new mothers have post-partum depression compared with 7 to ten percent of women in the general population.)
But while both men and women who are depressed interacted “significantly” less with their children – less reading and singing and story telling – it was only paternal depression that seems to have a measurable effect on a child’s development later on. Children of fathers with postpartum depression had smaller vocabularies at two years than children of non-depressed fathers or those of depressed mothers.
Does it ring true to you that fathers get depressed in the months after a baby arrives? Or that a depressed father has as at least as much of an effect on their baby’s development as a depressed mother? Have you lived with colic in your newborn? Postpartum depression in your spouse? What got you through?
Follow blog in real time at www.condron.us or www.alphainventions.com
Friday, September 18, 2009
Coping with Postpartum Depression-For Dad
Article taken from http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/32403497/ns/today-today_relationships/
Coping with postpartum depression — for dads
It’s not just for moms: Life changes for new fathers can trigger depression
By Ian Kerner, Ph.D.
Sex therapist and relationship counselor
TODAYShow.com contributor
updated 12:23 p.m. ET, Thurs., Aug 13, 2009
Ian Kerner, Ph.D
For new dads, is there a male equivalent of PPD (aka postpartum depression)? There isn’t much research into the subject, but in talking to other counselors and therapists, I would estimate that rates of paternal depression range up to about 25 percent when there isn’t concurrent PPD in the female partner and as high as 50 percent among men whose partners are also experiencing postpartum depression. Rates are even higher in dads who work from home or stay at home, so it looks like there are a lot of sad SAHDs (Stay At Home Dads) out there. While men might not experience the hormonal changes that give rise to PPD, they do experience substantial life changes that can trigger depression.
Dealing with the baby bluesThis is one of those issues I dealt with personally. After the birth of my first son, it didn’t take long for me to feel sleepless, sexless, stressed out and burnt out. And as much as I loved being a father, I also felt worn down by the routine and disconnected from Lisa. I often wondered why I couldn’t be like all the other new fathers in the playground who beamed with happy smiles.
My way of dealing with the baby blues was via alcohol. Not to say there’s anything necessarily wrong with that glass of wine or a cocktail, but when alcohol (or any substance, for that matter) becomes the main way of dealing with the natural disorder of parenthood, then it’s potentially a problem. As an only child, I grew up in a quiet home. Nothing in my past had ever prepared me for the “wall of sound” that I’d encounter coming home to a baby. Walking through the door, my life went from calm to cacophony in an instant.
Sure, nothing beats getting greeted at the door with those jubilant little shouts of “Daddy!”, but after the birth of my second son, Beckett, it didn’t take long for the wall of sound to wear me down. I’d never been a drinker, and in fact I’d always made a point of not imbibing in light of a family history replete with alcohol problems. But I soon found myself savoring the difference between a smoky scotch from the Islay region versus a smoother single malt from the Highlands. I knew things were getting bad when the holiday time came and everyone bought me ... well, take a guess.
Today I know I am not alone. Since dealing with this issue, I’ve become much more attuned to the scores of new parents who find themselves extending the boundaries of cocktail hour and self-medicating their way through parenthood: from guys knocking back a six-pack a night to “Deadwood”-style bourbon drinkers to mommies who like to lunch (and then some) over a bottle of white wine.
So, where am I today? Dealing. I’ve chilled out on the drinking. Not completely, but more than partially. I’ve also started exercising before coming home whenever I can, which is really the dose of self-medication I need: iPod-enhanced, sweaty-palm-inducing, feel-good time on the treadmill. On a good day (which is most days), the wall of sound doesn’t sound nearly so bad.
Diagnosing dad’s depression:All new parents deal with the baby blues, but postpartum depression isn’t just something moms need to worry about. Is dad seriously depressed?
Does depression run in his family?
Has his libido gone down?
Is he having problems sleeping, even though he’s exhausted?
Is he avoiding going out with the baby and generally isolating himself?
Do you feel like he’s trying to put on a “happy front”?
Is he drinking more than usual or self-medicating in other ways?
Not only is it important to support the dad who may be experiencing PPD, it’s also important to think about how to get him professional help — he may just have a case of the baby blues, or it could be something more serious.
Ian Kerner is a sex therapist, relationship counselor and New York Times best-selling author of numerous books, including "She Comes First" and "Love in the Time of Colic." He was born and raised in New York City, where he lives with his wife and two sons. He can be reached at http://www.iankerner.com/.
follow blog in real time at http://www.condron.us/ and www.alphainventions.com
Coping with postpartum depression — for dads
It’s not just for moms: Life changes for new fathers can trigger depression
By Ian Kerner, Ph.D.
Sex therapist and relationship counselor
TODAYShow.com contributor
updated 12:23 p.m. ET, Thurs., Aug 13, 2009
Ian Kerner, Ph.D
For new dads, is there a male equivalent of PPD (aka postpartum depression)? There isn’t much research into the subject, but in talking to other counselors and therapists, I would estimate that rates of paternal depression range up to about 25 percent when there isn’t concurrent PPD in the female partner and as high as 50 percent among men whose partners are also experiencing postpartum depression. Rates are even higher in dads who work from home or stay at home, so it looks like there are a lot of sad SAHDs (Stay At Home Dads) out there. While men might not experience the hormonal changes that give rise to PPD, they do experience substantial life changes that can trigger depression.
Dealing with the baby bluesThis is one of those issues I dealt with personally. After the birth of my first son, it didn’t take long for me to feel sleepless, sexless, stressed out and burnt out. And as much as I loved being a father, I also felt worn down by the routine and disconnected from Lisa. I often wondered why I couldn’t be like all the other new fathers in the playground who beamed with happy smiles.
My way of dealing with the baby blues was via alcohol. Not to say there’s anything necessarily wrong with that glass of wine or a cocktail, but when alcohol (or any substance, for that matter) becomes the main way of dealing with the natural disorder of parenthood, then it’s potentially a problem. As an only child, I grew up in a quiet home. Nothing in my past had ever prepared me for the “wall of sound” that I’d encounter coming home to a baby. Walking through the door, my life went from calm to cacophony in an instant.
Sure, nothing beats getting greeted at the door with those jubilant little shouts of “Daddy!”, but after the birth of my second son, Beckett, it didn’t take long for the wall of sound to wear me down. I’d never been a drinker, and in fact I’d always made a point of not imbibing in light of a family history replete with alcohol problems. But I soon found myself savoring the difference between a smoky scotch from the Islay region versus a smoother single malt from the Highlands. I knew things were getting bad when the holiday time came and everyone bought me ... well, take a guess.
Today I know I am not alone. Since dealing with this issue, I’ve become much more attuned to the scores of new parents who find themselves extending the boundaries of cocktail hour and self-medicating their way through parenthood: from guys knocking back a six-pack a night to “Deadwood”-style bourbon drinkers to mommies who like to lunch (and then some) over a bottle of white wine.
So, where am I today? Dealing. I’ve chilled out on the drinking. Not completely, but more than partially. I’ve also started exercising before coming home whenever I can, which is really the dose of self-medication I need: iPod-enhanced, sweaty-palm-inducing, feel-good time on the treadmill. On a good day (which is most days), the wall of sound doesn’t sound nearly so bad.
Diagnosing dad’s depression:All new parents deal with the baby blues, but postpartum depression isn’t just something moms need to worry about. Is dad seriously depressed?
Does depression run in his family?
Has his libido gone down?
Is he having problems sleeping, even though he’s exhausted?
Is he avoiding going out with the baby and generally isolating himself?
Do you feel like he’s trying to put on a “happy front”?
Is he drinking more than usual or self-medicating in other ways?
Not only is it important to support the dad who may be experiencing PPD, it’s also important to think about how to get him professional help — he may just have a case of the baby blues, or it could be something more serious.
Ian Kerner is a sex therapist, relationship counselor and New York Times best-selling author of numerous books, including "She Comes First" and "Love in the Time of Colic." He was born and raised in New York City, where he lives with his wife and two sons. He can be reached at http://www.iankerner.com/.
follow blog in real time at http://www.condron.us/ and www.alphainventions.com
Friday, September 11, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Postpartum Depression Effects on the Baby
By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News EditorReviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on August 21, 2009
While it is fairly obvious that postpartum depression can hinder a mother’s ability to take care of her newborn, a new study looks at how the disorder can affect infant development.
Israeli researchers studied three infant outcomes — social engagement, fear regulation, and physiological stress reactivity — in a group of 100 mother-infant pairs at nine months postpartum. These three infant outcomes are considered foundations of social-emotional growth and are associated with the infant’s ability to manage physiological stress and regulate negative emotions.
The researchers found that the babies of depressed mothers scored the poorest on all outcome measures after 9 months. The infants showed the lowest levels of social engagement during interactions with their mothers, were unable to self-regulate during situations that introduced novelty, fussed and cried more often, and their physiological stress response showed both higher baseline levels and a more pronounced stress reactivity.
The researchers collected a large community cohort of 971 mothers who reported symptoms of depression and anxiety at 2 days postpartum and again at 6 months. Of these, a cohort of 100 mothers and infants were observed at 9 months and included three groups: Mothers who were depressed across the first nine months and were diagnosed as suffering a Major Depression Disorder at 9 months, mothers who reported high levels of anxiety across the first 9 months and were diagnosed with an Anxiety Disorder at 9 months, and control mothers who reported low anxiety and depressive symptoms across the first 9 months after childbirth.
To remove the influence of other known risk factors such as teenage pregnancy or premature birth, which could independently contribute to maternal depression, the researchers only recruited women who were in stable relationships, were physically healthy, educated, and those who delivered a healthy full-term infant.
Children of anxious mothers showed lower social engagement than children of control mothers but higher than children of depressed mothers. However, their physiological stress response was similar to children of depressed mothers.
The mother’s sensitive behavior played an important role in shaping infant outcomes. Sensitive mothering was related to the infant’s social engagement and protected against the effects of maternal depression on the development of the child’s social skills.
Maternal sensitivity also had a positive impact on the infant’s physiological stress response and reduced the degree of physiological reactivity as measured by cortisol reactivity to stress.
Sensitive mothering is important in an infant’s ability to develop social competence and further study of the effects of maternal depression on child development within the first year of life is warranted.
Feldman and colleagues stated, “By recruiting a large community sample, separating maternal depression from typically-occurring conditions, comparing cases of major depressive disorder to those of postpartum anxiety disorders, and assessing the chronicity of the mother’s mood from birth, the findings may illuminate specific pathways leading from maternal depression to child outcomes across the first year of life.
“Furthermore, the unique associations found between maternal depression and each outcome underscore the need to consider maternal depression in the context of the child’s global rearing environment and in relation to the attainment of specific developmental goals.”
The study is published in the August 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of ChildAdolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP).
Source: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
view blog in real time at www.condron.us and www.alphainventions.com
While it is fairly obvious that postpartum depression can hinder a mother’s ability to take care of her newborn, a new study looks at how the disorder can affect infant development.
Israeli researchers studied three infant outcomes — social engagement, fear regulation, and physiological stress reactivity — in a group of 100 mother-infant pairs at nine months postpartum. These three infant outcomes are considered foundations of social-emotional growth and are associated with the infant’s ability to manage physiological stress and regulate negative emotions.
