Postnatal Depression

Everyone is cooing and saying how beautiful he or she is and how clever you are . . . then, when the door is closed, you dissolve into tears or, more seriously, a black melancholy, which cuts you off from the outside world, including your precious new baby.

Fortunately, most midwives and doctors these days don’t dismiss post-natal depression as a pull-yourself-together condition. At its most severe it can seriously threaten both your own, your baby’s and your family’s future.

From a physical point of view, it’s sensible to make sure you’re eating the right food to stave off the almost inevitable exhaustion that comes with the first month or two of motherhood – or fatherhood for that matter. This means getting loads of energy from:

  • Brown rice
  • Wholemeal bread
  • Lentils
  • Beans
  • Nuts
  • Muesli
  • Porridge
  • Eggs
  • Fish
  • Poultry
  • Lean meat
  • Low-fat dairy produce

    If you do feel the blues coming on – and it’s quite normal in the first days after the birth of the baby – don’t suffer in silence. Get everyone else to do the housework, cooking, shopping and everything else you don’t feel up to. If those feelings don’t go, tell the midwife or your doctor. Sometimes, just having a shoulder to cry on can help and they’ll know whether you need expert help from a psychiatrist.

    If you’re looking for a natural remedy, St. John’s wort could help, but one of the biggest manufacturers says there hasn’t yet been enough research for them to recommend it if you’re breast-feeding.
     
     
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    The information provided by WIS is for guidance only. Whilst it is based upon the expert advice of leading professionals, and extensive research, it is not a substitute for diagnosis by a qualified professional. Always consult your doctor, pharmacist or qualified practitioner before making any changes or additions to prescribed medication.