Postpartum Series: Part 2

This blog post discusses postpartum mood disorder symptoms and different ways it can present. If this is a topic that is difficult for you to read, please proceed with caution and engage as you are able. If you’re struggling with postpartum mood changes, please discuss this with your doctor or call 8-1-1 to discuss care with a nurse.

Having children, being pregnant, and giving birth can be one of the most happy, exciting, and fulfilling times in your life, but sometimes it isn’t and that is 100% alright.

You’ve anticipated this birth for a long time. Despite your feelings about being pregnant (positive or negative), after your labour, things can easily change. You’ve gone through a huge physical ordeal, you are likely running low on sleep, you’re rapidly learning new skills and keeping up on a very tight schedule of feeding, changing and napping. Social time can feel draining very quickly and your emotions may get the best of you a lot. All of this is normal at this time, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy or all comes naturally.

IDENTITY

It can be very easy to feel a little disconnected from your identity in this time. If this is your first child, then you’ve shifted from a woman to a mother - a huge change! This shift in identity can be disorienting. Sometimes you can feel one way in the first few weeks and completely different a few weeks or months later. One great way to recently yourself is to be in your body and reconnect with your body in this new state.

Yoga, meditation, mindful walking, or massage are all great options. Massage can be particularly helpful as there is literally nothing else you need to do in that time. You’re multitasking mind has been on fire managing your infants needs and schedule. For the hour of the massage, you can do nothing and just feel your body in a positive healing way.

STRESS

You’re responsible for another human being who is very fragile and has a lot of needs that sometimes you can’t identify. This can be stressful. Sometimes even when you do get time to ‘nap while they’re napping’ it’s very easy to be so wired on stress hormones that this is nearly impossible to do. I get it.

Massage therapy, among having many other benefits, can help to return your nervous system to a calmer state. Studies have shown a reduction in resting heart rate, respiratory rate, and other stress markers.

Massage can also help regulate your sleep. If you’re finding you’re having trouble getting to sleep, try scheduling a massage before you go to bed to help regulate your stress hormones.

Other hormones are also working to level out, especially in the first two weeks after giving birth. This dip in hormones is sometimes referred to as ‘baby blues’ and is a very temporary response to changes in hormones. If this persists after the first two weeks, it may be more than just the hormones. Either way, this is an important conversation to have with your doctor or nurse practitioner.

POSTPARTUM MOOD DISORDERS

Although stress is normal during this time, there is a point at which having emotional disturbances are not normal. As someone who has struggled with postpartum mood disorder, I understand how hard it can be to see it while you’re in it and seek the help you need. I learned a few things about this issue that helped me seek the help I needed.

You’ll notice that I use the term ‘postpartum mood disorder’ rather than ‘postpartum depression’ or ‘peripartum depression’. I do this because there is increasing research and awareness surrounding the fact that it is not always depression that people feel. It can feel like anxiety, depression, panic attacks, obsessive and compulsive behaviours, psychosis and more. If you have predisposition to any mood disorder - even if you hadn’t been diagnosed, it’s important to discuss this with your doctor, ideally ahead of giving birth. You could be at more risk of PPMD (Postpartum Mood Disorders) having had mood disorders in the past or present.

Postpartum mood disorders can also occur in men. Men also have a huge shift in their identity in this time and can also go through significant hormonal changes. Postpartum in men is not something to put aside or ignore. It can be a difficult topic for both men and women to bring up, but it is essential to get care.

I’d also like to note that it doesn’t always occur immediately. It can take a few months to develop and as such, you could easily dismiss it as I did.

Connection with your child and your identity in this time while balancing a whole new life, routine, and little human is hard work. I firmly believe that taking time to connect with yourself and your body is essential.

I offer home visits is to accommodate those who cannot travel including elderly, postpartum, and mobility challenged clients. I never judge the state of your home, and if the baby cries during the session, we can accommodate the session for feeding or any other needs.

If you’d like to book an at-home appointment for yourself or a loved one, it is not bookable in my online platform. Depending on the distance and the situation, I shift the schedule times to accommodate client needs.

Booking inquiries can be sent to rachelcalder.rmt@gmail.com

Please note that as a Registered Massage Therapist, I am not a Medical Doctor. The information above is for educational and entertainment purposes not to give medical advise. Any questions about your body or medical conditions should be addressed with a physician. Never delay or disregard personal professional medical advise based on information you have read on this website.