What you should know about postpartum depression

Fabienne Broucaret

24 Jun 2015

updated the 6 October 2015 à 23:02

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80,000 females are affected every year
Postpartum depression is much more common than we think. "The percentages of mothers affected vary from one study to another because the criteria taken into account are not the same, but you will inevitably know a woman in your life who was affected by it," said Josephine Lebard.
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Not all are depressed
Just because they say 'depression' does not mean all mothers concerned are depressed. "There are common symptoms with depression, such as loss of vitality or constant fatigue but we prefer the term maternal difficulty," says Josephine Lebard.
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Baby blues or postpartum depression?
These two terms are often used simultaneously. However, they are not interchangeable. "Baby blues are distinguished by its transience - it is not meant to last. It usually occurs between the 3rd and 10th day after the baby is born and is reflected in mood swings, panic attacks, a feeling of being overwhelmed, etc. Postpartum depression occurs between the 4th and 6th week after delivery and lasts several months."
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What about maternal burn out?
This is something else. "Neither baby blues nor postpartum depression, this exhaustion occurs insidiously over time," says Liliane Holstein. It is the result of an accumulation of disappointments and frustrations.
It can occur weeks or months after birth, or years later. The resistance threshold is not the same for everyone.

It often affects mothers, and sometimes fathers, who in turn seek to achieve a fantasised perfection at work and burn all their energy there. To the point of asking why did they have children.
Overwhelmed, they do not know how to educate their offspring and are taken by ambivalent feelings towards them. There is a feeling of despondency and helplessness to manage the simplest acts of daily life.
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Multiple causes
"There are so many women who cite maternal difficulties as reasons to fall into depression," recalls Katia Denard. "But one thing is for sure, it's not your fault!"
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A middle class syndrome?
Not at all! "It would be much easier to confine this suffering to the delusions of privileged who have nothing else to do than twiddle their thumbs.
Our grandmothers too suffered from postpartum depression, except that they did not speak of it in their time," says Josephine Lebard. "This is not something new. Simply browse museums to see that a number of painters have evoked the malaise that overwhelms some young mothers."
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Rejecting your child
"During the consultation, we hear phrases like 'I do not understand how I cannot love my child!' laments Josephine Lebard.
"Now it's not that. Women who say that they feel they do not love their child is for a different reason. Instead they fear mistakes, which is a proof of love instead!"
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A taboo subject
"We are sold the image of an ideal motherhood which complicates and exasperates," says Josephine Lebard.

"Social networks, also provide rosy pictures which do not reflect reality. In our society, there is pressure to be a perfect mother. And when a child is desired and expected, how do you admit that this is not going well? Shame and guilt hinders speaking out. Finally, even when one dares to talk about it, people are unfortunately not always benevolent."
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Is it treatable?
Yes! To combat it, we must learn to listen and get help. "It is important not to be alone," insists Josephine Lebard. "We need a third party to understand what happens to us and analyse this suffering. It is a painful ordeal, but one can learn things about oneself and overcome the odds. We invent our own ways of being a mother, it is not better or worse than what someone is doing, just different."

Learn the signs and issues of postpartum depression with the help of mothers who have gone through it themselves.

“I can not say when my postpartum depression began. Probably from the maternity ward. Actually I remember being paralysed with my baby. Once back home, I had a break of two weeks before the anguish engulfed me. My baby was adorable, he slept through the nights but it was me who could not sleep. I felt completely incapable and that everybody could see my flaws. Nothing about me was ‘natural’ as I felt like a robot executing commands because I ‘had to’. I was sad and I could not eat and I wondered: ‘When is this all going to stop?'”

In their book ‘From the baby blues to postpartum depression,‘ the psychoanalyst and journalist Katia Denard and Josephine Lebard, show different testimonies. Both authors mentioned that they would have liked to read a similar book when they were going through this ordeal themselves.

“We’ve been there so we know what these women feel even if there is no postpartum depression that resembles what another person is facing,” says Josephine Lebard. Both stories also show that we can get out and talk about this experience, as painful as it is. The goal is to reassure mothers and give them pointers to understanding what is happening during this period and how to get out of it.

So instead of fretting, here are 10 things you should know about postpartum depression.

Fabienne Broucaret

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What you should know about postpartum depression

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