Just Wondering: When Does Your Period Come Back After Having a Baby?
But almost immediately, a dark cloud settled over her.
I thought to myself, I need help.
I can feel it already.
But even though she recognized PPD this time, it still took Leos months to feel better.
Heres what she wants everyone to know about this emotional experience.
physician, perinatal psychotherapist, and author ofMotherhood Survival Manual: Your Prenatal Guide to Prevent Postpartum Depression and Anxiety
Its characterized by exhaustion, feeling overwhelmed, sometimes tearful, other times numb, Zechowy says.
These moms feel like they are failures as mothers.
I would start a task, and forget what I was doing, so my house got really crazy.
That was a big difference from the emotional peaks and valleys she had experienced after her first two deliveries.
After her second delivery, she started the antidepressant right away.
Leos conceived her third child through IVF, and her daughter was born premature.
Finding the right treatment can take time
What didnt happen fast was finding an effective treatment.
Leos delivered her second daughter in March 2023.
Her OB/GYN kept increasing her dose.
They added a second medication to her routine, but the same patternone step forward, two steps backrepeated.
I would feel a little bit better, but then I would just slide backwards, she says.
It was a roller coaster, down and up and down.
Her OB/GYN suggested speaking with a psychiatrist.
At first, Leos didnt feel comfortable opening up to a stranger.
But I realized at some point that this was beyond what she could offer to me.
She started seeing a psychiatrist in the summer of 2023.
In December 2023, Leos remembers her psychiatrist looking at her and saying, This is malfunctioning.
We need to do something else.
Her options included electroconvulsive therapy, ketamine treatment, and hospitalization.
Allopregnanolone levels drop dramatically after giving birth.
Consequently, it works much quicker than SSRIs, she says.
Leos started taking zuranolone in January 2024.
By day three, she could already tell she was feeling differently.
I know someone who died from postpartum depression a few weeks ago, Leos says.
It really, really shook me hard, because it could be any of us.
The biggest side effects of zuranolone are dizziness and sedation, Dr. Zechowy says.
For me, the benefits outweigh the little side effects, Leos says.
In Leos case, she decided to be extra careful.
So the fact that I couldnt breastfeed made me not want to take zuranolone.
But I realized I could pump and dump, and for two weeks, you could do anything.
Your doctor can help you decide if taking zuranolone while breastfeeding is right for you and your baby.
Leos didnt have to pay that much, but she thinks it would have been worth it.
Now that Ive taken it, I would gladly pay $16,000, she says.
Postpartum depression was isolating for Leos.
I didnt want to burden anyone by telling them how I was feeling, she says.
My best friends, my husbandthey didnt know the extent of my issues.
But its a time [when] you need the most help and you need someone to talk to.
Shame often keeps new parents from speaking out about how theyre feeling, Dr. Zechowy says.
You dont realize youre depressed.
You just think youre not good at this.
Leos just overcame that shame recently.
I only started talking about my experience a few months ago, she says.
There were many opportunities when someone in the health care system could have extended more support to her.
I think people are just afraid to talk about it, she says.
I started to think maybe I shouldnt be worried about it.
Thats emboldened her to speak up publicly and at work.
In our discharge instructions, I think theres, like, one line about postpartum depression.
Now I just take a lot more time to actually educate moms [about it].
Need support for PPD?
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-04990-w
Li, Chuan-Chen et al.
Factors associated with postpartum depressive symptoms among women who conceived with infertility treatment.Acta psychologicavol.
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