Hello Everyone,
I hope this week has treated you well.
I received a message from an old friend of mine, requesting that I help her through her Post- Partum Depression. This opened my eyes a bit as I realised, I didn’t know enough to help her. That was a shame as I know how common yet undiagnosed and neglected it is- especially in Guyana. Therefore, I decided to do some research on it. I hope the information below serves you all well.

Firstly, what is Post-Partum Depression (PPD)?
It can be compared to “baby blues”, which is very common among new and especially first time mothers. Unusual emotions such as sadness, fatigue, irritability or anger are experienced right after childbirth. She may cry a lot or may even isolate herself from her baby. She may feel as though she is a bad mother and cannot efficiently care for her baby. However, when the “baby blues” gets severe or continues for a long time, then it may have developed into Post-Partum Depression.

It is completely normal for a new mother to feel worried or stressed- right after delivery or even a few months after. This must be differentiated. PPD usually begins a few days after delivery and can last up to a few weeks. If these feelings are intense and lasts for a few months, you may require professional help. PPD is definitely more common among women but some men experience it as well.
When one has a new born, they are expected (by themselves and everyone around them) to be full of joy and excitement. Sadly, this isn’t the case for many new parents. It becomes especially upsetting and confusing for the parent when they do not feel what they think they are supposed to feel.

How do we know if it is PPD? What are specific symptoms?
As mentioned, symptoms can happen a few days after birth or even a few weeks before delivery. Common ones are:

– Feeling very sad or empty
– Feeling angry, irritated or anxious
– Severe mood swings
– Severe loss of energy
– Irrational fears about accidentally hurting your baby
– Thoughts of wanting to harm your baby
– Feeling usually and excessively worried
– Crying often
– Isolation from loved ones
– Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities
– Disruptions in eating and sleeping patterns
– A severe lack in concentration
– Feelings of low self-esteem, high self-doubt and worthlessness
– Physical symptoms such as head, neck or stomach aches
– Self –harm or feelings of self- harm
– Suicidal thoughts or behaviours

In rare cases, delusions and hallucinations are possible. These normally consist of a parent thinking the baby is ‘evil’ or possessed’

If you experience 5 or more of these symptoms every day for a period of months, it is most likely PPD and I strongly recommend you go into your nearest health centre.
Women describe PPD as feeling overwhelmed, unprepared and incapable of taking care of the baby. Some often feel resentment/anger/hatred toward their baby or partner. Some parents do not even want to be alone with the baby. Of course, this often leads to low self-esteem, extreme guilt and often, suicidal thoughts. People feel motherhood should be easy and natural. From what I’ve heard, it’s any and everything but. People also take time to bond with their babies. Not every parent/child has an instant connection like they show in the movies or even people we know on social media. Not every new parent is over come with happiness. There are other factors that may cause you to also feel worry and stress- and that’s okay.

Who is likely to develop PPD? What are the common risk factors?
All women are vulnerable to PPD but like anything else, there are factors that increase the possibility of development. There are hormonal, mental, physical and environmental factors at play during the development of any mental illness.
You are more likely to develop PPD specifically if you:

– Have any personal or family history of mental illness such as depression or anxiety
– Experience stressful life events/ trauma during pregnancy or birth
– Experience early delivery
– Unplanned or unwanted pregnancy
– Are a single parent
– Give birth to a baby with birth defects/illnesses
– Give birth to multiple babies (twins, triplets etc.)
– Lack of social or financial support
– Experience violence, especially domestic violence.
– Experience severe sleep deprivation
How is Post-Partum Depression Treated?
Yes, some good news. PPD is treatable if needed! Most cases do go away on its own with time, but occasionally, professional help is needed.
Just like any other mental illness, the best course of recovery is prescription medication to best regulate your mood paired with counselling therapy to talk through the emotions felt and determine the best ways to cope. This can be done alone or with your partner. My research shows that taking these medications is considered safe while breast feeding.
There are also things that one can personally do.

The number one thing you can do? If you guessed self-care, you are absolutely correct. Take care of yourself. Just because you are responsible for someone else now does not necessarily mean you need to neglect yourself along your personal wants and needs. Cover the basics such as do your best to get good sleep as well as maintain a healthy diet. Avoid all alcohol/ drugs. This worsens the situation. Do as many activities that you once loved as possible. At least find the time to go outside and get some vitamin D. I know many sacrifices are made once having a baby but all do not need to be made at once.

