Postpartum Depression Symptoms Archives

Latina Mom Was “Banshee Mommy” During Postpartum Depression

By Katherine Stone March 7, 2013 Comments

I love this story from Elma Placeres Dieppa about her experience with postpartum depression (PPD). There is certainly a strong stigma against acknowledging and treating mental illness in the Latin community, so I really appreciate her bravery in sharing her story at the blog Latino Amerigringa. I also really appreciate how much she talked about having uncontainable anger as one of her symptoms.

Elma shares a lot about her anger during PPD:

“I know my temper was off the charts, which with an infant and a toddler is a scary place to be … I was mad! I was furious! Nothing the kids did was cute, or fun, or interesting. I just wanted to be left alone … Slowly, I became more active, but the anger stayed with me, and there was no, no…verve. I have a great life, but I couldn’t really appreciate it, which of course made me feel worse. I’ve always been a believer of natural remedies, so I went to my naturopath and got some help, or better yet I sought help. And things changed slightly, but not the rage.” She calls herself “banshee mommy” during that period.

Rage. It’s one of the surprising symptoms of postpartum depression, one that many websites don’t even list, but one that is still quite common and that I wish more women knew might be a sign of PPD.

Eventually Elma sought the help of a physician and found a treatment plan that worked for her. To read her entire story, click here.

For more stories on anger and rage during PPD, try:

The Rage of Postpartum Depression

Uncontrollable Anger Can Be Part Of PPD

Photo credit: © Paul Hakimata – Fotolia.com

March 7, 2013 10:27 am Filed Under: Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Depression Symptoms

Why You Shouldn’t Lie About Your Postpartum Depression Symptoms

By Katherine Stone February 12, 2013 Comments

One of the things I’ve always told moms with postpartum depression who are headed to see their doc or therapist is this: Tell them EVERYTHING. Don’t hold back. Don’t lie about or leave out any of your postpartum depression symptoms.

Are you sleeping? How much? If not, is it that you can’t fall asleep, or you can fall asleep but you wake up later and can’t fall asleep after that?

Are you eating? Really eating?

How do you feel about yourself right now? Doing okay or wanting to crawl under a rock or run away? Have you thought about hurting yourself? Have you hurt yourself in any way?

What about your head, what’s going on in there? Are you having thoughts that scare the crap out of you? What-if thoughts that make you wonder whether you’re some kind of monster?

Are you getting support? Are you able to ask for support, or are you turning away the people trying to help?

Are you concerned about even being in this doctor’s office? Do you distrust him or her, or are you afraid of telling the truth, or are you afraid of certain types of treatment?

Say it. Say it all. Lay bare each and every one of your postpartum depression symptoms. If this person has any kind of experience treating moms with postpartum depression or anxiety or PTSD or antenatal depression then they’ve heard it all before. What’s happening to you or what you are feeling is not going to make them fall off the couch, or run screaming out of the room, or hit you over the head with the nearest blunt object. It’s not, because they know you have an illness and they know the kind of things that can happen with an illness like yours, and if they know exactly what’s going on with you then they’ll be able to help you SO MUCH MORE EFFECTIVELY.

And if, for whatever reason, they really aren’t good at this stuff and they make you feel uncomfortable, or they’re not willing to give you explanations and descriptions and side effects and considerations, then you can always get up and walk out and go elsewhere.

I’m thinking of all of this because of Karen Kleiman’s great Psychology Today piece about lying in therapy. People don’t lie outright, she says, as much as they just leave things out. Don’t mention certain postpartum depression symptoms or new unhealthy coping mechanism. “Forgot” to mention your intrusive thoughts? Cutting? Increased alcohol usage? Current abusive relationship? She lists several reasons why people lie in therapy, and then explains, “Lies of omission will either drastically postpone valuable therapeutic work or it can totally derail the process. You are wasting your time and your money if you lie to your therapist.”

It’s true. It really is. Don’t lie mamas. Lay it out there.

Photo credit: © creative soul – Fotolia.com

February 12, 2013 9:22 am Filed Under: Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Depression Symptoms

Postpartum Depression Symptoms Aren’t Always In Your Head

By Katherine Stone September 20, 2012 Comments

Today we welcome Warrior Mom Meri Levy who shares how her postpartum depression symptoms manifested primarily in physical ones like dizziness and nausea:

Whenever I prepare a list of symptoms of postpartum depression, I always include “unusual physical symptoms.” My experience with postpartum depression, anxiety and panic disorder was quite atypical, and that was partly why it took months of suffering before I got the proper diagnosis and treatment.

I was pretty savvy about mental health. I had been in therapy on and off for years. I had suffered from depression once before, after my mother’s sudden death, so I though I knew what it felt like. During that episode, I was completely numb and couldn’t think at all. I was unable to concentrate or make decisions. I was completely checked out. I took Zoloft for a few months and felt completely recovered, then I went off the medication because I found out I was pregnant.

I was pretty vigilant about postpartum depression after the birth of my first child since I knew I was at risk. It was a high risk pregnancy and I was on bedrest for six weeks. He was a fussy baby and I was not very happy during his first few months of life, but I managed fine and didn’t feel the need for antidepressants.

After my second child was born, though, my stress level was off the charts. My first child got kicked out of preschool because he stopped using the toilet after his brother was born, and my new baby had a set of lungs that had my ears ringing whenever he cried. I never made enough milk for him because he was so big, and he gave up nursing as soon as he started solid foods. I felt guilty about having to give him formula. I was also afraid that I would not be able to go back to work because I couldn’t find full-time daycare that would take my challenging and potty-resistant older son. [Read more...]

September 20, 2012 9:50 am Filed Under: Postpartum Depression Symptoms

The Rage of Postpartum Depression

By Katherine Stone September 16, 2010 Comments

Last night I was itching for a fight. My husband wasn’t doing a SINGLE thing the way I wanted him to. In fact, I felt he wasn’t doing what I wanted him to do on purpose. So I got mad. Scary mad. I felt like he never did anything I wanted him to do, and didn’t care.This, despite the fact that he had gone on a father/son outing with our boy (and my dad) during the day to a Braves game, then went to the grocery store and then cooked dinner, which was waiting for me when I got home with our daughter.

So what. He was still a jerk, I thought. And we had one hell of a fight.

This morning I had to make that call. You know the one.

I’m sorry. It was my fault. I was crazy.

And I was. Temporarily. Most of the time I’m pretty even-tempered. I’m a nice person. I know my husband is a good guy even though he annoys me some times, just like I’m sure I annoy him. I’m not a rage-aholic by any stretch of the imagination. I don’t like yelling. At anyone.

It so happens, though,that I have my … guess what?… period. Usually, for about 2 days in the whole period process I get a short-temper. I feel more controlling. Sometimes I lose it, like last night. (Could this have been a predictive sign that I was going to get a postpartum mood disorder? I think so!)

My behavior last nightreminds me of the symptoms of anger and irritability that many moms with postpartum depression and antenatal depression get. Many of you say you have been surprised by the rage you feel with PPD. I have to admit I really wanted to punch my husband right in the face. That’s pretty surprising.

I’m glad I don’t feel like that much anymore, except on the very rare occasion, like last night. It’s scary. I don’t like it one bit. How about you?

September 16, 2010 2:09 pm Filed Under: Postpartum Depression Symptoms