The researchers found that the babies of depressed mothers scored the poorest on all outcome measures after 9 months. The infants showed the lowest levels of social engagement during interactions with their mothers, were unable to self-regulate during situations that introduced novelty, fussed and cried more often, and their physiological stress response showed both higher baseline levels and a more pronounced stress reactivity.
The researchers collected a large community cohort of 971 mothers who reported symptoms of depression and anxiety at 2 days postpartum and again at 6 months. Of these, a cohort of 100 mothers and infants were observed at 9 months and included three groups: Mothers who were depressed across the first nine months and were diagnosed as suffering a Major Depression Disorder at 9 months, mothers who reported high levels of anxiety across the first 9 months and were diagnosed with an Anxiety Disorder at 9 months, and control mothers who reported low anxiety and depressive symptoms across the first 9 months after childbirth.
To remove the influence of other known risk factors such as teenage pregnancy or premature birth, which could independently contribute to maternal depression, the researchers only recruited women who were in stable relationships, were physically healthy, educated, and those who delivered a healthy full-term infant.
Children of anxious mothers showed lower social engagement than children of control mothers but higher than children of depressed mothers. However, their physiological stress response was similar to children of depressed mothers.
The mother’s sensitive behavior played an important role in shaping infant outcomes. Sensitive mothering was related to the infant’s social engagement and protected against the effects of maternal depression on the development of the child’s social skills.
Maternal sensitivity also had a positive impact on the infant’s physiological stress response and reduced the degree of physiological reactivity as measured by cortisol reactivity to stress.
Sensitive mothering is important in an infant’s ability to develop social competence and further study of the effects of maternal depression on child development within the first year of life is warranted.
Feldman and colleagues stated, “By recruiting a large community sample, separating maternal depression from typically-occurring conditions, comparing cases of major depressive disorder to those of postpartum anxiety disorders, and assessing the chronicity of the mother’s mood from birth, the findings may illuminate specific pathways leading from maternal depression to child outcomes across the first year of life.
“Furthermore, the unique associations found between maternal depression and each outcome underscore the need to consider maternal depression in the context of the child’s global rearing environment and in relation to the attainment of specific developmental goals.”
The study is published in the August 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of ChildAdolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP).
Source: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
view blog in real time at www.condron.us and www.alphainventions.com
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Poor Sleep Independently linked to Postpartum Depression
This article was taken from www.medscape.com I do not think what I had would be called, "poor sleep." I had down and out insomnia. I did not sleep for days. When I did fall asleep I would wake up with panic attacks and think that I was going to die. Our bodies need sleep, no doubt about that. I could not even lay down to nap when my son napped, I just could never fall asleep. Would my postpartum depression have been so bad if I had gotten more sleep? I would think that sleeping more would have definitely helped!
Poor Sleep Independently Linked to Postpartum Depression
Laurie Barclay, MD
Authors and Disclosures
Print This
July 8, 2009 — Poor sleep is linked to postpartum depression independently of other risk factors, according to the results of a cross-sectional, population-based study reported in the July issue of Sleep.
"It is important to ask a new mother suffering from tiredness about how poor sleep affects her daytime functioning and whether there are other factors in her life that may contribute to her lack of energy," lead author Signe Karen Dørheim, MD, PhD, a psychiatrist at Stavanger University Hospital in Stavanger, Norway, said in a news release. "There are also helpful depression screening questionnaires that can be completed during a consultation. Doctors and other health workers should provide an opportunity for postpartum women to discuss difficult feelings."
The goals of this study were to assess the prevalence of and risk factors for concurrent postpartum maternal sleep problems and depressive symptoms, to identify factors independently associated with either condition, and to examine associations between specific components of postpartum sleep and depression.
From October 2005 to September 2006, a total of 4191 women delivered at Stavanger University Hospital and were mailed a questionnaire 7 weeks after delivery, with a response rate of 68% (n = 2830). Mean maternal age at the time of reply was 30 years.
The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) evaluated sleep characteristics, with sleep problems defined as a PSQI score of more than 5. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) evaluated depressive symptoms, with depression defined as an EPDS score of 10 or higher.
The prevalence of sleep problems was 57.7%, and the prevalence of depression was 16.5%. Self-reported mean nightly sleep duration was 6.5 hours, and sleep efficiency was 73%.
Factors associated with poor postpartum sleep quality were depression, history of sleep problems, primiparity, not exclusively breast-feeding, or having a younger or male infant. After adjustment for other known risk factors for depression, including poor partner relationship, history of depression, depression during pregnancy, and stressful life events, poor sleep remained associated with depression. The aspects of sleep most strongly associated with depression were sleep disturbances and subjective sleep quality.
"Poor sleep was associated with depression independently of other risk factors," the study authors write. "Poor sleep may increase the risk of depression in some women, but as previously known risk factors were also associated, mothers diagnosed with postpartum depression are not merely reporting symptoms of chronic sleep deprivation."
Limitations of this study include cross-sectional design precluding determination of causality and reliance on self-reported symptoms.
"The sleep of women with a history of depression may be more sensitive to the psychobiological (hormonal, immunological, psychological, and social) changes associated with childbirth," the study authors conclude. "Sleep could act as a moderator between these risk factors for depression and the precipitation of depression in women vulnerable to such sleep changes during the postpartum period. Longitudinal studies are needed to evaluate whether treatment of maternal sleep problems reduces depression and whether treatment of maternal depression improves sleep quality."
The Western Norway Regional Health Authority funded this study. One of the study authors has disclosed various financial relationships with Lundbeck AS, sanofi-aventis, Pfizer, Wyeth, and NycoMed. The other study authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
follow blog in real time at www.condron.us or www.alphainventions.com
Poor Sleep Independently Linked to Postpartum Depression
Laurie Barclay, MD
Authors and Disclosures
Print This
July 8, 2009 — Poor sleep is linked to postpartum depression independently of other risk factors, according to the results of a cross-sectional, population-based study reported in the July issue of Sleep.
"It is important to ask a new mother suffering from tiredness about how poor sleep affects her daytime functioning and whether there are other factors in her life that may contribute to her lack of energy," lead author Signe Karen Dørheim, MD, PhD, a psychiatrist at Stavanger University Hospital in Stavanger, Norway, said in a news release. "There are also helpful depression screening questionnaires that can be completed during a consultation. Doctors and other health workers should provide an opportunity for postpartum women to discuss difficult feelings."
The goals of this study were to assess the prevalence of and risk factors for concurrent postpartum maternal sleep problems and depressive symptoms, to identify factors independently associated with either condition, and to examine associations between specific components of postpartum sleep and depression.
From October 2005 to September 2006, a total of 4191 women delivered at Stavanger University Hospital and were mailed a questionnaire 7 weeks after delivery, with a response rate of 68% (n = 2830). Mean maternal age at the time of reply was 30 years.
The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) evaluated sleep characteristics, with sleep problems defined as a PSQI score of more than 5. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) evaluated depressive symptoms, with depression defined as an EPDS score of 10 or higher.
The prevalence of sleep problems was 57.7%, and the prevalence of depression was 16.5%. Self-reported mean nightly sleep duration was 6.5 hours, and sleep efficiency was 73%.
Factors associated with poor postpartum sleep quality were depression, history of sleep problems, primiparity, not exclusively breast-feeding, or having a younger or male infant. After adjustment for other known risk factors for depression, including poor partner relationship, history of depression, depression during pregnancy, and stressful life events, poor sleep remained associated with depression. The aspects of sleep most strongly associated with depression were sleep disturbances and subjective sleep quality.
"Poor sleep was associated with depression independently of other risk factors," the study authors write. "Poor sleep may increase the risk of depression in some women, but as previously known risk factors were also associated, mothers diagnosed with postpartum depression are not merely reporting symptoms of chronic sleep deprivation."
Limitations of this study include cross-sectional design precluding determination of causality and reliance on self-reported symptoms.
"The sleep of women with a history of depression may be more sensitive to the psychobiological (hormonal, immunological, psychological, and social) changes associated with childbirth," the study authors conclude. "Sleep could act as a moderator between these risk factors for depression and the precipitation of depression in women vulnerable to such sleep changes during the postpartum period. Longitudinal studies are needed to evaluate whether treatment of maternal sleep problems reduces depression and whether treatment of maternal depression improves sleep quality."
The Western Norway Regional Health Authority funded this study. One of the study authors has disclosed various financial relationships with Lundbeck AS, sanofi-aventis, Pfizer, Wyeth, and NycoMed. The other study authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
follow blog in real time at www.condron.us or www.alphainventions.com
Friday, August 21, 2009
How to help someone with depression
http://www.healthyplace.com/depression/living-with-depression/if-you-know-someone-whos-depressed/menu-id-1350/
Looking at my previous blog posts I see that many people are looking for the answers on how to help a loved one, friend, or even family member that is suffering from depression. I decided to post some information on that today. Just remember, do not judge them and please, do try to get them the help that they would need.
I have also in my past known people that have suffered from major depression and have dealt with loved ones and friends committing suicide. Try to get them the help they need before it goes too far. Reach out to therapists and doctors in your area that can also give you information on how to cope and deal with your loved one's depression. This is a major issue that needs to be dealt with.
view blogs in real time at www.condron.us and www.alphainventions.com
Looking at my previous blog posts I see that many people are looking for the answers on how to help a loved one, friend, or even family member that is suffering from depression. I decided to post some information on that today. Just remember, do not judge them and please, do try to get them the help that they would need.
I have also in my past known people that have suffered from major depression and have dealt with loved ones and friends committing suicide. Try to get them the help they need before it goes too far. Reach out to therapists and doctors in your area that can also give you information on how to cope and deal with your loved one's depression. This is a major issue that needs to be dealt with.
view blogs in real time at www.condron.us and www.alphainventions.com
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Can stress make you gain weight?
Can being under stress make you gain weight? I believe that it totally can. I am certainly been under a lot of stress lately which means: I tend not to eat correctly; I am not getting enough sleep nor am I getting enough exercise; and most of all I am not making time for me to get out and have fun. Believe me, that is what I am going to start this month, trying to make more time for me. Get in the work-outs that I miss and start eating right. I think actually that I do not eat enough since I am always on the go, that is not good either since your body then tends to store the fat. So the message of today: Get out and make time for yourself so the stress does not get you down!
Article taken from www.uticaod.com
By JIM LaFOUNTAIN
Observer-Dispatch
Posted Jul 23, 2009 @ 12:07 PM
QUESTION: I recently was informed by my girlfriend that my inability to deal with stress is making me fat. How can that be? I just started a new job and do have a lot on my plate (no pun here), but how can it make me fat? I exercise and eat pretty healthy.
ANSWER: Over the course of many thousands of years, our bodies survived because they adapted to various stressors. Whether it was running from a large, swift beast or fighting off a smaller predator, we learned to survive an enormous number of physical stressors. The majority of us, however, do not do such a good job of handling emotional or psychological stress. Our fast-paced world encourages us to work hard and worry even harder.Even those who exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet are falling prey to the ill effects of emotional and psychological stress. Physically fit, “type A” personalities are experiencing the negative effects of their hard-driving lifestyles. Many factors contribute to becoming fat. Overeating and under-exercising obviously are ingredients for an increase in fat storage.
