Women need to talk about postpartum depression

While chatting with my mother recently, she told me the details of the postpartum depression that she suffered from for some time after my younger sister was born. The fact that she had the condition was no secret, as she believes that talking about your problems and things that are bothering you, is one of the best ways to work through them. In fact, she says that the day she discussed her feelings of depression with our family doctor at the time, things began to look up immediately.

Unfortunately, many women don't feel comfortable talking about the negative feelings they have after they've had a baby. We are all taught that a new baby is supposed to be a joyous and wonderful event. Even though we know that we'll be tired and sore and then tired again, we expect that the happiness we feel about the new baby will override the rest of these feelings. Many women though, feel incredibly depressed and rightly so. They are exhausted, their hormones are all out of whack and they're going through a new and very stressful experience.

There is nothing wrong with feeling depressed after having a baby and I think that women need to be told this the same way that they're taught how to breathe during labor and shown how to breastfeed after the baby is born. A new mother's emotional health is just as important as her physical health, and she needs to know that there is no shame in having less than wonderful feelings about her new baby. The only real shame is when unaddressed feelings of depression lead a desperate new mom to do harm to herself or her children. If you are the husband, family member or friend of someone who has a new baby (and this group includes new dads, because they aren't immune either), encourage them to talk about how they're doing, whether or not they seem perfectly content. And if you are a parent feeling less-than-great about your new situation, do not feel ashamed to talk to someone, anyone, about how you feel because help is out there.