SPECIAL REPORT: Speaking out about postpartum depression

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) report up to 1 in 4 moms suffer from postpartum depression.

It’s something Laura Vollset, mother of twins, said hit her hard. “I just remember I just burst into tears and I was like, I don’t have time to fall apart. Of all the times, this is not, I cannot do this. So as it turns out I could fall apart and I promptly did. I wasn’t one of those people it kept up on at that point, I just fell off a cliff.”

Volsett said her symptoms began about three months after she gave birth. She says her parents visited from London for the first three months after they were born, but once they left, things started to change.

“I stopped sleeping pretty much, when the kids slept, I couldn’t sleep. They’d wake up at 2:00am then they’d go to sleep and I’d be up from 2:00am till 6:00am, then have to get up and start the day. I stopped eating, and Anar had to go out and buy me the drink with all the nutrients in it, that typically is given to elderly people because It was the only thing I would eat because I couldn’t stomach anything and at that point it was very clear that something was very wrong.”

She says she began to think this was her new reality. “One of the key things I noticed was it wasn’t just like being sad or anxious, it was as though this was my new normal. My husband, I would cry during the night and I couldn’t sleep and I would just feel terrible and my husband would sit with me and I would reiterate the same story, but in different contexts over and over. Like well maybe I’m not depressed, maybe I’m just a terrible mother.”

Vollset knew she needed help, she says she was encouraged by family and her doctor to go seek therapy. Something she said began to change her mindset. “She (therapist) said we’ve seen this dozens of times, you’re going to be fine. And I think at that point in time I burst into tears. Cause the last thing you want when you’re walking into a professionals office like the doctors is for them to go oh I haven’t seen this before, let me get the students in here this is unusual, she was like no you’re going to be alright so that was wonderful.”

Dominican Hospital OB-Gyn, Anisha Sarma, said PPD is most commonly caused by hormone imbalance and hormone withdrawals, but other factors can contribute too. “After you have your baby the estrogen and progesterone drop suddenly and that can ultimately lead to mood symptoms that one may experience after having a baby. It can also be from life stressors, you just had a baby, you’re up all night and it may be a lack of social or economical support at home that has just lead to a mom trying to keep it together day by day.”

Dr. Sarma said symptoms can occur up to a year after a mom gives birth and her best advice is if your feeling off or think anything might be wrong, talk to your doctor.

There are multiple treatments for PPD, Dr. Sarma says sometimes therapy can cure it, others need medication.

Vollset says she used both and that other moms need to know it’s okay to get help. She says getting that help is what lead her to the light at the end of a very dark tunnel.

“No one is thinking you are a terrible mom at all. It’s much more sensible and a lot more courageous to go and get help then to try and muscle through.”

Other moms, with PPD and without, say never underestimate how much it means to just listen. “There’s not a lot of people out there who know the value of just listening even for moms to be able to cry and for it to actually be okay that there’s nothing wrong with them,” said Amy Sheely, mother of 3.

There is a hotline you can call, Postpartum Support International, to speak with someone who can put you in touch with local postpartum resources. That number is 1-800-944-4773.