Postpartum depression is a real, scary, irrational emotional state.
I had severe postpartum depression after losing our son, Jacob, but it took me a long time to realize that I was suffering from it. It crept up on me silently until I found myself lying in bed staring at our open bathroom door wondering what Peter would do if he found me in the tub with gashes in my wrists....
Graphic, but so real. I knew something was wrong after that ugly, fleeting thought. When Peter came home from work that day, I told him, through a mess of tears, I wanted to end my life. He did not take this lightly because he knew I had never in my life had dark thoughts like that. He told me to call the doctor in the morning and schedule an appointment ASAP.
I did. I called the physician and set up an appointment. I had heard of a progesterone treatment for postpartum depression through Creighton training and wanted to inquire about it... but I was afraid.
What if I was overreacting?
At the doctor's office, through a mess of tears, I told my physician I was having suicidal thoughts and something uncontrollable was going on with my emotions.
I was embarrassed. I felt crazy and irrational. I felt like I was over reading everything. Thank God Peter came with me to that appointment. If he hadn't been there, I would have left that appointment without saying a word.
The doctor didn't hesitate to offer me two injections of progesterone as treatment. I accepted his offer and he came back in the office and administered them.
(His aggressiveness to treat put me at ease; I felt validated.)
After the appointment, my husband and I went to lunch, and a few hours later, I was laughing and smiling -- a completely different person. No joke.
I felt better instantly!
The progesterone made the depression symptoms disappear; I finally had some clarity. For months I was trying to deal with the emotions that the depression spawned while simultaneously trying to deal with the emotions of losing a child. I didn't realize how exhausted that made me until after the depression was gone.
I remember wanting to take a nap. A long, long, nap.
For me, it only took one treatment of progesterone to restore my normal. I think it should be standard procedure for every woman who delivers a baby to get a treatment of progesterone. There would be so many more happier moms out there and fewer medicated ones, too.
Progesterone works.
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The following is taken from the Pope Paul the VI Institute and gives a little more information. If you think you are suffering from these symptoms, please look into this treatment. It is immediately EFFECTIVE.Postpartum Depression:
At some point in their lives, 20 percent of women will suffer from depression. Many seek treatment from primary care providers, but up to 50 percent may go unrecognized and more go untreated. Recognition and treatment of depressive disorders in pregnancy and during the postpartum period is critical for the healthy outcomes of both the mother and infant.
Symptoms include the following: fatigue, changes in appetite or sleep, dysphoric mood, loss of interest in usually pleasurable activities, psychomotor agitation or retaliation, recurrent thoughts of death/suicide, feelings of worthlessness or guilt (especially failure at motherhood), and excessive anxiety over the child’s health.
There are multiple advantages to the use of progesterone. First of all, it is rapid in onset. Within literally minutes or hours after the first injection of progesterone, many of the symptoms are lifted. Secondly, over 95 percent of patients will respond positively to a progesterone therapy. While progesterone therapy is not commonly used by obstetrician-gynecologists, this is mostly because of their lack of awareness of the effectiveness of progesterone in this situation. It is, bottom line, an incredibly effective treatment. It far exceeds the effectiveness of either psychotherapy or antidepressants and should be considered in the treatment of postpartum depression.
For more information, visit naprotechnology.com.
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NOTE: This post is not meant to diagnose, but to offer information.
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