I was one of the lucky mothers who was screened for postpartum depression after the birth of my child. My daughter’s pediatrician administered the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale to me at my daughter’s first few check-ups.
Unfortunately,
it wasn’t until about six weeks after my daughter was born that I started to exhibit noticeable signs of anxiety and depression and at that time I was no longer being screened at my daughter’s appointments and my OB didn’t offer any screening or questioning at the routinely scheduled six-week postpartum exam.
Even though the screening tool wasn’t what shed light on my illness and linked me to the treatment I eventually received in order to recover, I do believe the simple practice of screening made a positive impact on me.
When the pediatric nurse first handed me the short questionnaire I remember feeling surprised, but also relieved that some attention was being paid to me, the mother. It showed me that my daughter’s pediatrician recognized that my health was directly related to the health of my baby. And if she was going to adequately care for the tiny human I brought in to her, then she had to make sure I was thriving too.
Later, when I began to show symptoms of anxiety that were not within the normal range of emotions for postpartum mothers, it was my daughter’s doctor who I felt most comfortable discussing my initial concerns with. After all, she is the one who screened me and to me that meant she cared.
The fact that I was screened also removed some of the stigma I felt early on in my illness. Of course, I still felt the guilt, shame, and embarrassment that many sufferers of postpartum depression feel, but I was a little more willing to step forward and reach out because the screening helped me realize that what I was suffering from was real and I could get help.
Ultimately, I want pediatricians, OBs, and primary care doctors to know that screening for postpartum depression not only provides useful information to help the patient move forward and get treatment, but it also sends a message to that mother that she is cared for and that it’s okay to ask for help. In my case, the fact that I was screened made more of an impact on me than the screening itself.
Every mother deserves the kind of care that was provided to me and it’s time more doctors stepped up to the plate and assumed responsibility for helping mothers find their way through these miserable illnesses. My daughter’s doctor wasn’t my therapist or my psychiatrist, but by screening me she helped me realize that some of the things I was feeling were not normal and that I needed to find the right doctors to help me.
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