Postpartum depression is the norm, just go with it -and- Our stories are evidence

Thinking aloud with my keyboard

I was reading a thread on Facebook's Born Naturally group that was started by a woman who is concerned that her midwives are coaching her to prepare for postpartum depression (PPD):

"My family and midwife support team have been telling me/ preparing me for postpartum depression (due to history of depression, and current stress in the marriage). I also feel like I'm being set up for failure in a way. Is there a way to prepare for the *possibility* of ppd, while not assuming that I'll be a victim of it, which, in and of itself is already causing it? Any advice, thoughts?"-Anonymous 

My initial reaction was heartache for this woman, what a daunting place to be in. As I read the 60+ comments that were left, it appears she is not alone in being told that she is likely to experience PPD. In fact one woman wrote:

"PPD is just part of the process. Go with the thought that being depressed for a few weeks is the norm."

Watchoo talkin' about Willis?

Whoa! At first blush I was shocked, how does someone who owns/operates a yoga studio embrace a position like that (her studio name was in her profile picture - also note the pun). But after reading all the comments and thinking about the responses I've received from folks since starting the blog, yea, it's not hard to believe that PPD is just what you do after you have a baby.

How do we fix that?! We need to fix this.

I wish I had more information to share with this woman, with all women, about mitigating PPD in a natural, loving, and supportive way. Reserving prescription medications for those cases where food, love, and warmth can't get in, or maybe aren't available (several women suggested promptly starting medication - which is a good suggestion in some cases I'm sure).

Our Stories are Evidence

I would like to welcome you to think about your own postpartum experience, if you've had one, or you're gearing up for one, and consider your willingness to share your experience. I'm going to set up a section of the website I'm building that will make room for women and their families to share their stories. I want to hear some Postpartum Celebration stories, we've gotta know what works, something to back up the Grandmother Medicine! I also want to create space for women to share their struggle. In the past week I've been really moved by the notes and posts I've received from women with cautionary tales. This is important stuff, let's have a dialogue.

Sidenote for Science

I understand that a lot of folks dislike anecdotal evidence. Me, I love it! In fact, in 2011 I was on a panel with two of the world's foremost authorities on healthcare IT (Pattern Languages of Health - Tom Munnecke, Rick Marshall, and Alesha Adamson). I talked about the need to be able to wrap evidence based medicine around the stories we tell. Just because the Medical Model doesn't have a checkbox for binding bellies and meditation doesn't make it's worthless. Our stories are important!

On that note, here's something else exciting: Aetna's CEO Embraces Alternative Medicine (there's a 3m video of him speaking on this at the Forbes link above). For those that don't know, Aetna is the 3rd largest health insurer in the U.S.. This is a big deal.

Upcoming Topics

• How to Grow a Postpartum Care Team and When You've Gotta Prune It 
• How to Eat a Placenta or Placenta Encapsulation - coz you're frackin crazy if you think I'm going to eat that
• Buying Organic and Minimizing Waste or My Fascination With Homemade Tushie Wipes (I even have a crock pot for keeping them warm, I'm truly geeked out on this)

I welcome your thoughts and comments regarding things you'd like me to focus on. And would be delighted if you followed my blog.

Love,

.a