Psychological and emotional stress also can contribute to gains in stored body fat since your body cannot distinguish the difference between physical, emotional or psychological stress. With that said, your brain acts as though you are in physical danger and triggers the production of generous amounts of adrenaline. This encourages your body to release energy in order to fight or flight (run real fast.)
The “fight or flight” mechanism runs amok because a surge of cortisol is released into the system by the adrenal glands. Cortisol causes your body to begin replenishing what is perceived as a large amount of energy your body would have used had you been exposed to physical stress. Psychological or emotional stress, however, does not induce a large caloric void. The bottom line is that in the presence of cortisol, your body attempts to replenish large amounts of calories it has not used and the excess is stored as body fat. Over time, stress causes the body to repeat this process and large amounts of weight can be gained in a few weeks.An added negative to allowing stress into your life is that when adrenal glands are pumping out cortisol, testosterone production slows. A reduction in testosterone causes the body’s lean mass to drop. Less lean mass causes a reduction in both exercising and resting metabolism and subsequent weight gain.
Some methods for dealing with stress include:
Regular exercise.
Resisting the urge to go on a highly restrictive diet.
Limit caffeine intake.
Eat a nutrition-filled breakfast.
Get more sleep.
Discipline your mind to think more positively.
Jim LaFountain is president of All-American Fitness Center in New Hartford. He has a master's degree in exercise science and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist.
Write to him at 1 Campion Road, New Hartford NY 13413.
view blog in real time at www.condron.us or www.alphainventions.com
Article taken from www.uticaod.com
By JIM LaFOUNTAIN
Observer-Dispatch
Posted Jul 23, 2009 @ 12:07 PM
QUESTION: I recently was informed by my girlfriend that my inability to deal with stress is making me fat. How can that be? I just started a new job and do have a lot on my plate (no pun here), but how can it make me fat? I exercise and eat pretty healthy.
ANSWER: Over the course of many thousands of years, our bodies survived because they adapted to various stressors. Whether it was running from a large, swift beast or fighting off a smaller predator, we learned to survive an enormous number of physical stressors. The majority of us, however, do not do such a good job of handling emotional or psychological stress. Our fast-paced world encourages us to work hard and worry even harder.Even those who exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet are falling prey to the ill effects of emotional and psychological stress. Physically fit, “type A” personalities are experiencing the negative effects of their hard-driving lifestyles. Many factors contribute to becoming fat. Overeating and under-exercising obviously are ingredients for an increase in fat storage.
Psychological and emotional stress also can contribute to gains in stored body fat since your body cannot distinguish the difference between physical, emotional or psychological stress. With that said, your brain acts as though you are in physical danger and triggers the production of generous amounts of adrenaline. This encourages your body to release energy in order to fight or flight (run real fast.)
The “fight or flight” mechanism runs amok because a surge of cortisol is released into the system by the adrenal glands. Cortisol causes your body to begin replenishing what is perceived as a large amount of energy your body would have used had you been exposed to physical stress. Psychological or emotional stress, however, does not induce a large caloric void. The bottom line is that in the presence of cortisol, your body attempts to replenish large amounts of calories it has not used and the excess is stored as body fat. Over time, stress causes the body to repeat this process and large amounts of weight can be gained in a few weeks.An added negative to allowing stress into your life is that when adrenal glands are pumping out cortisol, testosterone production slows. A reduction in testosterone causes the body’s lean mass to drop. Less lean mass causes a reduction in both exercising and resting metabolism and subsequent weight gain.
Some methods for dealing with stress include:
Regular exercise.
Resisting the urge to go on a highly restrictive diet.
Limit caffeine intake.
Eat a nutrition-filled breakfast.
Get more sleep.
Discipline your mind to think more positively.
Jim LaFountain is president of All-American Fitness Center in New Hartford. He has a master's degree in exercise science and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist.
Write to him at 1 Campion Road, New Hartford NY 13413.
view blog in real time at www.condron.us or www.alphainventions.com
Monday, August 17, 2009
Free Weekly Phone Forums for Information and Support
Services offered from http://www.postpartum.net/ Postpartum International. Free weekly phone forums for women and men.
Free Weekly Phone Forums for Information and Support
This weekly forum provides the opportunity for women and men to talk with an expert, ask questions, and get support.
Bringing a baby home can also bring major emotional and physical adjustments. You - and the people who care about you - don’t need to need to face these changes alone.
WEDNESDAY CHATS FOR WOMEN and their HELPERS
“Is it just the baby blues?”
“Am I the only one who feels this way?”
“What can I do to help my daughter?” or - your friend, your sister, or partner.
This is a place where moms, partners, extended family members, support people for moms, and professionals can find some answers and support from an expert - and from other women. You’ll find honest and compassionate talk about the adjustment to parenthood, information about mood changes during or after pregnancy, and some helpful advice.
Chat Facilitators:
Yvonne Moore, MD,MA,FACOG has been an Obstetrician-Gynecologist for more than 25 years. She is a member of the PSI Board of Directors and the coordinator of “Chat with the Experts.”
Ilyene Barsky, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker, PPD survivor, and founder of The Center for Postpartum Adjustment, http://www.postpartumsupport.com/.
Helen Jones, PhD, RN, APN is a former PSI board member, published author, family therapist specializing in perinatal mood disorders, and Professor of Nursing at Raritan Valley Community College in NJ.
Linda Klempner, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist and director of Women’s Health Counseling & Psychotherapy in Teaneck, N.J.
Birdie Meyer, RN, MA, CLC , Board President of PSI, is the coordinator of the Perinatal Mood Disorders Program at Clarian Health in Indianapolis, IN. She is a Childbirth Educator and is certified as a CPR instructor, Lactation Counselor, Spirit of Care giving facilitator, RTS Bereavement Facilitator, Critical Incident response, and Parish Nurse.
Ann Smith, CNM is a nurse-midwife, PPD survivor, lecturer on perinatal mood disorders to health professionals, and coordinator of a postpartum depression support group.
NEW! MONDAY CHATS FOR MEN
“What can I do to support my partner?”
“Is it possible that I’m depressed too?”
“Am I the only guy who’s struggling with becoming a dad?”
This is a place where dads, partners, extended family members or other support people, and professionals can find some answers and support from an expert - and from other men. You’ll find honest and compassionate talk about the adjustment to parenthood, information about how fatherhood can affect you, and some helpful advice.
Chat Facilitators:
Will Courtenay, PhD is an internationally recognized expert in helping men, a psychotherapist, author, researcher, and founder of http://www.postpartummen.com/
David Miller, MD, PhD is an obstetrician-turned-psychiatrist who specializes in women’s mood disorders with particular focus on Perinatal Mood Disorders. He is a founding board member for Postpartum Education and Support, Inc. in North Carolina, and maintains a private practice in Wake Forest, NC
Susan Dowd Stone, MSW, LCSW Chairs PSI’s President’s Advisory Council. She is an author, presenter, advocate, adjunct lecturer at NYU, and is in private practice specializing in women’s reproductive mental health at http://www.perinatalpro.com/
Participation can be anonymous. There is no need to register, the sessions are live and free, and the facilitators are licensed mental health professionals.
Participants must call 1-800-944-8766 five minutes before the call begins.
The facilitator will end the call if there are no participants by 15 minutes after the scheduled start time.
Click here to read detailed instructions
The bridge line will stop accepting callers when the maximum of 15 callers has been reached. Sessions will last approximately one hour. Callers may choose to remain anonymous. These Chats are not meant to take the place of needed visits to healthcare providers and do not provide therapy.
view blog in real time at http://www.condron.us/ and http://www.alphainventions.com/
Free Weekly Phone Forums for Information and Support
This weekly forum provides the opportunity for women and men to talk with an expert, ask questions, and get support.
Bringing a baby home can also bring major emotional and physical adjustments. You - and the people who care about you - don’t need to need to face these changes alone.
WEDNESDAY CHATS FOR WOMEN and their HELPERS
“Is it just the baby blues?”
“Am I the only one who feels this way?”
“What can I do to help my daughter?” or - your friend, your sister, or partner.
This is a place where moms, partners, extended family members, support people for moms, and professionals can find some answers and support from an expert - and from other women. You’ll find honest and compassionate talk about the adjustment to parenthood, information about mood changes during or after pregnancy, and some helpful advice.
Chat Facilitators:
Yvonne Moore, MD,MA,FACOG has been an Obstetrician-Gynecologist for more than 25 years. She is a member of the PSI Board of Directors and the coordinator of “Chat with the Experts.”
Ilyene Barsky, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker, PPD survivor, and founder of The Center for Postpartum Adjustment, http://www.postpartumsupport.com/.
Helen Jones, PhD, RN, APN is a former PSI board member, published author, family therapist specializing in perinatal mood disorders, and Professor of Nursing at Raritan Valley Community College in NJ.
Linda Klempner, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist and director of Women’s Health Counseling & Psychotherapy in Teaneck, N.J.
Birdie Meyer, RN, MA, CLC , Board President of PSI, is the coordinator of the Perinatal Mood Disorders Program at Clarian Health in Indianapolis, IN. She is a Childbirth Educator and is certified as a CPR instructor, Lactation Counselor, Spirit of Care giving facilitator, RTS Bereavement Facilitator, Critical Incident response, and Parish Nurse.
Ann Smith, CNM is a nurse-midwife, PPD survivor, lecturer on perinatal mood disorders to health professionals, and coordinator of a postpartum depression support group.
NEW! MONDAY CHATS FOR MEN
“What can I do to support my partner?”
“Is it possible that I’m depressed too?”
“Am I the only guy who’s struggling with becoming a dad?”
This is a place where dads, partners, extended family members or other support people, and professionals can find some answers and support from an expert - and from other men. You’ll find honest and compassionate talk about the adjustment to parenthood, information about how fatherhood can affect you, and some helpful advice.
Chat Facilitators:
Will Courtenay, PhD is an internationally recognized expert in helping men, a psychotherapist, author, researcher, and founder of http://www.postpartummen.com/
David Miller, MD, PhD is an obstetrician-turned-psychiatrist who specializes in women’s mood disorders with particular focus on Perinatal Mood Disorders. He is a founding board member for Postpartum Education and Support, Inc. in North Carolina, and maintains a private practice in Wake Forest, NC
Susan Dowd Stone, MSW, LCSW Chairs PSI’s President’s Advisory Council. She is an author, presenter, advocate, adjunct lecturer at NYU, and is in private practice specializing in women’s reproductive mental health at http://www.perinatalpro.com/
Participation can be anonymous. There is no need to register, the sessions are live and free, and the facilitators are licensed mental health professionals.
Participants must call 1-800-944-8766 five minutes before the call begins.
The facilitator will end the call if there are no participants by 15 minutes after the scheduled start time.
Click here to read detailed instructions
The bridge line will stop accepting callers when the maximum of 15 callers has been reached. Sessions will last approximately one hour. Callers may choose to remain anonymous. These Chats are not meant to take the place of needed visits to healthcare providers and do not provide therapy.
view blog in real time at http://www.condron.us/ and http://www.alphainventions.com/
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Daddy Boot Camp
Daddy boot camp...great concept. If this is your first child and you really have no idea how to change a diaper, men why not go and see what it is all about? From what I have researched there are now Daddy Boot Camps all over the country and most likely you can find one near you. So, if you can go and learn a few things and show your wife, girlfriend, or partner that you are getting prepared, I am sure that they would feel a lot more comfortable the first time they leave you alone with "baby." Not only will you learn about baby, but you will also learn about mommy.
