Postpartum depression affects some women after they've given birth. If you're affected by postpartum depression, you might find yourself feeling sad, anxious, disconnected, or unable to sleep. While you might have heard that vitamins can help relieve the symptoms of this disorder, there's no truth to that statement; vitamins won't help.
Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression is a more serious form of the blue or weepy period that many women experience in the days and weeks after giving birth. If your emotional upheaval continues beyond a few weeks post-delivery and your symptoms are severe and disrupt your ability to sleep or enjoy life, you might have postpartum depression. MayoClinic.com notes that postpartum depression is a genuine emotional phenomenon and something you should take seriously.
Causes
The causes of postpartum depression aren't entirely known, but certainly there are plenty of changes taking place after you give birth to a baby that could contribute to emotional instability. Bringing a new baby into your family causes changes in your routine, while giving birth also causes your hormone levels to shift dramatically. Those factors, coupled with the tremendous exhaustion most women feel after delivery and the physical changes that take place after labor, are sufficient to cause some women to experience symptoms of depression.
Vitamins
There are many misconceptions about vitamins and what they're helpful for. While you certainly need vitamins to help maintain cellular function and good health, you can't assume that if you're feeling ill or depressed that you're also vitamin deficient. In fact, true vitamin deficiencies are relatively rare in people who eat balanced diets. Further, vitamins don't play a role in the development of postpartum depression, and as such can't be used to treat it.
Guidelines
If you think you are experiencing symptoms of postpartum depression, it's important to talk to your obstetrician or your baby's pediatrician, either of whom can help you identify possible sources of help. You might find it helpful to join a postpartum support group so that you can talk to women who are having similar experiences. Alternately, you might benefit from one-on-one counseling. In some cases, doctors even recommend a course of antidepressant medication.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Postpartum Depression
- "What You Didn't Think to Ask Your Obstetrician"; Raymond Poliakin, M.D.; 2007
- "You: Having A Baby"; Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.; 2009
