Postpartum Mental Health

Whether you’ve already received a diagnosis, or you’re unsure why you’re just not feeling quite right after the arrival of your new miracle, You Are Not Alone—Understanding And Working Through Postpartum Depression: A Common Condition So Often Misunderstood by Carrie Vanderbilt is for any woman who has struggled with the strange changes and emotions that appear during pregnancy and after delivery.

Your body and mind go through many changes during and after pregnancy. Most women get the “baby blues”, or feel sad or empty, within a few days of giving birth. For many women, the baby blues go away in three to five days. If your baby blues don’t go away or you feel sad, hopeless, or empty for longer than two weeks, you may have postpartum depression. Feeling hopeless or empty after childbirth is not a regular or expected part of being a mother. Treatment for depression, such as therapy or medicine, works and will help you and your baby be as healthy as possible in the future.