Article Taken from www.time.com
Daddy Boot Camp
By Jeninne Lee-St. John/Weymouth Thursday, Jun. 05, 2008
"The societal view of dads is that we're bumbling fools," Steve Dubin tells his all-male audience. It's Saturday morning in Weymouth, Mass., and 14 soon-to-be fathers are paying him to help keep them from fulfilling that stereotype. Dubin, a p.r. executive and Little League coach, pairs three rookies with three dads willing to hand over their babies for training purposes. Support the head, the instruction begins. Act naturally because babies can smell fear. Roll them over and rub their backs if they start to cry. "You'll probably hold the baby differently from your wife. That's O. K.," Dubin says. "But this will be the beginning of, 'Why are you doing it that way?'" he warns. "Tell your wife, 'We're going to do things differently, and you have to allow me to.'"
The marital advice comes as a bonus in the class Dubin and former Air Force special-ops commando Darryl Wooten teach each month called Boot Camp for New Dads. The training program, which is offered in 43 states as well as in Britain and Australia, combines the basics of parenting preparation--what to expect during labor, how to change a diaper--with male-bonding to help ease the often overlooked stresses of fathers-to-be. At a time when enrollment in childbirth classes has fallen from 70% of first timers in 2002 to 56% in 2006--with the drop-off due in part to expectant couples' assuming they can learn just as much from books or online--Boot Camp has continued to expand and this year graduated its 200,000th enlistee.
It's no coincidence that more men are volunteering for three-hour pre-papa classes as marketers ply them with more masculine baby gear. Diaper Dude bags and DadGear diaper vests, which come with pockets for a changing pad and other essentials, are becoming modern-dad must-haves. On June 8, every Babies "R" Us in the U.S. is scheduled to host a Boot Camp session as part of a free event for fathers. And Johnson & Johnson recently signed a partnership with Boot Camp to help get men more involved in child care (and presumably buying more J&J products).
Boot Camp was founded in Irvine, Calif., in 1990 by Greg Bishop after friends kept asking the now 57-year-old father of four, and sibling of 12, for child-rearing advice. His nonprofit program, which can cost nothing or as much as $35 depending on the location, has since been named a best practice by the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Army, which supports classes on its bases. Bishop's latest book, A Crash Course for New Dads, has a built-in audience. According to a 2007 Spike TV survey of more than 1,000 fathers, 71% of respondents felt they had to figure out on their own how to be a good dad. Tim Frye agrees. A political-science professor and Boot Camp veteran, he brought his 11-week-old son to the Weymouth class to help other men learn how to be a more hands-on parent. "If you come from an Ozzie and Harriet--type family where Dad was working and Mom was home," says Frye, 44, "if that's your model, then you're just making it up as you go along."
Boot Camp is working against the old notion that real men, manly men, skip the dirty work when it comes to child-rearing. "There was a time when men would brag that they never had to change a diaper," Dubin tells the class, "but that's not something to brag about now." Instructors reach their audience using guy talk: first-time expectant dads are "rookies"; "veterans" who have taken the class come back with their "stunt babies" so that students can learn to hold, diaper and "burrito wrap"--er, swaddle--them.
The curriculum, which covers serious subjects like shaken-baby syndrome and postpartum depression, for the most part steers clear of touchy-feely emoting. But to kick off the class, Dubin asks the men to describe the father figure they grew up with and the kind of dad they'd like to be. Some responses are blunt: "My dad was an a__hole, and I'd rather not be one." But nearly all include a desire to attain the virtues of a decidedly modern man: patience, emotional availability, anger-management and communication skills, and open-mindedness.
That may sound like a list of what women want from their mates, but Boot Camp addresses what men want too. Bishop says a major concern for expectant fathers is how their relationship with their wives or girlfriends will change. "New mothers are very focused on that baby," he says, "and dads can get left in the dust." That's not only because of the maternal instinct but also because there are some things men simply can't do. A veteran at the Weymouth class told the rookies that his wife originally had trouble breast-feeding. "The milk wasn't coming in," he said. "The baby's weight was dropping. You feel totally helpless." The coaches stress communicating, but they also get to the more pressing questions about sex: when it's O.K. to do it after childbirth ("Officially, six weeks, but not until she's ready") and why engorged breasts aren't meant to be played with ("They feel like someone kicked you in the nuts 10 times").
Despite the popularity of Boot Camp and other father-oriented programs, there are still some bumps on the path to daddy enlightenment. Although many men sign up for Boot Camp after seeing an ad or getting a recommendation from friends or doctors, about half the participants go because their baby's mama makes them. "On my way here, I talked to three friends. They were all like, 'Why are you going to that?'" says Alex Brookfield, 27, a general contractor in the Weymouth class. "But I figured if I learned just a little bit of anything, it would be better than nothing."
follow blog in real time at www.condron.us and www.alphainventions.com
Article Taken from www.time.com
Daddy Boot Camp
By Jeninne Lee-St. John/Weymouth Thursday, Jun. 05, 2008
"The societal view of dads is that we're bumbling fools," Steve Dubin tells his all-male audience. It's Saturday morning in Weymouth, Mass., and 14 soon-to-be fathers are paying him to help keep them from fulfilling that stereotype. Dubin, a p.r. executive and Little League coach, pairs three rookies with three dads willing to hand over their babies for training purposes. Support the head, the instruction begins. Act naturally because babies can smell fear. Roll them over and rub their backs if they start to cry. "You'll probably hold the baby differently from your wife. That's O. K.," Dubin says. "But this will be the beginning of, 'Why are you doing it that way?'" he warns. "Tell your wife, 'We're going to do things differently, and you have to allow me to.'"
The marital advice comes as a bonus in the class Dubin and former Air Force special-ops commando Darryl Wooten teach each month called Boot Camp for New Dads. The training program, which is offered in 43 states as well as in Britain and Australia, combines the basics of parenting preparation--what to expect during labor, how to change a diaper--with male-bonding to help ease the often overlooked stresses of fathers-to-be. At a time when enrollment in childbirth classes has fallen from 70% of first timers in 2002 to 56% in 2006--with the drop-off due in part to expectant couples' assuming they can learn just as much from books or online--Boot Camp has continued to expand and this year graduated its 200,000th enlistee.
It's no coincidence that more men are volunteering for three-hour pre-papa classes as marketers ply them with more masculine baby gear. Diaper Dude bags and DadGear diaper vests, which come with pockets for a changing pad and other essentials, are becoming modern-dad must-haves. On June 8, every Babies "R" Us in the U.S. is scheduled to host a Boot Camp session as part of a free event for fathers. And Johnson & Johnson recently signed a partnership with Boot Camp to help get men more involved in child care (and presumably buying more J&J products).
Boot Camp was founded in Irvine, Calif., in 1990 by Greg Bishop after friends kept asking the now 57-year-old father of four, and sibling of 12, for child-rearing advice. His nonprofit program, which can cost nothing or as much as $35 depending on the location, has since been named a best practice by the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Army, which supports classes on its bases. Bishop's latest book, A Crash Course for New Dads, has a built-in audience. According to a 2007 Spike TV survey of more than 1,000 fathers, 71% of respondents felt they had to figure out on their own how to be a good dad. Tim Frye agrees. A political-science professor and Boot Camp veteran, he brought his 11-week-old son to the Weymouth class to help other men learn how to be a more hands-on parent. "If you come from an Ozzie and Harriet--type family where Dad was working and Mom was home," says Frye, 44, "if that's your model, then you're just making it up as you go along."
Boot Camp is working against the old notion that real men, manly men, skip the dirty work when it comes to child-rearing. "There was a time when men would brag that they never had to change a diaper," Dubin tells the class, "but that's not something to brag about now." Instructors reach their audience using guy talk: first-time expectant dads are "rookies"; "veterans" who have taken the class come back with their "stunt babies" so that students can learn to hold, diaper and "burrito wrap"--er, swaddle--them.
The curriculum, which covers serious subjects like shaken-baby syndrome and postpartum depression, for the most part steers clear of touchy-feely emoting. But to kick off the class, Dubin asks the men to describe the father figure they grew up with and the kind of dad they'd like to be. Some responses are blunt: "My dad was an a__hole, and I'd rather not be one." But nearly all include a desire to attain the virtues of a decidedly modern man: patience, emotional availability, anger-management and communication skills, and open-mindedness.
That may sound like a list of what women want from their mates, but Boot Camp addresses what men want too. Bishop says a major concern for expectant fathers is how their relationship with their wives or girlfriends will change. "New mothers are very focused on that baby," he says, "and dads can get left in the dust." That's not only because of the maternal instinct but also because there are some things men simply can't do. A veteran at the Weymouth class told the rookies that his wife originally had trouble breast-feeding. "The milk wasn't coming in," he said. "The baby's weight was dropping. You feel totally helpless." The coaches stress communicating, but they also get to the more pressing questions about sex: when it's O.K. to do it after childbirth ("Officially, six weeks, but not until she's ready") and why engorged breasts aren't meant to be played with ("They feel like someone kicked you in the nuts 10 times").
Despite the popularity of Boot Camp and other father-oriented programs, there are still some bumps on the path to daddy enlightenment. Although many men sign up for Boot Camp after seeing an ad or getting a recommendation from friends or doctors, about half the participants go because their baby's mama makes them. "On my way here, I talked to three friends. They were all like, 'Why are you going to that?'" says Alex Brookfield, 27, a general contractor in the Weymouth class. "But I figured if I learned just a little bit of anything, it would be better than nothing."
follow blog in real time at www.condron.us and www.alphainventions.com
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Going Back to Work after Baby
Today in my search I was trying to locate articles on women going back to work after having their baby. Whether they had maternity leave and it was over and had to return to work or were they just going back to the workforce. I really could not find anything relevant for what I wanted to post. So I am just going to turn to my own situation and let you know my experience.
I went on maternity leave about 3 weeks before I was due. I was in property management, living in Florida, and just could not take walking up three flights of steps numerous times throughout the day showing apartments. I was done! Needless to say my son was then 9 days late. So, of course, I did not get my full 3 months of maternity leave with my son. When they called me to see if I was coming back to work I honestly did not think that I could do it. At that time I did not know that I was suffering with postpartum depression. I was not sleeping, could not eat, was anxious all the time, and did not think that I could leave me baby.
Of course my immediate thought was, "What is wrong with me? Women go back to work all the time after their maternity leave, why can't I?" There was something wrong with me and I did not know it yet. I had an illness called postpartum depression. I had to call my regional manager and let her know that I just could not return to work full time, but I would call them when I was ready to return. Did I ever go back to that job? No, I did not. I went back to a part-time job a few months later working nights at a restaurant. Was that easy? No, it was not.
By the time I went back to work part time, 3 nights a week, I had just been diagnosed with ppd and put on medication. I did not even start therapy yet. All I remember is I had a huge knot in my stomach for three days before my return and I kept thinking, "How am I going to do this?" On the drive there I kept looking back to my son's carseat and thinking, "I will be Okay." I was so nervous and anxious, but I have to admit once I got there some of my fears did go away. After 3 hours of working I thought to myself, "This is good for me. I have not thought that I would hurt my baby in 3 hours." I got home that night and felt good.
