Postpartum Depression Treatment
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a prevalent mental health condition affecting new mothers, often misunderstood and underreported. Contrary to common belief, it extends far beyond the “baby blues,” impacting 1 in 7 women, according to the American Psychological Association. PPD can surface anytime within the first year after childbirth, bringing a complexity of emotional and physical challenges.
Signs of Postpartum Depression
With so much information on the internet, its hard to decipher if what you are feeling is typical baby blues or postpartum depression. The signs of PPD are more diverse and personal than a list can capture and they can range from mild to severe. However, if you have been experiencing several of these feelings for more than 2 weeks, it is likely a sign that you have PPD.
- Persistently feeling (more than 2 weeks) sad, hopeless, or empty
- Loss of interest or limited emotions over things that used to bring you joy
- Difficulty bonding with your baby
- Not being able to sleep or eat, or eating and sleeping too much
- Feeling uncharacteristically angry, irritable, or angry
- Overwhelming fatigue, loss of energy or motivation
- Feeling of worthless, ashamed, or guilty
- Difficulty in thinking clearly, concentrating, making or executing decisions
- Persistent worry that something bad will happen
- Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
What Postpartum Depression Feels Like
Here are some common sentiments that illustrate what going through postpartum depression feels like.
Postpartum depression (PPD) feels like being trapped in a fog that clouds every moment, even the ones that should be filled with joy. It’s a constant battle between what you think you’re supposed to feel and the overwhelming emptiness that weighs you down. For many mothers, PPD brings an unrelenting sense of failure, as though they are inadequate in a role they desperately want to fulfill. The joy of holding their baby is overshadowed by intrusive thoughts, guilt, and shame, creating an endless loop of emotional exhaustion.
It’s waking up every day feeling like you’re drowning in an ocean of responsibilities, unable to keep your head above water. Simple tasks like feeding your baby or making a meal feel monumental. The love and connection you expect to feel for your baby might feel distant, leaving you questioning your worth as a parent. These feelings are often accompanied by a relentless inner dialogue of self-criticism: “Why can’t I be happy? What’s wrong with me?”
PPD Magnifies Fears + Anxieties
PPD also magnifies fears and anxieties. For example,
- Your crying baby might feel like an indication of failure or make your heart pound in panic.
- The thought of leaving the house can become paralyzing.
- The walls of your home, meant to be a safe space, can start to feel like a prison.
- You may withdraw from loved ones, worried they will judge you.
- Feeling like no one could possibly understand what you’re going through.
- You feel lonely, even with your baby or when surrounded by family and friends.
- You believe you are the only one who feels this way, that you are a bad mother or shouldn’t have become a mother.
As isolating as they are, these feelings are incredibly common. 1 in 6 mothers suffer from postpartum depression. They don’t define who you are or your love for your baby. They’re symptoms of a real and treatable condition, one that can strip away a your joy but not your capacity to reclaim motherhood and redefine your postpartum period with the right support.
Treatment for Postpartum Depression
Mother-Baby Inclusive Therapy
We encourage mothers to bring their infants to the Den. This alleviates the anxiety of separation and facilitates a more effective treatment process where new moms can be present and engaged.
Treatment That Works
We use therapies that our clinicians specializing in perinatal mental health have used to successfully treat hundreds of women. These therapies have proven to be highly effective in treating PPD and offer immediate relief especially combined with therapeutic tools mothers can continue to use for life.
More Than Just Therapy
Beyond evidence based therapies, we provide services that help moms integrate therapeutic work. These include breath work, meditation, mindfulness, energy work, lactation support, spirituality and more.
Community + Connection
We believe in the power of shared experiences. Our programs foster a sense of community among mothers, allowing them to feel less alone, share their stories, see themselves in one another, and support each other through their recovery.
Benefits of Our Program
Specific Symptoms + Experiences
Postpartum depression involves unique symptoms and experiences tied specifically to childbirth and motherhood. These can include intense worries about the baby’s wellbeing, feelings of inadequacy as a mother, and difficulties bonding with the baby. General mental health programs may not address these specific issues, making the treatment less effective for new mothers.
Different Treatment Approaches
The treatment approaches for PPD can differ from those used for other mental health issues. Our program is designed with specific therapies endorsed by the Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center, commercial insurers and the National Institutes of Health for perinatal mood disorders. By treating perinatal women only, we ensure they receive every therapeutic tool proven effective for them.
Needing a Safe Space
With our postpartum-specific program, women know they will be among other mothers and babies. This helps ease common anxieties like being around strangers, breastfeeding outside of the home and trusting the general environment they are walking into. Mitigating the unknowns by having a specific program reassures their decision to get care for themselves.
Relatability + Peer Support
Being with new mothers with shared experiences is incredibly healing. Here mothers find comfort and understanding among those going through what they are, with the same feelings, pain and worries they previously thought were unique to them.
Stigma + Misunderstanding
There can be a stigma or misunderstanding surrounding PPD in behavioral health programs that treat everyone. Other patients may not fully understand the nuances of postpartum depression, which can lead to feelings of isolation and discomfort in group therapy sessions.
Tailored Resources
Services like lactation support, psychoeducation specific to mother-infant relationship, and mom-baby bonding activities like baby massage and perinatal yoga, are integrated into our therapeutic process —support that is often unavailable in generalized IOP programs serving mixed populations
Relief, right now.
Start treatment for depression in a group of moms feeling just like you do right now.
