Postpartum Depression: Not Just the Baby Blues

Prior to her first pregnancy more than three years ago, 31-year-old Brittany Edge, a licensed marriage and family therapist, was a really happy, content person. But that all changed when she was pregnant.

“I went through a drastic change when I was pregnant with our first child, a daughter,” Edge said. “I cried uncontrollably for hours at a time, and I felt intense loss and devastation over being pregnant. What kind of mother would I be? How would my life change?”

Edge sought help to get her emotions under control, but the response she received from the physicians and therapists she talked to was less than she expected.

“I was told that I was just facing a hard time in my life and what I was going through was normal,” Edge explained. “I could not imagine why women would want to be pregnant if what I was feeling was normal.”

Edge got pregnant with her second child, a son, about a year and a half after her daughter was born. And she experienced some of the same emotions as those with the first pregnancy, and then some.

“I didn’t gain much weight, I didn’t enjoy being pregnant and I felt totally disconnected from the baby,” Edge said.

To make matters worse, her son was a fussy baby and developed heightened startle reflex, a condition common in babies whose mothers suffer from postpartum depression. Edge said she had a fear of losing control of herself, but when she looked for help, she found nothing.

“I needed someone to tell me that what I was suffering from was postpartum depression, but nobody did,” she said.

After much perseverance, Edge found and connected with professionals who could help her and went on to earn certification in the assessment and treatment of perinatal mood disorders so that she could help other women who felt like she did. She also got started on some medications that helped her feel better.

Edge now spends a great deal of her time educating women on postpartum depression and developing support groups.

“There are not a lot of resources for women who are experiencing postpartum depression. I want to try to help these women," she said.

That desire, combined with her own personal experience with postpartum depression, has led her to her current role as the western Pennsylvania area coordinator for Postpartum Support International.

Postpartum depression affects up to 20 percent of women in the United States and should not be confused with the baby blues, which occurs as the woman’s body is adjusting to hormonal changes and sleep deprivation and affects up to 80 percent of women, according to Edge. Symptoms of postpartum depression include sadness, anxiety, worry, guilt, feeling disconnected from the baby, anger and a fear that something bad is going to happen to the baby. The highest incidence of developing postpartum depression is between four and eight weeks after birth.

“When a woman expresses concern about symptoms of PPD, some physicians seem to medicate immediately or are adamant against medication. Some assume the symptoms will go away on their own.  It is important for these women to get evaluated from a professional with experience assessing for postpartum depression,” Edge said.

Edge believes that it is important for a woman to seek out psychotherapy as soon as she starts experiencing symptoms that cause her discomfort or when she begins not feeling like herself.

“I don’t believe that medication should be the first line of defense; it could be that the woman just needs some social support," she said.

Edge educated women in her support groups on the “Nine Steps of Wellness” that help lead them on the road to recovery from postpartum depression.

1) Education – Women should learn as much as they can about postpartum depression.

2) Sleep – Five hours of uninterrupted sleep is ideal.

3) Nutrition – Eliminate caffeine and junk foods from the diet.

4) Exercise and time for themselves – Women should do something that is just for them.

5) Share feelings with non-judgmental listeners.

6) Seek emotional support.

7) Seek and accept practical support from people who can clean the house, make meals, etc.

8) Find a professional. If nothing else seems to be helping, pursue psychotherapy.

9) Develop a plan of action.

It is important to know that postpartum depression does not just occur with the first pregnancy, Edge stressed. “A woman who experiences postpartum depression with the first pregnancy is at an increased risk of developing it with consecutive pregnancies.”

The risk factors for developing postpartum depression include a personal or family history of mood or anxiety disorders, severe premenstrual syndrome, thyroid issues, anemia, lack of sleep, self-esteem issues and relationship problems.

For more information on postpartum depression, visit the Postpartum Support International website at www.postpartum.net or call Brittany Edge, LMFT at 724-691-4694.