I still had a long road ahead of me, but I knew that it would get better. Have I been working since, yes. I have also in the 3 years since my son was born written a book on my experience with Postpartum Depression and started my own business working from home. Did I get through my PPD, yes. If you are suffering just remember you will too.
I guess the point of me writing today is to let you know that each woman experiences their own fears and worries about going back to work. I have had women write to me saying that they have to go back to work, suffering with PPD, but that they have no choice. Yes, in these economic times we do need to make money and if we have to work, we have to work. Just please do not compare yourself to other women. I did that and I think it made me feel worse. I felt like a failure because all the other women in my company had their babies, returned to work, and seemed fine. I just should not have compared my situation to anybody elses and you should not either.
Just remember, if you have to go back to work, get your priorities in order. Find child care you trust; make sure your hours and days fit your family schedule, and if you are suffering with anxiety, depression, or PPD, talk to your doctor and loved ones and let them know your fears. The more support you have around you, the better the transition will be.
I would love to hear about anyone else's experience about returning to work after "baby."
view blog in real time at www.condron.us and www.alphainventions.com
I went on maternity leave about 3 weeks before I was due. I was in property management, living in Florida, and just could not take walking up three flights of steps numerous times throughout the day showing apartments. I was done! Needless to say my son was then 9 days late. So, of course, I did not get my full 3 months of maternity leave with my son. When they called me to see if I was coming back to work I honestly did not think that I could do it. At that time I did not know that I was suffering with postpartum depression. I was not sleeping, could not eat, was anxious all the time, and did not think that I could leave me baby.
Of course my immediate thought was, "What is wrong with me? Women go back to work all the time after their maternity leave, why can't I?" There was something wrong with me and I did not know it yet. I had an illness called postpartum depression. I had to call my regional manager and let her know that I just could not return to work full time, but I would call them when I was ready to return. Did I ever go back to that job? No, I did not. I went back to a part-time job a few months later working nights at a restaurant. Was that easy? No, it was not.
By the time I went back to work part time, 3 nights a week, I had just been diagnosed with ppd and put on medication. I did not even start therapy yet. All I remember is I had a huge knot in my stomach for three days before my return and I kept thinking, "How am I going to do this?" On the drive there I kept looking back to my son's carseat and thinking, "I will be Okay." I was so nervous and anxious, but I have to admit once I got there some of my fears did go away. After 3 hours of working I thought to myself, "This is good for me. I have not thought that I would hurt my baby in 3 hours." I got home that night and felt good.
I still had a long road ahead of me, but I knew that it would get better. Have I been working since, yes. I have also in the 3 years since my son was born written a book on my experience with Postpartum Depression and started my own business working from home. Did I get through my PPD, yes. If you are suffering just remember you will too.
I guess the point of me writing today is to let you know that each woman experiences their own fears and worries about going back to work. I have had women write to me saying that they have to go back to work, suffering with PPD, but that they have no choice. Yes, in these economic times we do need to make money and if we have to work, we have to work. Just please do not compare yourself to other women. I did that and I think it made me feel worse. I felt like a failure because all the other women in my company had their babies, returned to work, and seemed fine. I just should not have compared my situation to anybody elses and you should not either.
Just remember, if you have to go back to work, get your priorities in order. Find child care you trust; make sure your hours and days fit your family schedule, and if you are suffering with anxiety, depression, or PPD, talk to your doctor and loved ones and let them know your fears. The more support you have around you, the better the transition will be.
I would love to hear about anyone else's experience about returning to work after "baby."
view blog in real time at www.condron.us and www.alphainventions.com
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Bringing Baby Home....
http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/home/bringing_baby_home.html
This is a great article on brining baby home. I know for myself I tried to get everything ready about 4 weeks before my due date. I had the car seat ready; the cradle set up; clothes washed and placed neatly on the shelves. I also had to do research on getting my dog ready for my son to arrive. For anyone out there who has pets, if this is your first baby please remember that your beloved pet thinks that they are the only baby in the house.
Some tips for getting your pet ready for your baby to arrive that I did with my "baby" was to carry around a doll in a blanket. The first time I put the doll in the blanket my dog wanted to jump up and see it. I kept telling her to sit and relax. After a few more times she was calm and did not want to jump up on me. I would lower the doll to her level so that she could see what I was holding and I let her sniff the blanket. Second, when my son was born I had my mother take one of his shirts and blankets to the house to let my doggie sniff his scent. This way she was not shocked by him when he did arrive home. Then on the day we did arrive home, I walked in first and pet her then showed her the car seat. At first she wanted to jump and see, but little by little she sniffed him. When I would feed my son, I would give my dog a bone so that she would see she was appreciated to.
Believe me I did worry somewhat, but my son is now 3 and the dog and him love each other so much. Maggie is a 6 year old "puppy" that is a dalmation mix, so she thinks it is all about playing. My son is 3 and he thinks it is all about playing. Perfect match.
Of course even though I thought I was so prepared for my son's arrival, I do remember thinking when we were leaving the hospital, "What do I do with him now?" Just remember--Love, Love,Love....it all works out...
view blog in real time at www.condron.us and www.alphainventions.com
This is a great article on brining baby home. I know for myself I tried to get everything ready about 4 weeks before my due date. I had the car seat ready; the cradle set up; clothes washed and placed neatly on the shelves. I also had to do research on getting my dog ready for my son to arrive. For anyone out there who has pets, if this is your first baby please remember that your beloved pet thinks that they are the only baby in the house.
Some tips for getting your pet ready for your baby to arrive that I did with my "baby" was to carry around a doll in a blanket. The first time I put the doll in the blanket my dog wanted to jump up and see it. I kept telling her to sit and relax. After a few more times she was calm and did not want to jump up on me. I would lower the doll to her level so that she could see what I was holding and I let her sniff the blanket. Second, when my son was born I had my mother take one of his shirts and blankets to the house to let my doggie sniff his scent. This way she was not shocked by him when he did arrive home. Then on the day we did arrive home, I walked in first and pet her then showed her the car seat. At first she wanted to jump and see, but little by little she sniffed him. When I would feed my son, I would give my dog a bone so that she would see she was appreciated to.
Believe me I did worry somewhat, but my son is now 3 and the dog and him love each other so much. Maggie is a 6 year old "puppy" that is a dalmation mix, so she thinks it is all about playing. My son is 3 and he thinks it is all about playing. Perfect match.
Of course even though I thought I was so prepared for my son's arrival, I do remember thinking when we were leaving the hospital, "What do I do with him now?" Just remember--Love, Love,Love....it all works out...
view blog in real time at www.condron.us and www.alphainventions.com
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Raising awareness...
This has some great information from www.fitpregnancy.com not only does it talk about the mother's act, but it gives you some great links to find out more information from other sources. I can see both sides of the mother's act debate. I tend to agree that some medications are given out to freely to some people and that is what causes to many tragedies to so many people out there. However, as a woman who has suffered from PPD, I wish someone had taken the time to talk to me and ask me some questions! Whenever I went for an 0b-gyn check up or to the pediatrician with my son, I would mention, "Yes my baby sleeps, but I can't." Nobody ever then turned to me and asked me anything. My insomnia was so bad I did not sleep for days. My symptoms got worse as time went on. Do I think asking women questions after having a baby can hurt, no. But it can help the women out there who may need some additional help. I support the mother's act.
07.23.09
Proposed legislation fuels debate over universal screening for postpartum depression
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a very serious health condition with a serious debate swirling around it. A bill is currently making its way through Congress that would mandate funding for research, services and public education about PPD, which has ignited a dispute over whether all women should be screened for the condition, Time magazine reports. (The House version here; the Senate's here.)According to the magazine, whether PPD screening identifies actual cases "or simply contributes to the potentially dangerous medicalization of motherhood" is the issue at the center of this controversy. Both critics and advocates of the bill, known as the Mothers Act, agree about increased support for new moms. However, opponents say that such screenings are known for giving false positives, plus argue that more testing is a push from pharmaceutical companies to sell more medication to women who don't need it.On the flip side, proponents say PPD screening is not supposed to be used as a diagnostic tool but as a way to identify which patients require more evaluation. Experts hope that both sides can find a compromise while acknowledging women's depression but not assuming that all women who struggle with motherhood are depressed.Most women do experience feelings of sadness and loss after childbirth, known as the "baby blues." Even new dads can feel blue after a new baby is born. But if these feelings intensify and persist, you could be suffering from something more serious, so talk to your doctor. PPD is common, affecting 1 in 7 new moms. And it's very treatable! Check out our When Mama Gets Blue feature to read up on the different aspects of postpartum depression.And remember, you're not alone and you're not the first mom to feel this way! Take a peek at the real-life admissions in True Mom Confessions—you're not the only one who needs to vent. We know that the focus shifts entirely to a newborn when he or she arrives, but remember that you can be a better mother in those early months if you take a little time out to attend to your own needs, too. All the experts agree: Having a happy and healthy baby means babying yourself at times.
Maria Vega is Fit Pregnancy magazine's copy editor.
view blog in real time at www.condron.us and www.alphainventions.com
07.23.09
Proposed legislation fuels debate over universal screening for postpartum depression
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a very serious health condition with a serious debate swirling around it. A bill is currently making its way through Congress that would mandate funding for research, services and public education about PPD, which has ignited a dispute over whether all women should be screened for the condition, Time magazine reports. (The House version here; the Senate's here.)According to the magazine, whether PPD screening identifies actual cases "or simply contributes to the potentially dangerous medicalization of motherhood" is the issue at the center of this controversy. Both critics and advocates of the bill, known as the Mothers Act, agree about increased support for new moms. However, opponents say that such screenings are known for giving false positives, plus argue that more testing is a push from pharmaceutical companies to sell more medication to women who don't need it.On the flip side, proponents say PPD screening is not supposed to be used as a diagnostic tool but as a way to identify which patients require more evaluation. Experts hope that both sides can find a compromise while acknowledging women's depression but not assuming that all women who struggle with motherhood are depressed.Most women do experience feelings of sadness and loss after childbirth, known as the "baby blues." Even new dads can feel blue after a new baby is born. But if these feelings intensify and persist, you could be suffering from something more serious, so talk to your doctor. PPD is common, affecting 1 in 7 new moms. And it's very treatable! Check out our When Mama Gets Blue feature to read up on the different aspects of postpartum depression.And remember, you're not alone and you're not the first mom to feel this way! Take a peek at the real-life admissions in True Mom Confessions—you're not the only one who needs to vent. We know that the focus shifts entirely to a newborn when he or she arrives, but remember that you can be a better mother in those early months if you take a little time out to attend to your own needs, too. All the experts agree: Having a happy and healthy baby means babying yourself at times.
Maria Vega is Fit Pregnancy magazine's copy editor.
view blog in real time at www.condron.us and www.alphainventions.com
Thursday, July 30, 2009
The Role of Hormones During Pregnancy
Taken from http://www.expectantmothersguide.com/library/connecticut/ECThormones.htm
A woman's first pregnancy is one of the most exciting and dramatic events of her life. As conception progresses to implantation, and an embryo eventually becomes the fetus that ultimately will be the highly anticipated bundle of joy, numerous changes take place within the woman's body to enable this miraculous process to occur. While a woman's physical changes may be obvious, several other ones may be subtle, including a growing sense of immense emotional attachment and reprioritization. The vast majority of these changes are attributable to the hormones of pregnancy.
