What is PPD and Will It Last Forever

Your Guide to Preparing Postpartum Mental Health

4 symptom trackers each with an infographic
6+ videos to explain how to use each printable
editable Postpartum Mood Tracker
3 bonus charts to help understand the difference in PMADs
easy-to-use Postpartum Symptom Review quiz

The media portrays postpartum depression as utter darkness, days of crying, and a new mom wishing she never had a baby.

Newsflash: this is NOT postpartum depression!

The lack of knowledge or awareness about PPD is concerning, especially because people believe falsities about it. This is not preparing new moms for what to expect!

We’re doing more harm than good by not talking about the truth behind PPD.

So what is postpartum depression?

What is PPD and what does it stand for?

PPD, or postpartum depression, is a form of depression that develops anytime in the first year after giving birth. It’s a common misconception that symptoms have to start within the first two to three weeks. However, researchers have now seen cases that develop at six months postpartum or more.

PPD is characterized by intense sadness, lethargy, and mood swings. It might seem hard to bond with your baby or even be a mom. This is common!

As many as 1 out of every 10 moms develop postpartum depression, and over 14% (1 out of 7) develop one of the postpartum mood and anxiety disorders. With 2 billion moms in the world, that means 280,000,000 other moms feel the way you do!

Can PPD start in pregnancy?

PPD can also manifest during a woman’s pregnancy, in a condition called prenatal depression. During pregnancy, a woman faces many changes in her hormones, relationships, and everyday life.

This can be an intense shift, whether the pregnancy was planned or not!

My depression began during my pregnancy and persisted until a few months postpartum, when I sought help. Why did my depression start in pregnancy?

The pregnancy was unplanned and completely unexpected.
My relationship suffered from the stress of an unplanned pregnancy.
Family members expressed their disapproval often.

Postpartum depression or baby blues?

Over 90% of moms experience the baby blues! Bringing a baby home is a massive life change — it’s understandable that a majority of moms feel sad!

That being said, the baby blues only last 2 weeks. If depressive symptoms continue past the two week mark, you are probably experiencing postpartum depression.

Also, the intensity of PPD symptoms differs from baby blues. The symptoms of postpartum depression are more severe and extreme. Let’s discuss what symptoms to look for.

Is it normal to cry a lot after having a baby?

15 PPD Symptoms You Should Memorize

1. Depressive mood

2. Extreme mood swings

3. Rage or irritability

4. Excessive crying

5. Struggling to bond with baby

6. Feeling like it’s a chore to take care of baby

7. Loss of appetite

8. Increased fatigue OR insomnia

9. Feeling hopeless or worthless

10. Inability to make decisions or think clearly

11. Difficulty remembering things

12. Thoughts of harming your baby or yourself

13. Withdrawing from family or friends

14. Loss of interest in things you previously enjoyed

15. Thoughts of death or suicide

FREE Postpartum Depression Symptom Tracker

INSTANT DOWNLOAD

Is postpartum depression common?

I touched on it before, but YES, postpartum depression is common! 1 out of 7 moms experience a postpartum mood disorder.

It doesn’t seem as common as it is because many moms fear opening up about their symptoms. These fears might be because they are:

scared people will think they don’t want to be a mom or don’t deserve to be a mom
worried their baby might get taken away from them
tired of hearing “it gets better” or “toughen up”
concerned people will tell her she’s being selfish by focusing on herself not the baby

But the key is to create these conversations surrounding PPD and other PMADs!

By discussing these disorders more often and more openly, they become less taboo. Moms don’t need to suffer alone, and they definitely don’t need to feel shamed for experiencing postpartum depression.

Is it normal to cry a lot after having a baby?

Hormones play a large role in how often a new mom cries. I remember suddenly bawling in the hospital while my sister-in-law visited. My husband and sister-in-law rushed toward me, worrying that something was wrong.

“I just love him so much!” I yelled through my tears.

In postpartum, there’s happy tears, sad tears, angry tears, and tears with no reason at all. It’s okay!

If your crying is constant and persists for longer than 2 weeks, please consult a healthcare professional to discuss postpartum depression.

Causes of PPD

So what the heck causes postpartum depression?

Hormone levels
Unhealthy diet
Sleep deprivation
Feeling isolated from social support
Unsure about your role as a mother
Difficulty getting pregnant
Disapproval from family or friends
Health problems for you or your baby
Financial burdens
Issues in your romantic relationship
Birth trauma or hospitalization of baby

Am I at risk for PPD?

There’s a number of risk factors that lead to a mom developing postpartum depression.

This isn’t a comprehensive list, but hopefully it leads you in the right direction towards preparing your postpartum mental health.

