There’s no shame in having postnatal depression

FOR many women having a baby is one of the most exciting and precious times in their lives. You would expect to feel fantastic, over the moon, and in love with your new arrival. But what if you don’t feel like this?

And instead you experience low mood, depression, anxiety, nausea, irritability, crying all of the time, feeling inadequate, lack of joy, grief, fear and maybe even anger are just some of the emotions that can be experienced if you have postnatal depression. For some women postnatal depression happens immediately after the birth of their baby, while for others it happens when they stop breastfeeding.

The first thing to know is that, you are not going insane. Many women experience postnatal depression and the reasons for it varies greatly and therefore the solutions will be different.

I spoke with Dr Trudy Meehan, Clinical Psychologist at length about this issue. Dr Meehan said that ‘it’s important to remember that mental health is on a spectrum, with common ‘ baby blues’ at one end and more severe postpartum depression at the other.’ Trudy suffered from postpartum depression herself and says ‘Psychiatric medication saved my life. Group and individual therapy helped me keep going and find hope, and natural health supplements sustained me through treatment at a time when I couldn’t nourish or care for myself very well.’

The supplements I’ve seen help include good quality Omega 3 fish oil, and vitamin D. Both of these nutrients are essential for mental health, and mood. B Vitamins help to cope with stress and to support mental health. Bio-Strath is a whole food supplement to help improve energy levels and vitality. These supplements, medication, and or group therapy could help you, or it could be something totally different that you need.

Unfortunately many still associate talking with a professional as a weakness and something to be ashamed of. It’s not. Dr Meehan is talking openly about this subject in the hope that her experience will help other women come forward to talk about it. She believes that there isn’t enough discussion about postnatal depression. Understanding what you are going through is the first step to overcoming it.

The first step you need to take is to talk to someone about it. You’ll be glad you did.

Clair Whitty is a Bach Flower Practitioner, Nutritional Health Coach and Vega Allergy Tester based at The Natural Health Store, 24 North Main Street, Wexford 053 9121613 | clairm1@eircom.net | www.naturalhealthstore.ie