by Gabrielle Anwar
It is miraculous that after the hormonal turmoil of pregnancy that we mums can function at all when a new human is placed in our arms and our entire life changes instantaneously.
Like PMS, depression is in my opinion correlated to hormonal dips and dives within our complex endocrine system. For years, struggling with depression myself, I tried to have a three way conversation with my psychiatrist and my endocrinologist to validate what I had come to recognize as cyclical depression depending on where the moon was in the sky and in my physiology. Perhaps I should have invited a witch doctor and a Shaman to the table to support my suspicions.
The brain chemistry that directly effects our moods, together with the hormones, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone are greatly affected by pregnancy and nursing. Cortisol is yet another hormone released with stress.
The brain transmits chemicals from one neuron (or nerve) to another. The rapid communication of these neurotransmitters directly effects how we feel.
We are either being stimulated or calmed by our brain by Serotonin, affecting appetite, sleep, and arousal. Dopamine controls behavior, cognition, emotion and pleasure. Glutamate affects memory and cognition and Norepinephrine is our stress response.
Post Natal Depression is simply an endogenous response to the insanity of the upheaval between our brain chemistry and our hormones as they readjust to a body that no longer has a human being living on the inside. It is a huge recalibration of every cell in our bodies – it is no small feat.
It is actually quite normal to experience an overwhelming sense of losing oneself with the sudden appearance of a demanding, screaming, pooping human – we will never be the same again. It’s no wonder depression can vibrate just below the surface, or attack full force the neurons that control our very mood.
It can be debilitating, and in some cases a danger to both mother and child. It is a serious medical condition and warrants immediate treatment. No woman should feel so dreadful.
Treatments range from therapies to support groups, to the use of SSRI’s to Ketamine. And though some more controversial than others, they are extremely helpful. Ask your Pediatrician to recommend a therapist who is both by the book and liberal, who will be willing to explore a variety of options beyond the mainstream, customized specifically for you, your physiology and your baby’s best interests.
Knowing that you are not a failure as a mother is pivotal in your recovery. Because troubling mental health is awfully stigmatized it is a much more common in the community than we know. The skinny new mother in line at the grocery store, with her perfectly dressed baby, and no dark roots, might seem to have her self together, but one never knows.
You are not alone. This too shall pass.
