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Kelly felt anxious and overwhelmed after the birth of her
daughter. She spent
days crying for hours, feeling worthless, unable to cope and
guilty that she should be thankful that her daughter was
healthy. Kelly and
her husband planned for the baby and she was thinking maybe she
made a mistake by having a baby.
She was losing her appetite, experiencing panic attacks
and anxiety and having insomnia.
Kelly was beginning to think she was going crazy and was
afraid to tell anyone she was having a fear of hurting herself
and her daughter. She
was feeling alone and that maybe everyone would be better off
without her.
Fortunately Kelly began to seek help and remembered pamphlets
she was given at the hospital.
She briefly read about postpartum mood disorder symptoms
and realized she was not alone with the way she was feeling. Kelly was able to call to receive information and encouraged
to seek an evaluation and treatment.
Women like Kelly make up to 20% of new mothers who
experience postpartum depression or a postpartum mood disorder.
Postpartum mood disorders are the number one medical
complication related to pregnancy and are treatable.
Postpartum mood disorders a term describing the range of
emotional disorders a woman can experience related to pregnancy
includes the following: postpartum
depression, postpartum panic/anxiety, postpartum mania,
postpartum obsessive-compulsive, postpartum stress.
Postpartum psychosis (PPP) is at the end of the spectrum of
postpartum mood disorders and experienced by 1 or 2 new mothers
in every 1,000. PPP
symptoms include confusion, hallucinations, paranoia and
delusions. PPP is a
medical emergency and the woman must receive immediate
treatment.
Education is important for women to receive the help they need.
Two Long Island women, Sonia Murdock and Emily Sampino,
Executive Co-Directors, co-founded in 1998 the Postpartum
Resource Center of New York, Inc.
The non-profit 501 (c)(3), self-help organization
provides free of charge emotional support, information and
healthcare and support group referrals to New York State women
experiencing postpartum mood disorders.
They also emphasize the importance of postpartum mood
disorder awareness so women, family members and medical
professionals can recognize the symptoms and treat the illness.
The message relayed from the Postpartum Resource Center of New
York is that women experiencing a postpartum mood disorder are
not alone, they are not to blame and they will feel better and
get well. It is
important to seek out information and treatment to best take
care of themselves and their baby.
For information, educational pamphlets, healthcare and support
group referrals in your area, to become a volunteer or to
schedule a presentation call the Postpartum Resource Center of
New York, Inc. at (631) 582-2174 or email postpartum@aol.com.
For further PPD resource information or to order books on
postpartum depression go to www.postpartumNY.org
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