Giving birth to a child is supposed to be a joyous occasion, one that celebrates the miracle of childbirth and the sanctity of life. But what happens if, following this life-altering event, instead of feeling pride and exuberance over their new bundles of joy, mothers instead experience feelings of panic, fear, and depression?
Out of Darkness
For the one in five mothers who will experience postpartum depression (just one of the perinatal mood disorders), following birth can become a stressful time of isolation, despair, and anxiety.
While family members and friends are celebrating the new arrival, a woman who suffer from postpartum depression can feel trapped by her depression. And this depression goes against everything our society values when it comes to raising a family. After all, how can a new mother feel lost, alone, and hopeless in the presence of her new, wide-eyed baby? The answer, according to Dr. Erin Stronach, varies on a case-by-case basis. “There’s no way to know who is likely to suffer from postpartum depression and who won’t, but research has shown there are several groups of women more at risk for depression,” says Stronach, a clinical psychologist who runs an independent practice and has been working with postpartum depression cases for five years. “Women under the age of 30 are more at risk, as are those with low levels of education and income. Also mothers who already have young children in the home are more likely to experience postpartum depression than others. All of these women have fewer resources, economically, socially, in every way.”
Symptoms of postpartum depression can appear immediately following childbirth or even as long as one year after delivery. Symptoms can include restlessness, irritability, withdrawing from loved ones, feeling lost or hopeless, difficulty concentrating, a lack of interest in previous hobbies or activities, and, in extreme cases, suicidal thoughts.
Abby Cantwell is one of the roughly 600,000 women in the United States who experience postpartum depression each year. After her son, Max (now three years old) was born, Cantwell began experiencing anxiety and symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Normally an anxious person, Cantwell’s anxiety skyrocketed following childbirth. She started asking herself questions like: “Would Max think I was his mother? Would he be able to identify with me?”
Soon afterwards, Cantwell began experiencing feelings of numbness, whether she was around Max or not. While she was still able to provide care for Max, her anxiety prevented her from getting back on a normal sleep cycle. During a trip to visit her mother in the Adirondacks, Cantwell’s depression hit a new low as she soon entered a four-month stretch where she was “constantly stuck in a world of anxiety, with massive, severe, and intrusive thoughts about hurting hersef,” Cantwell recalls. “The feeling was a nightmare and it was indescribable. That was my breaking point and it took everything in my power to be able to function every day. At one point I stared at a bottle of pills as a solution and I was so exhausted that I thought about ending it all. But it was fleeting and I’m very glad I didn’t go down that path. At that point I realized I needed help, but it’s hard asking for help when you’re a new mom. No one tells you this can happen to you and I didn’t realize there was help available.”
Turning to her computer, Cantwell began searching for support groups, but didn’t find anything based in Rochester. She did a Google search for postpartum depression and came across the national Postpartum Progress website, www.postpartumprogress.com. There, Cantwell found relief when she learned she wasn’t alone in her struggles. “It was really comforting to read stories of other mothers who had the same thoughts I did and know I wasn’t alone,” says Cantwell, who soon after began therapy sessions with Dr. Stronach, as well as taking medication for her anxiety.
Cantwell has since organized a postpartum depression walk called Climb Out of the Darkness, which this year will occur June 18 at Greece Canal Park. The walk is free to attend and offers mothers and fathers the chance to learn about local organizations and health providers who offer support services. The goal of the walk is to raise awareness of maternal mental health, emphasizing the importance of education, support, and recovery for all perinatal mood disorders and anxiety. The event is conducted in partnership with Postpartum Progress’s annual climbs across the country as well as in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The event will include activities for children and a raffle and will provide free educational resources including a new mother checklist. All proceeds from the event will go to Postpartum Progress.
“That’s why I volunteer now, to let everyone know that postpartum depression is a possibility following childbirth. If everyone can know that there are resources available to them, it could really help other women from going to the very dark place that I went to,” Cantwell says. “At the first signs of trouble, a mother can realize that these feelings are totally normal and that she’s not a horrible person. There are steps you can take to prevent this from spiraling out of control.”
Mark your Calendar
out of darkness
WHEN: Saturday, June 18th, 2016, 11am-2pm
WHERE: Greece Canal Park, Towpath Shelter (241 Elmgrove Rd. Roc, NY 14626)
WHAT: Postpartum Progress’ Climb Out of the Darkness® is the world’s largest event raising awareness of maternal mental illnesses like postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety & OCD, postpartum PTSD, postpartum psychosis, bipolar/peripartum onset, and pregnancy depression and anxiety. Rochester’s Climb will be a rockin’ good time filled with a nature walk, raffle drawing of local artisan goods and other prizes, coloring therapy, and much more! 100% of funds raised are donated to Postpartum Progress.
LEARN MORE: http://postpartumprogress.org/climb-out-of-the-darkness
Among the groups of women most likely to experience postpartum depression are those who either had difficulty conceiving or had to undergo fertility treatments in order to give birth. “The toughest critics of these new mothers are the women themselves,” Stronach says. “They desperately want to enjoy their babies and they are frustrated at themselves for not being over the moon after giving birth. They feel like they’re being cheated and missing out on what everyone else tells them is the happiest moment of their lives. They think something is wrong with them if they’re not perfectly happy all of the time. It’s excruciating.”
While the notion of postpartum depression can be terrifying to new mothers, Stronach says there are plenty of support groups and ways to seek help. “If more people can have this conversation about the dangers of postpartum depression, fewer people will have to go through this alone,” says Stronach, herself a mother. “There is hope and there are effective treatments available, and women need to get connected and reach out to one another for help. Through your OBGYN or your pediatrician you can undergo routine screenings for postpartum depression that will show, statistically-speaking, who is more likely to experience depression. As awful as postpartum depression is, it is temporary and there are treatments available. To be a part of that hopefulness during these trying times is really rewarding for me.”
According to Stonach, treatments include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), interpersonal psychotherapy, and antidepressant medications, all of which are extremely effective treatment methods. Cognitive treatments include helping women identify ways to think of themselves in a kinder, gentler light and channeling the unhelpful thoughts into more positive ways of thinking. Stronach says there’s also a behavioral component that focuses on self-care items like getting enough sleep, eating well, enjoying enough bonding time with the newborn, and reconnecting with family, friends, hobbies and activities that the mother enjoyed prior to pregnancy.
For more information, including a list of area psychologists, visit the Genesee Valley Psychological Association’s website, www.gvpa.net/home.php.
John Boccacino is a regular contributing writer to Rochester & Genesee Valley Parent Magazine.