The first trimester of pregnancy begins with conception. As egg and sperm unite, and the conceptus implants into the endometrium or uterine lining, a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is produced. HCG has a very predictable rise in the early weeks of pregnancy and peaks around 70 days. HCG is thought to support the pregnancy by ensuring ovarian production of progesterone until the placenta is well formed around the tenth week. HCG is thought to be the hormone responsible for a number of symptoms associated with early pregnancy, namely nausea and resultant vomiting and the sometimes overwhelming fatigue that can plague the very early expectant woman.
Progesterone is one of the major hormones of pregnancy and is primarily produced by the placenta. Levels of progesterone in the body rise as pregnancy progresses. Progesterone functions to inhibit the smooth muscle in the uterus from contracting and decreases prostaglandin formation, both of which allow the fetus to grow with the expanding uterus. As progesterone levels increase, other smooth muscle in the body may also be affected, such as that in the lower esophageal sphincter, which results in increased heartburn and acid reflux, especially in the later stages of pregnancy. Progesterone softens cartilage as well and may be responsible for the commonly occurring hip and pubic bone pain that also occurs. This hormone also can cause tenderness in the breasts early on and the bloated feeling many women experience throughout pregnancy.
Estrogens also increase during pregnancy and are also produced primarily by the placenta. Among other functions, estrogens increase uterine blood flow. Prolactin, the hormone that allows for lactation postpartum, also increases throughout pregnancy, and its production is thought to be stimulated by increasing levels of estrogens.
The rise in estrogen, as well as progesterone and other hormones in pregnancy, is also in part responsible for the magnification of emotions a pregnant woman experiences. Increased circulating levels intensify the myriad of feelings a pregnant woman has. The joy of being pregnant may often move a woman to tears. Anxiety in regard to how a woman may feel about herself and the way her body is changing is normal, and her concerns regarding her own health and the health of the fetus are paramount. Anticipation of the new role of being a mother and the changes a new baby will bring to the family may be overwhelming. The pregnant woman should be encouraged and supported by her spouse, family, and health care providers in all her concerns.
After delivery, hormone levels rapidly decrease, and their fall may contribute to postpartum adjustment issues and postpartum depression. During this time, it is very important that the new mother be aware that being overwhelmed is normal to some extent, but if these feelings are pervasive, she should seek medical attention. Occasionally, very low dose hormone replacement may be of help, as can antidepressants.
A newborn in its mother's arms is the result of an incredible orchestration of numerous events, many of which are primarily the result of the vital role hormones play in pregnancy. Talk to your health care provider about any questions or concerns you may have regarding the role of hormones in pregnancy, and he or she will be happy to elaborate.
Editorial provided by Anandi Subramanian, MD. Dr. Subramanian is a practicing OB-GYN in Norwalk, CT. She is with Women's Health Care of New England and has offices in Norwalk, New Canaan, and Ridgefield, CT.
view blog in real time at www.condron.us and www.alphainventions.com
A woman's first pregnancy is one of the most exciting and dramatic events of her life. As conception progresses to implantation, and an embryo eventually becomes the fetus that ultimately will be the highly anticipated bundle of joy, numerous changes take place within the woman's body to enable this miraculous process to occur. While a woman's physical changes may be obvious, several other ones may be subtle, including a growing sense of immense emotional attachment and reprioritization. The vast majority of these changes are attributable to the hormones of pregnancy.
The first trimester of pregnancy begins with conception. As egg and sperm unite, and the conceptus implants into the endometrium or uterine lining, a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is produced. HCG has a very predictable rise in the early weeks of pregnancy and peaks around 70 days. HCG is thought to support the pregnancy by ensuring ovarian production of progesterone until the placenta is well formed around the tenth week. HCG is thought to be the hormone responsible for a number of symptoms associated with early pregnancy, namely nausea and resultant vomiting and the sometimes overwhelming fatigue that can plague the very early expectant woman.
Progesterone is one of the major hormones of pregnancy and is primarily produced by the placenta. Levels of progesterone in the body rise as pregnancy progresses. Progesterone functions to inhibit the smooth muscle in the uterus from contracting and decreases prostaglandin formation, both of which allow the fetus to grow with the expanding uterus. As progesterone levels increase, other smooth muscle in the body may also be affected, such as that in the lower esophageal sphincter, which results in increased heartburn and acid reflux, especially in the later stages of pregnancy. Progesterone softens cartilage as well and may be responsible for the commonly occurring hip and pubic bone pain that also occurs. This hormone also can cause tenderness in the breasts early on and the bloated feeling many women experience throughout pregnancy.
Estrogens also increase during pregnancy and are also produced primarily by the placenta. Among other functions, estrogens increase uterine blood flow. Prolactin, the hormone that allows for lactation postpartum, also increases throughout pregnancy, and its production is thought to be stimulated by increasing levels of estrogens.
The rise in estrogen, as well as progesterone and other hormones in pregnancy, is also in part responsible for the magnification of emotions a pregnant woman experiences. Increased circulating levels intensify the myriad of feelings a pregnant woman has. The joy of being pregnant may often move a woman to tears. Anxiety in regard to how a woman may feel about herself and the way her body is changing is normal, and her concerns regarding her own health and the health of the fetus are paramount. Anticipation of the new role of being a mother and the changes a new baby will bring to the family may be overwhelming. The pregnant woman should be encouraged and supported by her spouse, family, and health care providers in all her concerns.
After delivery, hormone levels rapidly decrease, and their fall may contribute to postpartum adjustment issues and postpartum depression. During this time, it is very important that the new mother be aware that being overwhelmed is normal to some extent, but if these feelings are pervasive, she should seek medical attention. Occasionally, very low dose hormone replacement may be of help, as can antidepressants.
A newborn in its mother's arms is the result of an incredible orchestration of numerous events, many of which are primarily the result of the vital role hormones play in pregnancy. Talk to your health care provider about any questions or concerns you may have regarding the role of hormones in pregnancy, and he or she will be happy to elaborate.
Editorial provided by Anandi Subramanian, MD. Dr. Subramanian is a practicing OB-GYN in Norwalk, CT. She is with Women's Health Care of New England and has offices in Norwalk, New Canaan, and Ridgefield, CT.
view blog in real time at www.condron.us and www.alphainventions.com
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Postpartum Depression, great tips.
This article was taken from www.thediaperlady.com I have also read Elizabeth Pantley’s book, The No-Cry Sleep Solution. I posted this article to again show that PPD shows itself in so many different forms. It is an illness. I have been having so many women write to me and I just again wanted to point out that this is an ILLNESS. Do not be afraid to talk about it, let others know what you are feeling. My PPD got so bad I was afraid to say anything because I thought I would be judged and my baby would be taken away from me. I am not afraid to tell my story now to help others. Please, talk about your feelings, see you doctor! There is so much help out there and you are not alone.
Postpartum Depression
By Elizabeth Pantley, author of Gentle Baby Care and The No-Cry Sleep Solution
QUESTION: I know that it’s normal to have the “baby blues” right after you have a baby, but my son is six weeks old. I thought everything would be wonderful by now and I would be so in love with my baby. I thought mothering would come easily. It’s not that way at all! I can’t sleep, even when he’s sleeping. I feel hollow inside, like the real me is gone. Sometimes I cry for hours; other times, I feel angry enough to explode. Life feels like an endless amusement park ride, and sometimes I just want to get off. Why am I such a terrible mother?
Learn about it
You’re not a terrible mother! You are a mother who is suffering from a condition known as postpartum depression, a condition that is treatable. While as many as 80% of mothers experience a temporary and mild condition referred to as the baby blues, up to 15% of women have the more severe reaction you’re experiencing. Having PPD doesn’t mean that you have done something wrong, or that something is wrong with you; it is an illness and it can be cured. Once you learn more about what’s causing your despondent emotions and take some steps toward treatment, you’ll be on the road to finding yourself again and enjoying your baby.
What is postpartum depression?
PPD is a medical condition - a specific type of depression that occurs within the first few months after childbirth. It is caused by the biochemical and hormonal changes that happen in the body after pregnancy and birth…nothing that is within your control.
What are the symptoms of postpartum depression? While PPD affects all women differently, a few typical symptoms can help your physician make the diagnosis. You probably are not experiencing everything on the following list, and the degree of symptoms may range from mild to severe, but if a number of these apply to you, you may be suffering from PPD.
Symptoms of postpartum depression may include but are not limited to:
Feeling hopeless, worthless or inadequate
Frequent crying or tearfulness
Insomnia or sleepiness
Lack of energy
Loss of pleasure in activities you normally enjoy
Difficulty doing typical daily chores
Loss of appetite
Feelings of sadness and despair
Feelings of guilt, panic or confusion
Feelings of anger or anxiety
Extreme mood swings
Memory loss
Over concern for baby
Fear of “losing control”
Lack of interest in sex
Worrying that you may hurt your baby
A desire to escape from your baby or your family
Withdrawal from social circles and routines
Thoughts about hurting yourself
If you suffer from extreme degrees of any of these symptoms, particularly thoughts about hurting yourself or your baby, or if you have additional physical symptoms such as hallucinations, confusion or paranoia, then please call a doctor today. NOW. Your condition requires immediate medical care. If you can’t make the call, then please talk to your partner, your mother or father, a sibling or close friend and ask them to help you arrange for help. Do this for yourself and for your baby. If you can’t talk about it, rip this page out and hand it to someone close to you. It’s that important. You do not have to feel this way.
What can a doctor do about postpartum depression?
As with any form of depression, help is available and only as far away as your healthcare provider - contact your ob/gyn or midwife to start with, if that’s most comfortable for you. She can help you get the professional care you need from someone who has experience dealing with this condition. In the longer term, it’s important that your therapy take place with a professional who has experience in treating PPD; the malady is different from other forms of depression, and it is very specifically related to your role as a new mother.
PARENT TIP: “In the time it takes you to read this chapter, you could set up an appointment with a doctor. Remember, this is a medical problem and it can be serious; for your sake, for your baby, and for all those who love you, you must make that call. With help, you will regain your life and your perspective." Vanessa, mother of Kimmy (12) Tyler (10) Rachel (5) and Zachary (3)
A visit to a doctor for the symptoms you’re feeling is nothing to fear. Your condition is something your doctor has seen before so you need not feel at all self-conscious. As for treatment, there are a variety of options, depending on how severe your symptoms are. Your doctor will evaluate your condition and may suggest medication, such as antidepressants. (Make sure that you let him know if you are breastfeeding so that the proper medication can be prescribed.) In addition, he will tell you that therapy and support are critical for recovery.
What can I do about PPD?
The first step you can take is to understand that you have an illness that requires action on your part so you can heal. Forgive me for repeating this, but it is important: Take that first step and call a doctor. In addition, the following things can help you begin to feel better right away:
Talk to someone. Whom do you trust? Whom do you feel comfortable talking to? This might be your spouse or partner, it might be your mother, your sister or brother or a friend. It can really help to share your feelings with someone who cares about you. Even if you feel you can’t talk specifically about PPD, just discuss your feelings and your new role as a mother and its effects on you.
Read books about baby care and parenting. Knowledge is power. Reading may help you feel more confident, which in turn will help you feel more in control of your situation. It will also give you the knowledge you’ll need to ward off the unwanted advice or criticism that can come your way during the early months of parenting, and that can be especially hard to take when you are feeling depressed.