Being a teen mom or a young mom
Unwed
Lack of social support
Low income household
Previous personal or family history of depression
Being a mom of multiples (twins, triplets)
Life stresses
Preterm labor and delivery
Pregnancy or birth complications

How long does PPD last?

There isn’t a specific timeline for PPD, and I know how trite it is to say that.

Every mom is different in her experiences, her health history, her coping mechanisms, and more. It should be obvious that, because of this, the length of postpartum depression will differ.

Easier said than believed right?

When you’re in the trenches of PPD, desperate to climb out, it’s hard to envision an end or a specific length of time. For some moms, it takes 3 months. For others, there’s 3 years before depressive symptoms vanish.

How long postpartum depression lasts for you might depend on:

Your risk factors
Finances or availability to resources
Your education on postpartum mental health
Coping mechanisms on hand
Your willingness to seek help

Does postpartum depression go away on its own?

Unfortunately, no!

Postpartum depression isn’t something you can push to the side until it’s gone.

Symptoms are guaranteed to get worse without treatment.

Treatment for PPD

Treating PPD is imperative in getting better. You deserve to no longer feel this way, Mama! I know it’s hard to believe that — and that it’s harder to believe things can get better — but they will with the proper treatment!

Consult your healthcare provider or a mental health professional to start! If you’re not sure where to find these resources, grab this free list of 35 people who can actually help you in postpartum! Print My Postpartum Support Team to write out the names and contact information for everyone you might need in postpartum. Plus, there’s links that will help you find mental health professionals and the right healthcare provider for you!

Treatment looks different for everyone, but here are 3 methods to start with:

Self-care

Self-care as a mom looks different than when there’s not a little one asking to be fed every two hours or a toddler climbing into the kitchen cabinets for the twentieth time today.

There’s self-care methods like taking a relaxing bath, spending time outside of the house, or coloring, but often these methods take time to coordinate and cannot be done in the moment.

If you are at home alone with your baby and feeling overwhelmed by your depression, try these # things to decrease its intensity in the moment:

Eat a healthy snack

Repeat affirmations to yourself

Exercise

Take baby for a walk
If it’s cold outside, do jumping jacks or stretches indoors

Jump your senses

Eat a sour food
Feel a variety of textures around your house
Narrate characteristics about an object you see
- Such as, “This coffee cup is large. Its purple, a lavender kind of purple. It’s handle isn’t quite a circle. It’s my favorite mug because ____.”
- Keep going until you’re thinking more about the object in front of you than the way you feel.

Therapy

Therapy does wonders for moms with postpartum mood disorders! The key is finding a therapist that specializes in perinatal mental health. Use this directory from Postpartum Support International to find one locally!

There’s a variety of therapeutic methods and styles of therapists. Everyone has a different personality. It’s okay if you don’t match with the right therapist! But you need to find the right one that you are comfortable with. Don’t keep continuing sessions in fear you’ll offend them. They might even be able to give you a few referrals!

The different therapeutic methods include:

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
Dialectical-behavior therapy (DBT)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Group therapy
Psychoanalysis

Medications

Medications are normal to use when experiencing postpartum depression. In fact, they are often recommended in order to effectively treat PPD symptoms.

Medicine is used in conjunction with therapy, and it’s not something to be afraid of! Your healthcare provider can recommend you on which antidepressants or antianxiety meds are best for your situation and safe if you are nursing.

How can you prevent postpartum depression?

Honestly, there are few ways to prevent postpartum depression. But you can prevent how long it affects you and how intense your symptoms are.

To prevent postpartum depression’s impact:

Educate yourself on PPD and other PMADs
Avoid major life changes during pregnancy or postpartum
Build a postpartum support team
Eat healthy and move your body

Postpartum VS Postpartum Depression?

While society is gradually moving away from this habit, it’s more common than not that people call PPD “postpartum”. They say things like:

“Oh, she had postpartum.”
“Did you experience postpartum?”
“I knew this woman with postpartum…”

The fact of the matter is this dialogue, shortening postpartum depression to “postpartum”, does more harm than good. It focuses the entire postpartum mental health experience around depression when there are 3 other postpartum mental illnesses named in the DSM-5.

This term also shies away from the intense word of “depression”. By hiding the heavy word, you add to the taboo of postpartum mental health. Signifying that it’s something to hide, avoid, and not discuss.

We Need to Talk Openly About PPD

Moms feel alone because there’s nothing to let them know they aren’t. There aren’t widespread conversations on these topics. How else would they know others felt the same way they did?

Postpartum depression, and the other postpartum mood and anxiety disorders, shouldn’t be hidden or avoided. Conversations might be uncomfortable, but that’s where change starts.

Your PPD won’t last forever, and every mom should scream that from the rooftops.