Paying Attention In The Postpartum Period (Joshua Johnson, 1A)

Bringing home a baby can be a cause for celebration … and a lot of work. With so much attention on caring for the baby, mothers’ needs can easily be overlooked.

HuffPost reports, “Conservative estimates say 11 percent of women become depressed at some point in their first year of motherhood; others put that figure at closer to 25 percent. And that’s just the women who seek help. Likely, the numbers are greatly undercounted — according to one study, fewer than 15 percent of moms who had symptoms of PPD actually got help.”

The first drug targeted to treat postpartum depression is in the trial phase. From The Cut: “Biotech firm Sage Therapeutics says it has developed a PPD-targeted drug that works — and fast. In the third round of the drug’s clinical trials, which wrapped up late last year, patients who’d previously been unable to eat, interact with their families, or even get out of bed were up and moving, eating, and laughing within days.”

Seeking mental health treatment in the postpartum period is key, however the condition is often misunderstood — even my medical professionals — resulting in mothers not getting help they need or worse.

We talk about how to recognize the symptoms of postpartum depression, how to support mothers during this period and how to break the stigma of “baby blues.”
Interview:
https://the1a.org/shows/2018-05-17/paying-attention-in-the-postpartum-period