Join a support group. PPD support groups allow mothers who are dealing with depression to talk with others who have similar feelings. A list at the end of this section can help you find a group in your area. You might also call your health care provider, your local hospital, or your church for information. While PPD support groups are an excellent choice, any group for new mothers in which you can share your feelings about motherhood can help you feel better about yourself. Choose your support group with care, as you’ll want to be around people who support your parenting decisions. Being with a group who criticizes or questions your mothering choices will make you feel worse, not better. Conversely, spending your time with like-minded people will boost your self-confidence and help you feel more confident as a mother. This idea shouldn’t be seen s a cure, but rather one part of the process of recovery.
Accept help from others. If anyone offers to help you - whether it is to take your baby for a walk, cook a meal, or drive your older kids to sports practice - accept! Learn to say yes. You don’t have to do everything to be a good mother. It’s natural for human beings to lean on each other, so go ahead and do a little more leaning.
Get some extra sleep. Put your efforts to get your baby to sleep through the night on hold right now; this will come in time. Forget about the clock. Just sleep - both of you - whenever you can. Extra sleep will help you feel better.
Relax your standards. This is not the time to worry about a spotless house, gourmet meals, the corporate ladder, or your manicure. Try to stick to the basics and concentrate on yourself and your baby.
Get some fresh air. When possible, put your baby in the sling or the stroller and take a walk. The exercise and open spaces will help you feel more energized. Try to work a daily stroll into your schedule. If you have older children, walk them to school. If the weather isn’t suitable for outdoor walking, then drive to a shopping mall for an indoor walk.
Feed yourself healthy foods. You can eat properly without much effort. Focus on fresh fruits and vegetables, and simple but nutritious meals. And eat frequently. Going long stretches without food wreaks havoc on your system. Simple snacks like an apple with peanut butter, a bagel, or yogurt with cottage cheese are easy to prepare and prevent your blood sugar from dipping and adding to your feelings of depression. Continue to take vitamins, and drink plenty of water.
Love yourself. You are going to be okay. Take it one step at a time…but do take steps (such as those outlined in this section). With help and time, you’ll develop a refreshing and healthy outlook on your new role as a mother.
view blog in real time at www.condron.us or www.alphainvetions.com
Postpartum Depression
By Elizabeth Pantley, author of Gentle Baby Care and The No-Cry Sleep Solution
QUESTION: I know that it’s normal to have the “baby blues” right after you have a baby, but my son is six weeks old. I thought everything would be wonderful by now and I would be so in love with my baby. I thought mothering would come easily. It’s not that way at all! I can’t sleep, even when he’s sleeping. I feel hollow inside, like the real me is gone. Sometimes I cry for hours; other times, I feel angry enough to explode. Life feels like an endless amusement park ride, and sometimes I just want to get off. Why am I such a terrible mother?
Learn about it
You’re not a terrible mother! You are a mother who is suffering from a condition known as postpartum depression, a condition that is treatable. While as many as 80% of mothers experience a temporary and mild condition referred to as the baby blues, up to 15% of women have the more severe reaction you’re experiencing. Having PPD doesn’t mean that you have done something wrong, or that something is wrong with you; it is an illness and it can be cured. Once you learn more about what’s causing your despondent emotions and take some steps toward treatment, you’ll be on the road to finding yourself again and enjoying your baby.
What is postpartum depression?
PPD is a medical condition - a specific type of depression that occurs within the first few months after childbirth. It is caused by the biochemical and hormonal changes that happen in the body after pregnancy and birth…nothing that is within your control.
What are the symptoms of postpartum depression? While PPD affects all women differently, a few typical symptoms can help your physician make the diagnosis. You probably are not experiencing everything on the following list, and the degree of symptoms may range from mild to severe, but if a number of these apply to you, you may be suffering from PPD.
Symptoms of postpartum depression may include but are not limited to:
Feeling hopeless, worthless or inadequate
Frequent crying or tearfulness
Insomnia or sleepiness
Lack of energy
Loss of pleasure in activities you normally enjoy
Difficulty doing typical daily chores
Loss of appetite
Feelings of sadness and despair
Feelings of guilt, panic or confusion
Feelings of anger or anxiety
Extreme mood swings
Memory loss
Over concern for baby
Fear of “losing control”
Lack of interest in sex
Worrying that you may hurt your baby
A desire to escape from your baby or your family
Withdrawal from social circles and routines
Thoughts about hurting yourself
If you suffer from extreme degrees of any of these symptoms, particularly thoughts about hurting yourself or your baby, or if you have additional physical symptoms such as hallucinations, confusion or paranoia, then please call a doctor today. NOW. Your condition requires immediate medical care. If you can’t make the call, then please talk to your partner, your mother or father, a sibling or close friend and ask them to help you arrange for help. Do this for yourself and for your baby. If you can’t talk about it, rip this page out and hand it to someone close to you. It’s that important. You do not have to feel this way.
What can a doctor do about postpartum depression?
As with any form of depression, help is available and only as far away as your healthcare provider - contact your ob/gyn or midwife to start with, if that’s most comfortable for you. She can help you get the professional care you need from someone who has experience dealing with this condition. In the longer term, it’s important that your therapy take place with a professional who has experience in treating PPD; the malady is different from other forms of depression, and it is very specifically related to your role as a new mother.
PARENT TIP: “In the time it takes you to read this chapter, you could set up an appointment with a doctor. Remember, this is a medical problem and it can be serious; for your sake, for your baby, and for all those who love you, you must make that call. With help, you will regain your life and your perspective." Vanessa, mother of Kimmy (12) Tyler (10) Rachel (5) and Zachary (3)
A visit to a doctor for the symptoms you’re feeling is nothing to fear. Your condition is something your doctor has seen before so you need not feel at all self-conscious. As for treatment, there are a variety of options, depending on how severe your symptoms are. Your doctor will evaluate your condition and may suggest medication, such as antidepressants. (Make sure that you let him know if you are breastfeeding so that the proper medication can be prescribed.) In addition, he will tell you that therapy and support are critical for recovery.
What can I do about PPD?
The first step you can take is to understand that you have an illness that requires action on your part so you can heal. Forgive me for repeating this, but it is important: Take that first step and call a doctor. In addition, the following things can help you begin to feel better right away:
Talk to someone. Whom do you trust? Whom do you feel comfortable talking to? This might be your spouse or partner, it might be your mother, your sister or brother or a friend. It can really help to share your feelings with someone who cares about you. Even if you feel you can’t talk specifically about PPD, just discuss your feelings and your new role as a mother and its effects on you.
Read books about baby care and parenting. Knowledge is power. Reading may help you feel more confident, which in turn will help you feel more in control of your situation. It will also give you the knowledge you’ll need to ward off the unwanted advice or criticism that can come your way during the early months of parenting, and that can be especially hard to take when you are feeling depressed.
Join a support group. PPD support groups allow mothers who are dealing with depression to talk with others who have similar feelings. A list at the end of this section can help you find a group in your area. You might also call your health care provider, your local hospital, or your church for information. While PPD support groups are an excellent choice, any group for new mothers in which you can share your feelings about motherhood can help you feel better about yourself. Choose your support group with care, as you’ll want to be around people who support your parenting decisions. Being with a group who criticizes or questions your mothering choices will make you feel worse, not better. Conversely, spending your time with like-minded people will boost your self-confidence and help you feel more confident as a mother. This idea shouldn’t be seen s a cure, but rather one part of the process of recovery.
Accept help from others. If anyone offers to help you - whether it is to take your baby for a walk, cook a meal, or drive your older kids to sports practice - accept! Learn to say yes. You don’t have to do everything to be a good mother. It’s natural for human beings to lean on each other, so go ahead and do a little more leaning.
Get some extra sleep. Put your efforts to get your baby to sleep through the night on hold right now; this will come in time. Forget about the clock. Just sleep - both of you - whenever you can. Extra sleep will help you feel better.
Relax your standards. This is not the time to worry about a spotless house, gourmet meals, the corporate ladder, or your manicure. Try to stick to the basics and concentrate on yourself and your baby.
Get some fresh air. When possible, put your baby in the sling or the stroller and take a walk. The exercise and open spaces will help you feel more energized. Try to work a daily stroll into your schedule. If you have older children, walk them to school. If the weather isn’t suitable for outdoor walking, then drive to a shopping mall for an indoor walk.
Feed yourself healthy foods. You can eat properly without much effort. Focus on fresh fruits and vegetables, and simple but nutritious meals. And eat frequently. Going long stretches without food wreaks havoc on your system. Simple snacks like an apple with peanut butter, a bagel, or yogurt with cottage cheese are easy to prepare and prevent your blood sugar from dipping and adding to your feelings of depression. Continue to take vitamins, and drink plenty of water.
Love yourself. You are going to be okay. Take it one step at a time…but do take steps (such as those outlined in this section). With help and time, you’ll develop a refreshing and healthy outlook on your new role as a mother.
view blog in real time at www.condron.us or www.alphainvetions.com
Monday, July 27, 2009
Post Adoption Depression
Article taken from www.adoption.org
Post Adoption Depression Syndromeby June Bondfrom Roots and Wings, Spring 1995
You've been through infertility hell and back again. You ran through the maze of the adoption process and you've finally reached your goal. You have your baby in your arms. You are finally a member of the "parenthood club", complete with stroller, burp pads, car seat, and mini van. The moment they put your baby in your arms, you knew what heaven felt like. As one of my former clients said, "I knew if I died on the way home, I would feel complete. "
Suddenly three or four weeks later, a strange sense of anxiety comes over you. Some clients describe the feeling as panic. Some say it is a gross feeling of inadequacy for the total responsibility for this little person. Others describe it as a "cloudy blue feeling", while others go as far as to call it a depression. What I call it is Post-Adoption Depression Syndrome, (PADS).
The general population recognizes post-partum blues as a natural and expected part of the birth process. Most people identify those feelings of anxiety with "just getting those hormones back into kilter. " But, the truth is that many adoptive parents suffer from the same post placement blues, and feel very confused when they cannot rely on the "hormone theory" to explain their feelings.
There are several other very likely reasons to explain theses common feelings shortly after the placement of the baby. Perhaps one of the most reasonable explanations is the completion of one of life's biggest goals. Parenthood has loomed as an almost unattainable goal for so many adoptive families for such a long time. Reaching that goal has required time, money, effort, emotional strain, and patience.
Suddenly the emotional rush from the attainment of this long desired goal is exhilarating. I sometimes relate the attainment of this goal to the Jewish nation reaching the promised land after forty years of struggle. How can almost anything compare ever again in terms of emotional satisfaction of finally being in the land of milk and honey. . . the land of parenthood? Likewise, how can any of us keep that level of emotional high forever?
Think back to the attainment of other life's goals that you and others around you have reached. . . completing high school, getting your college degree, marriage, getting a long desired position, completion of a major project. . . Do your remember the let down after walking across the stage at graduation and returning from your beach trip? Feelings of being "let down" are very common after reaching major life milestones.
Another reason that PADS can occur is the unique stresses of the adoption process itself. Many adoptive parents feel that they must face and sometimes resolve their feelings about infertility again with the placement of a child. Insensitive questions about your infertility and the reasons that you chose adoption can bring back a whole series of feelings that you thought may have been resolved earlier. Some adoptive families that have a close relationship with the birth mother even seem to suffer some of the grief process with her.
