What should you know about suffering from postpartum depression?

Someone with postpartum depression may feel persistently low, empty, irritable, overwhelmed or detached. They may lose interest in activities, struggle to sleep even when the baby sleeps, feel unusually tired, or find concentration difficult. Anxiety, guilt and thoughts of being an inadequate parent can also occur. These experiences are not a moral failing, and needing help does not mean you are harming your baby. Low Mood After Birth may be part of the picture, while low sexual desire can also occur during recovery and emotional strain.

Tell a trusted person and arrange an assessment with a doctor, midwife, obstetric clinician or mental health professional. Support may include talking therapy, practical help at home, treatment for sleep and medication chosen with breastfeeding and medical history in mind. Keep appointments even if symptoms come and go. A Perinatal Mental Health Support service can help coordinate care. If speaking feels difficult, write down changes in mood, sleep, appetite, anxiety and thoughts before the visit.

Seek urgent help now if you might harm yourself or your baby, cannot care for yourself, feel detached from reality, hear or see things others do not, or have rapidly changing behaviour and very little sleep. Ask someone trusted to stay with you and contact emergency services or the nearest emergency department. Do not wait for a routine appointment when safety is in question.

Ask which symptoms suggest postpartum depression, what treatments fit your health and feeding plans, how quickly support can begin, and whom to contact outside appointments if your mood worsens.