Today, I am here to talk with you about the five common misconceptions about postpartum depression.
Now if you are new to my channel,
and you, like me, find psychology and mental health information just totally cool and exciting
don't forget to subscribe, because I put out videos all the time.
And I actually have a video that I've done in the past about Postpartum Depression.
You can click here to check that out to get kind of an understanding about what postpartum depression really is,
What it looks like and how we diagnose it?
But today we're here to talk about the misconceptions, right.
And the first misconception about postpartum depression, and the one that I hear the most,
is that having it makes me a bad mother.
Means I shouldn't have had children.
Something is totally wrong with me.
I should have the glow and be so excited, but that is just not true.
Having postpartum depression has a lot to do with the chemical imbalance in our brain.
Obviously like everything in psychology, it's theorized.
Because we can't cut open a human brain that's working and see what's actually happening.
But what we know that when we have a baby, our hormones shift.
And we have a fluctuation that can cause us to feel irritable, sad, angry.
We can struggle to connect with our baby.
And none of that makes you a bad mother.
All that means is that you really need to reach out for help and support,
because we know the number one thing if you get support early and talk about it early
It actually goes away much more quickly.
That doesn't make you a bad person or a bad mother,
that just means that you were struggling with depression.
When we have a baby, we have a dramatic drop in two key hormones.
Estrogen and Progesterone
And that's a mouthful.
Not to mention any of the hormones that are produced through our thyroid.
Those also have a steep drop, that can leave us feeling sluggish, tired, agitated, depressed.
The second misconception is that having postpartum depression means that we'll be crying all the time
and just cannot even take care of ourselves or our baby.
The truth of it is that postpartum depression doesn't always present itself as sadness, lethargy, crying.
For many people they can feel very agitated and almost irritable.
A lot of the clients that I've seen report that they lash out at their spouse or loved one or even
at their mother who's there trying to help them, because they just feel so icky.
A lot of other people will say it feels like anxiety.
So know that postpartum depression doesn't always look and feel one way.
If you feel any number of these symptoms, and I"m looking at my notes because there's a lot of symptoms.
Make sure you reach out to your doctor or a professional,
because getting help sooner rather than later is key.
Misconception number three:
That postpartum depression will just go away over time if we just ignore it.
Wouldn't that be nice.
I wouldn't even have a job; shit would just go away.
Boop! Presto, fixo, snap out of it!
We know that's not true.
Postpartum depression actually can turn into chronic depression if it's not treated.
And a lot of mothers will feel terrible about having it.
Like something's wrong with them. Something is bad. I shouldn't had children.
Like we go back to misconception number one, so they won't tell anybody because they feel shameful about it.
But what we know is if immediately once you start these symptoms,
we talk to our doctor. We talk to our therapist.
That's why I'm in a doctor's office, because this is usually the first person that you'll see when you go for your first round of checkups.
Let them know that you've been feeling a little down, a little sad.
Because if we treat it, (snaps) it can go away.
Then we actually get the help and support that we need versus ignoring it thinking it's going to go away
And then maybe three years down the line we realize maybe I am depressed.
I need to seek some help.
Common misconception number four:
That postpartum depression happens immediately after we birth said baby.
Not true.
It usually, a lot of people experience what we call baby blues.
Now the baby blues are very very common.
Even more common than postpartum depression,
and that usually lasts about from two or three days after giving birth and ends about two weeks after giving birth.
So we have kind of that period of time
for our body to kind of regulate as the hormones are dropping, and that is also very common.
But postpartum depression happens after that point.
After two weeks and can start anytime within the first year after having a child.
That's a long open window for it to occur, so know that and think about that until your child turns 1.
If you feel yourself pulled into a depressive episode reach out for help.
Common misconception number five: that postpartum depression is all my fault.
Something's wrong with me.
I did it. I deserve hits.
That's just not true.
We know that our hormones are shifting.
We know that having a baby is really stressful.
Often we're very sleep-deprived.
They even talk about the red flags leading up to postpartum depression, in being having a really tough pregnancy.
Maybe you had horrible morning sickness. Maybe you had horrible complications.
Maybe your relationship was on the rocks, because it was so stressful.
A lot of things can happen that are sort of like warning signs to postpartum depression.
It's not all your fault. Nothing is wrong with you.
It is very very common, and the truth of it is the more we talk about it
The more we share videos like this then the more people will understand
how postpartum depression really works, what the warning signs are,
Why it's so common.
And the shame and guilt and I'm a bad mother and all these misconceptions will slowly dissipate and go away.
So please share this video.
Leave in the comments below your experience.
What's something that you or someone you loved went through, so that we can all share in the knowledge, right.
Experience and education together are the best combination, so please share.
Please like and I will see you next time. Bye!
I am not in my apartment, and I am here to talk to you about ... wait, I don't like that.
It's weird thinking where my people go where in life
(Laughter)