One client mentioned that she could not completely erase the birth mother's feelings of loss and grief with her own feelings of satisfaction and attainment. "It is almost a bitter sweet victory, " stated one recent adoptive mother. The adoption process can also bring with it certain legal uncertainties that can easily cause feelings of anxiety and depression. Unresolved birth father issues and rights are one of the most common points of post adoptive stress. Fears about the unexpected costs and newly disclosed health and background information can also trigger stress and fears.
It is important to recognize that adoptive parents also go through many of the same stress points that birth parents go through as new parents. Stress adjustment scales indicate that factors like the addition of a new family member, added financial responsibility, lack of sleep, increased family responsibilities all contribute to rising stress levels. These stresses are often enhanced with adoptive families. The cost of the adoption is usually more than the cost of a birth. Lack of sleep and increased family responsibilities are compounded with the adoptive family by the limited paid maternity leave that many companies allow for the adoption of a child.
Clearly, PADS is a real feeling for many adoptive couples. What are some suggestions that can help you as a new adoptive parent deal with these feelings?
1. Recognize that Post Adoption Depression Syndrome is common and there are several valid reasons for feeling down after your child is placed with you. This does not mean that you have made a bad decision or are different from many other new parents.
2. In focusing and sharing birth mother grief . . realize that the birth mother made a positive plan for her and her child. You are an integral part of this special plan. If you share in her feelings of loss and grief, then take positive actions to help you both feel good about the plan that has come together for the adoptive triad. Write her a letter, make her an album, make certain that she knows what a great job she has done in giving this precious gift of life to you. Recognize that her grief is a natural part ofthe healing process.
3. Being anxiety ridden about certain legal risks and unresolved/unexpected issues is often a major source of stress. As adoptive parents, we must all accept the fact that with adoption comes certain risks. But, before accepting an adoptive situation make sure that the risks are ones that you can comfortably handle. It is a good plan to keep your head in control when evaluating each potential adoption situation. Once the baby is placed in your arms, the head control is usual replaced by heart control. Ask questions and know in your head the limit that your heart can endure.
4. Go to an infant parenting seminar. These seminars are often a part of child birthing classes at most hospitals. Call your local hospital to see when a class is being offered. Some hospitals will even allow a neonatal nurse to work one on one with you to show you how to care for your new born. Added confidence can relieve some of your feelings of anxiety and inadequacy about properly caring for this little, but very demanding little bundle.
5. Arrange for time to adjust to your new status. Unfortunately, many companies do not allow adoptive parents to take paid time off. With the rising cost of adoption, many families simply cannot afford to take time away from work without pay. Consequently one alternative is to rearrange your work schedule, if possible, to be more flexible for the first six - eight weeks. Another suggestion is to make plans for food and other necessities for the initial weeks in advance. One client I knew has a casserole shower from her local dinner club. Fifteen frozen casseroles came in very handy when the new baby arrived. "I wanted to spend every available minute with the baby. Clearly cooking was a low priority for me. " stated one adoptive mother. Paperplates, utensils, and cups can also cut down on work time and give you more time to relax and adjust.
6. Many adoptive couples feel that they must be super parents. They can pick up a baby on Friday, go back to work on Monday, have a meeting on Wednesday night, keep the church nursery on Wednesday night, have gourmet club at your house for the regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Saturday night, never missing a meeting or activity- all on four hours of sleep a night. Realize that birth parents usually take six weeks off of regularly scheduled activities. This time is not just for the healing of the body, but also for adjustment and bonding to the baby. Allow yourself the same time frame to adjust. Take a sabbatical from other responsibilities for six weeks and learn to love your baby.
7. Join an adoption support group, if you have not done so already. Share your feelings with others. A former client confided that she did not feel comfortable complaining about the baby's colic and her lack of sleep. "I felt like people would say that I asked for him. . . shut up. " Adoptive parents are not superhumans. We are real parents, who get tired, irritable, and have REAL feelings. Share your feelings with another adoptive parent in the support group.
Bringing your baby home is one of the highlights in your life. It is the beginning of a long and wonderful journey called parenthood. As with most journeys, there can be detours and bumpy spots in the road. Learning where the pot holes are makes the journey a little bit smoother.
June Bond is a Certified Adoption Investigator who has published numerous articles on adoption in local, state and national publications. Mother of six chidren, four of whom are adopted, she was recently recognized as South Carolina's Adoption Advocate of the Year for 1995.
view blog in real time at www.condron.us or www.alphainventions.com
Post Adoption Depression Syndromeby June Bondfrom Roots and Wings, Spring 1995
You've been through infertility hell and back again. You ran through the maze of the adoption process and you've finally reached your goal. You have your baby in your arms. You are finally a member of the "parenthood club", complete with stroller, burp pads, car seat, and mini van. The moment they put your baby in your arms, you knew what heaven felt like. As one of my former clients said, "I knew if I died on the way home, I would feel complete. "
Suddenly three or four weeks later, a strange sense of anxiety comes over you. Some clients describe the feeling as panic. Some say it is a gross feeling of inadequacy for the total responsibility for this little person. Others describe it as a "cloudy blue feeling", while others go as far as to call it a depression. What I call it is Post-Adoption Depression Syndrome, (PADS).
The general population recognizes post-partum blues as a natural and expected part of the birth process. Most people identify those feelings of anxiety with "just getting those hormones back into kilter. " But, the truth is that many adoptive parents suffer from the same post placement blues, and feel very confused when they cannot rely on the "hormone theory" to explain their feelings.
There are several other very likely reasons to explain theses common feelings shortly after the placement of the baby. Perhaps one of the most reasonable explanations is the completion of one of life's biggest goals. Parenthood has loomed as an almost unattainable goal for so many adoptive families for such a long time. Reaching that goal has required time, money, effort, emotional strain, and patience.
Suddenly the emotional rush from the attainment of this long desired goal is exhilarating. I sometimes relate the attainment of this goal to the Jewish nation reaching the promised land after forty years of struggle. How can almost anything compare ever again in terms of emotional satisfaction of finally being in the land of milk and honey. . . the land of parenthood? Likewise, how can any of us keep that level of emotional high forever?
Think back to the attainment of other life's goals that you and others around you have reached. . . completing high school, getting your college degree, marriage, getting a long desired position, completion of a major project. . . Do your remember the let down after walking across the stage at graduation and returning from your beach trip? Feelings of being "let down" are very common after reaching major life milestones.
Another reason that PADS can occur is the unique stresses of the adoption process itself. Many adoptive parents feel that they must face and sometimes resolve their feelings about infertility again with the placement of a child. Insensitive questions about your infertility and the reasons that you chose adoption can bring back a whole series of feelings that you thought may have been resolved earlier. Some adoptive families that have a close relationship with the birth mother even seem to suffer some of the grief process with her.
One client mentioned that she could not completely erase the birth mother's feelings of loss and grief with her own feelings of satisfaction and attainment. "It is almost a bitter sweet victory, " stated one recent adoptive mother. The adoption process can also bring with it certain legal uncertainties that can easily cause feelings of anxiety and depression. Unresolved birth father issues and rights are one of the most common points of post adoptive stress. Fears about the unexpected costs and newly disclosed health and background information can also trigger stress and fears.
It is important to recognize that adoptive parents also go through many of the same stress points that birth parents go through as new parents. Stress adjustment scales indicate that factors like the addition of a new family member, added financial responsibility, lack of sleep, increased family responsibilities all contribute to rising stress levels. These stresses are often enhanced with adoptive families. The cost of the adoption is usually more than the cost of a birth. Lack of sleep and increased family responsibilities are compounded with the adoptive family by the limited paid maternity leave that many companies allow for the adoption of a child.
Clearly, PADS is a real feeling for many adoptive couples. What are some suggestions that can help you as a new adoptive parent deal with these feelings?
1. Recognize that Post Adoption Depression Syndrome is common and there are several valid reasons for feeling down after your child is placed with you. This does not mean that you have made a bad decision or are different from many other new parents.
2. In focusing and sharing birth mother grief . . realize that the birth mother made a positive plan for her and her child. You are an integral part of this special plan. If you share in her feelings of loss and grief, then take positive actions to help you both feel good about the plan that has come together for the adoptive triad. Write her a letter, make her an album, make certain that she knows what a great job she has done in giving this precious gift of life to you. Recognize that her grief is a natural part ofthe healing process.
3. Being anxiety ridden about certain legal risks and unresolved/unexpected issues is often a major source of stress. As adoptive parents, we must all accept the fact that with adoption comes certain risks. But, before accepting an adoptive situation make sure that the risks are ones that you can comfortably handle. It is a good plan to keep your head in control when evaluating each potential adoption situation. Once the baby is placed in your arms, the head control is usual replaced by heart control. Ask questions and know in your head the limit that your heart can endure.
4. Go to an infant parenting seminar. These seminars are often a part of child birthing classes at most hospitals. Call your local hospital to see when a class is being offered. Some hospitals will even allow a neonatal nurse to work one on one with you to show you how to care for your new born. Added confidence can relieve some of your feelings of anxiety and inadequacy about properly caring for this little, but very demanding little bundle.
5. Arrange for time to adjust to your new status. Unfortunately, many companies do not allow adoptive parents to take paid time off. With the rising cost of adoption, many families simply cannot afford to take time away from work without pay. Consequently one alternative is to rearrange your work schedule, if possible, to be more flexible for the first six - eight weeks. Another suggestion is to make plans for food and other necessities for the initial weeks in advance. One client I knew has a casserole shower from her local dinner club. Fifteen frozen casseroles came in very handy when the new baby arrived. "I wanted to spend every available minute with the baby. Clearly cooking was a low priority for me. " stated one adoptive mother. Paperplates, utensils, and cups can also cut down on work time and give you more time to relax and adjust.
6. Many adoptive couples feel that they must be super parents. They can pick up a baby on Friday, go back to work on Monday, have a meeting on Wednesday night, keep the church nursery on Wednesday night, have gourmet club at your house for the regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Saturday night, never missing a meeting or activity- all on four hours of sleep a night. Realize that birth parents usually take six weeks off of regularly scheduled activities. This time is not just for the healing of the body, but also for adjustment and bonding to the baby. Allow yourself the same time frame to adjust. Take a sabbatical from other responsibilities for six weeks and learn to love your baby.
7. Join an adoption support group, if you have not done so already. Share your feelings with others. A former client confided that she did not feel comfortable complaining about the baby's colic and her lack of sleep. "I felt like people would say that I asked for him. . . shut up. " Adoptive parents are not superhumans. We are real parents, who get tired, irritable, and have REAL feelings. Share your feelings with another adoptive parent in the support group.
Bringing your baby home is one of the highlights in your life. It is the beginning of a long and wonderful journey called parenthood. As with most journeys, there can be detours and bumpy spots in the road. Learning where the pot holes are makes the journey a little bit smoother.
June Bond is a Certified Adoption Investigator who has published numerous articles on adoption in local, state and national publications. Mother of six chidren, four of whom are adopted, she was recently recognized as South Carolina's Adoption Advocate of the Year for 1995.
view blog in real time at www.condron.us or www.alphainventions.com
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