Ask for help/support! Everyone fumbles on something new and everyone needs help at one point or another (and that’s okay!) Ask for it. If you’re a single parent, you have family and friends for a reason. If you believe you can (or have been doing) everything on your own, good for you. However, take it slowly- take baby steps (pun intended). This benefits both you and the baby. Connect with other new moms. See that you are not the only one that may be experiencing this.

Have realistic expectations. This is connected to having good support as well. You cannot do everything on your own. You cannot do everything right- especially the first time around. Even if you read every baby book on the planet, you will still never be fully prepared for what’s happening. Accept that and understand that it doesn’t make you a bad parent- just human.

Remain open and intimate with your partner. I hear this tends to fizzle out when children arrive but it really shouldn’t. Try to still make each other a priority- you’re a team now more than ever. Still go on dates and spend time alone. Listen to each other.

Why is it important to seek treatment?
Post-Partum left untreated can be very dangerous to the whole family. It can definitely interfere with the natural and normal mother child bonding. A child is supposed to form a secure attachment to parents. This means they feel safe and comfortable when they are around and will eventually still feel that way when they leave, feeling confident that they will come back. This is severely affected when parents develop PPD with the child being much more likely to develop emotional and behavioural problems. Mothers with PPD are much less likely to interact with their babies, breastfeed or even read or play music to their babies. This directly affects the baby’s development. It causes strain within a marriage, forcing one parent take one the majority of responsibility. Untreated, PPD can last for months or even years. Treatment and recovery time depends on the severity of the PPD and the individual.
Below are the words of my friend who was doing her best to explain to me how she felt.

“It’s so common, many women don’t even know what it is, or realize that they’re going through it. A lot are in denial as well. I was at first too, until I researched it. Then I decided to let my family and close friends know about it, so that they would understand those days I might lose my marbles a bit. Mine isn’t as bad, there are some women who could go into self- harm or harming their babies but mine is more the feeling of emptiness. Feeling not good enough of a mother, feeling like I’m failing both of them. It’s hard to find balance between both kids, I manage somehow. My son is 3 months, my daughter is 2 years old, and they both need my attention all day. It gets really overwhelming. I think I started to realize what was going on was the first week after my son was born. My husband passed on a nasty flu to both kids. Of course, both kids only wanted my attention.

I felt like I was suffocated and claustrophobic. We couldn’t go anywhere either because it was winter. Every night I started feeling less and less of myself. I wanted to crawl through the floor. Didn’t want to see anyone. I actually stayed in bed for weeks. Right after the kids recovered from the flu (cold and nasty coughing, lasted 2.5 weeks) my son had colic. For about four weeks. I thought that was the end of me. Not a suicidal thought but that was when I started to think that I couldn’t handle this amount of stress anymore. I constantly cried and cried. But one morning I got up and I decided to get my act together, because these children don’t deserve this from me. They need me, they needed their mother. So I tried hard for them. And I’m okay now. Not completely out of the depression, but it’s a lot better and much more manageable these days. I definitely took your advice. Dolled up myself a little, went to see a movie, socialized a bit. Cleaning the house. Also started to watch a new series. It definitely keeps my mind busy. I also believe that support from family is what women need to get through this. I hope a little bit of my experience could help inspire your article a little more.”

Thank you so much for sharing your story.
If you have a partner that is experiencing PPD, just be the best supporter you can be. Listen to them, help around the house, make sure they get time to themselves and offer whatever support they need. Make sure they know that it is okay to seek professional help if needed and you will be by their side if they do.
Thanking you for reading. Please keep sending any topics you’d like to talk about to caitlinvieira@gmail.com Or come in to see me at:

Georgetown Public Hospital: Psychiatric Department:
Monday- Friday – 8am- 12pm

Woodlands Hospital: Outpatient Department
Drug and Alcohol group meetings – Mondays 4:15
Good mental health group meetings- Wednesdays 4:15
Suicide Prevention Helpline numbers: 223-0001, 223-0009, 623-4444, 600-7896

Say Yes to Life and No to Drugs! Always