This weekend I wrote about a Spanish study, the results of which led the researchers to state they can predict who is going to get postpartum depression correctly 80% of the time. The researchers alsostated that one factor they found that they felt clearly reduces the risk of getting PPD is women who work during their pregnancy and had a job or career before having a baby.
That felt strange to me. It just doesn't match my understanding, not of what happened to me, nor of what I've heard from plenty of women. We weren't protected because we had jobs. So it bugged me. And then I found this nugget from a study I just wrote about recently onpostpartum depressionand suicidal thinkingfrom the Archives of Women's Mental Health(from Science Daily):
"Researchers also found that most of the women in the highly suicidal group held jobs before becoming mothers – a significant life changing experience where they left behind their working identity in a predictable and controlled environment where they felt competent, to the unpredictability of caring for a newborn. This dramatic change could have been enough to catapult them into severe post partum depression."
Hmmm. So which is it? Jobs can be a factor in protecting you from getting PPD, or they can be a factor in you gettingPPD? As usual, we still don't know for sure.
What was your experience?
I can't speak for everyone, but my attempt to give up my job and become a full-time stay-at-home mom was probably the biggest circumstance contributing to development of postpartum depression. Although I'm not an especially ambitious attorney, and although my job would not be considered especially prestigious, I found myself grieving for the intellectual stimulation and satisfaction my job had given me. I was overwhelmed by the sense that I had given up a role I could perform competently in exchange for a role in which I felt an utter failure. When my baby was just over four months old, my husband, who previously had not been understanding or supportive, finally showed some compassion by telling me that I obviously wasn't suited to full-time motherhood, and that I should look for a part-time job. That was a huge step in my recovery, which was completed three months later when I found the perfect part-time situation.
I think the question would be better phrased as "how might the change in a new mother's career situation impact her risk for PPD?" This would focus on the totality of circumstances, allowing for individual differences.
This juggle – motherhood and a high stressed, professional career has been one of my biggest vulnerabilities. I managed it with one child, but could not with the birth of my daughter. The moment I think PPD settled in (4 months postpartum after the birth of my daughter), I was returning to work and was also promoted. The extreme anxiety this caused me at the time should have been my first big clue that something was really wrong. Who gets promoted on maternity leave and is not excited by that?! I am recovering from severe PPD, and have reduced my professional workplace hours. It's working for me – and I am learning to understand the effects of this complicated balance on me and my relationships.
I was 32 when I had my first child and experienced postpartum OCD. I had a great marketing career at Coca-Cola and felt on top of the world. I can't say how much the lack of control (compared to how good I felt at my job) contributed to my illness as compared to other risk factors, but I do think it had some impact. At work, I felt successful. I felt like I knew what to do. I had a handle on things. With my new baby, I was convinced I was a failure, even though I was probably taking care of the baby just fine.
I couldn't disagree more with the statement made in the Spanish study. If you've had a career and that career has been an important part of your life (esp if you have a baby late in life), having to make the transition to motherhood can be a huge one to make, especially if it means being a stay-at-home mom for an indefinite period of time (for financial reasons). It's the return to work and ability to juggle motherhood (which means, for most, the ability to find quality childcare) and career well (the more quickly, the better) that I believe can help minimize the risk of developing or help with recovery from PPD for those who are used to having a structured, independent lifestyle revolving around their careers. Coincidental or not, my PPD symptoms abated as soon as my maternity leave ended and I returned to work. I've attributed that to the Paxil taking effect in 4 weeks' time, but returning to work could've helped. For me, it was relatively easy to transition back to work, thanks to the childcare services we were able to find and my husband helping out with the baby, housework and working out a pick-up/drop-off schedule.
I would guess that the biggest factor in terms of jobs is whether or not women go back to a job they love/are good at and have childcare they feel really good about. My guess is that those of us who quit a job, or stay home for a long period of time, or go back with inadequate care (and thus find ourselves feeling incompetent at our jobs and at being moms as we're exhausted….) end up more likely to be depressed. I would guess that those who have jobs they're good at before giving birth and who are able to go back to those jobs quickly and with good care are much less likely to experience ppd. Trying to be a stay-at-home mom definitely made my depression SO MUCH worse–the isolation, the change, the lack of identity, the lack of structure, ugh. One nurse I talked to who ran a support group for moms with ppd said she repeatedly saw moms get better once they returned to work…
I'm split on this one.
I actually love my job, so leaving that identity behind, I believe, contributed to the shock I experienced after having a baby. I can think of no better word to describe how I felt than SHOCK. I thought that nothing in my life would ever be the same. So, losing touch with my career self, I think, definitely served as one of the triggers of my PPD.
At the same time, knowing that I was going back to work in three months and could return to being a writer really helped in my recovery. On my first day back to work, I felt like a free woman leaving the house, driving alone in the car, interacting with my colleagues, eating lunch out. It was wonderful. I was sleep-deprived and anxious, but it was a welcome respite from the reality that waited for me at home.
My experience is that my career is straining my PPD to the core! Now, business is slow at the moment so I have a lot of time on my hands to surf the net and by gosh, THINK! Nobody should ever think quite so much. If only I could get a free-pass like disability for six months or so because of my PPD. I feel the world would be a better place. I may actually enjoy it!
Giving up my job to become a SAHM was a major contributing factor in my PPD. I know for sure. I went from being a social person to an isolated one..
I think you are on to something that opens up a new way of looking at individual personality, job type/demand, family situation, and the love for our children. Keep going with this.
I'm thinking much of it centers around how we respond and cope with change. For some of us, trying to adapt to change may cause great anxiety. Many women stay grounded with the routine of going to work. This provides needed stability for them and any change may cause anxiety. Perhaps we like to feel "in control" of our situation, something that can definately be lost after having a baby!