Perinatal Depression
Postpartum Support International
Depression impacts 10% of pregnant people and 15% of postpartum people. These percentages are even higher for women who are also dealing with poverty, and can be twice as high for teen parents. Perinatal depression is the most common complication of childbearing.
Symptoms can start anytime during pregnancy or the first year postpartum. They differ for everyone, and might include the following:
- Feelings of anger or irritability
- Lack of interest in the baby
- Appetite and sleep disturbance
- Crying and sadness
- Feelings of guilt, shame or hopelessness
- Loss of interest, joy or pleasure in things you used to enjoy
- Possible thoughts of harming the baby or yourself
TED Talks
More than just depression: a postpartum mental health journey
With humor and vulnerability this survivor shares her experience with postpartum depression, anxiety (OCD), and birth trauma (PTSD).
Parenting through Postpartum Depression
Mental illness kills more mothers in the first year postpartum than anything else. Survivor and advocate Camille Mehta shares steps to help you or someone you know survive maternal mental illness.
How to do laundry when you're depressed
When you're burned out, taking care of yourself (or your family) can feel nearly impossible. KC Davis gets it, and she's got a message for anyone struggling with daily tasks: you're not lazy.
Podcasts
Mom & Mind - Postpartum Depression Ep. 215
Learn the difference between "baby blues" and postpartum depression, risk factors, symptoms, long term effects, and resources.
Good Inside with Dr. Becky - Mom Rage with Anna Mathur Ep. 67
Your rage is a symptom of unmet needs. Listen in as Dr. Becky and therapist Anna Mathur reframe “mom rage” and offer practical strategies for self-care.
Books
Body Full of Stars: Female Rage and My Passage into Motherhood
The author describes a cruel balancing act of both loving her child and managing grief and rage over multiple unexpected health issues postpartum: pelvic floor dysfunction, incontinence, and hormonal imbalance. It's beautifully written and normalizes postpartum rage, a symptom of depression.
Mom Rage: The Everyday Crisis of Modern Motherhood
Dubin’s groundbreaking work of reportage about an unspoken crisis of anger sweeping the country—and the world. She finds that while a specific instance of rage might be triggered by something as simple as a child who won’t tie her shoes, the roots of the anger go far deeper, from the unequal burden of childcare shouldered by moms to the flattening of women’s identities once they have kids.
Articles
Films
When the Bough Breaks (2017)
When The Bough Breaks is a feature length documentary about postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis. Narrated and Executive Produced by Brooke Shields, this shocking film uncovers this very public health issue which affects one in five new mothers after childbirth.