Kimberly Morand on deserving the best care possible for postpartum depression:
I didn’t know a whole lot about the spine when I injured it some years ago. Even with my nursing background, I knew only the basics and the fact that it hurt like a mother loving you-know-what.
Desperate for pain relief, it became my quest to learn everything I could about my specific injury, treatment options, etc. so that when I finally met my neurosurgeon, I blasted him with questions. I kept him on his toes and when I eventually needed surgery to correct my spine, I knew that we had exhausted every single conservative measure possible. It was the most confident decision I’ve ever made.
So what is my point you’re asking?
The more you know about postpartum depression, the more it will empower you to get the best care possible.
If you have postpartum depression or even think you might have it, I know how overwhelming learning about it can be. When I was diagnosed with PPD and anxiety, reading a book was the last thing on my to-do list. I did get a book about PPD (that trip to the library all by myself was catastrophic) but I could not focus enough to remember the last sentence I read. Needless to say, it was extremely anxiety-provoking.
Fortunately for me, I was blessed to have amazing doctors that spelled out PPD and treatment options in its simplest form. And I cannot forget my husband who spent hours scouring the internet so that we were armed with a little bit of knowledge.
Even though my brain was flooded with racing thoughts and couldn’t remember when the last time I ate, I was assured that someone knew what the heck was going on and was advocating for me.
So I encourage you to learn as much as you can, and if you can’t do it yourself….then that’s ok. There is no shame in asking your husband/significant other, friend or a family member to help. If you’re afraid to ask questions write them down on a piece of paper to give to your doctor. Know that it’s ok to question them. Don’t worry about hurting their feelings if you question a medication change or treatment modality.
You have the right to be heard.
Postpartum depression is a complex illness that deserves the best care possible and you deserve it. The more you know about this illness, the more proactive you’ll be in your care.
Did you research postpartum mood disorders before/after diagnosis? Have you ever questioned your doctor? How did it go? Are there any tips you can offer to women when they have a concern about their treatment.
~ Kimberly, All Work & No Play Makes Mommy Go Something Something
Kimberly Morand
Thank you for your post. Today marks my PPD bottom, attempted suicide. I thought I had researched and new what to expect with PPD as I was diagnosed with my first child. I knew the signs, sought help, recognized it could be worse with my second child. However, weeks before my daughter's 1st birthday, I spiraled into a place I had never been before. I truly believed that everyone would be better off without me, the kids were young enough they would not remember me and my husband could remarry. Once I was hospitalized, my husband took over the research for a while, providing me more information and a very helpful book. For me, it took a lot of human support to recover, especially experiences from other PPD survivors.
Michelle,
I'm so glad you are still here with us.
– K
I didn't start researching more about PPD until almost two years after I had it. Finding out more about it has definitely helped me to feel more confident in myself as I recover. Even though I still struggle a lot, it helps so much just to know that there is a term to go with some of the things I struggle with and that they are universal for PPD sufferers and not just me being dysfunctional
I sufferd from antenatal depression and OCD. Given my particular obsessions and rituals, I did nothing BUT reasearch, trying to figure out why I was thinking such awful thoughts about a baby I wanted so badly, especially when she wasn't even born yet. When I finally found a website that described a mom like me, and then another one about OCD, I began to cry. That was ME! I wasn't the only freak in the universe!! I knew then that there were options, and that I could get better, even though it was SO HARD to reach out for help, and to keep reaching when my first efforts didn't help much. I've continued to do research throughout, and thank goodness, because I'm now pregnant with my second child, and while I haven't hadn't any symptoms (thanks to medication and finally getting help the first time round), I know what to watch for.
I'm afraid to research because I'm afraid it will become a self-fulfilling prophesy.
As someone who struggles with OCD that makes me somewhat of a hypochondriac, I can understand that. What helped for me was knowing that wether or not I found out about it, I still either had it or I didn't. It's like with Cancer- you have it whether you go to the doctor or not. If you're truly sick with PPD, it's not something you can "talk yourself into", any more than you can "talk yourself out of" it. It just IS. I would encourage you to do what research you can, but if you think it'll scare you too much, just go to the doctor and tell them how you're feeling. And if they don't listen, tell someone else, until someone does. For me, getting a name on it was important to me, cause then I knew I wasn't a bad person, but that there was something wrong with me, the way cancer is something wrong, and that I could get help. I wasn't "crazy"… I was "Crazy" with a capital C, and thus deserving of treatment,
I researched my PPD & PPA just prior to and after my diagnosis. I spent a few months just reading all the information that I could get my hands on. I wanted to understand my risk factors. I meet with my OB/Gyn next week, & I will be talking to her about this. I had a number of risk factors & I never considered that I would be a possible candidate for PPD & PPA.