Letters - New York Times June 20, 2006
Posted by spacemom in : Depression , trackbackLink: Letters - New York Times.
I was surprised that your article made no mention of postpartum depression. When my first child was born 11 years ago and I was crippled by depression, the first thing my doctor told me was to stop breast-feeding immediately: nursing increases the hormonal flux that a woman experiences during pregnancy and after childbirth.
Furthermore, a fragile new mother, whose life has just been profoundly altered by a startling new lack of freedom and independence, can be overwhelmed by this new physical and psychological tether to the infant. The terrifying realization that this tiny baby could be kept alive only by my constantly being at the ready, day and night, nearly sent me over the edge.
By having someone else cover some of the feedings, I got back part of myself. Allowing the hormones to settle down and getting good psychotherapy saved both the kid and me. Let’s not forget that healthy babies need mentally healthy mothers.
Bronwyn Quillen
New York
I hear you Mrs. Quillen. I was there. I hear you. This goes way beyond "if Mama ain’t happy, nobody is happy"
Comments»
This is an interesting perspective - I too was crippled by post-partum depression, but, for me, nursing my son was the only thing that made me feel even remotely “okay”. (Okay, not even okay, but, “not wanting to jump in front of a train”.) My doctor urged me to stop nursing so I could take Prozac, but, I was afraid if I stopped nursing I would kill myself - knowing the baby needed me to feed him was enough to make me hold on long enough to get my sanity back (well, mostly)…which is not to say that I disagree with the letter writer, just to say that…well, motherhood is hard, I guess, and you have to do what you have to do to make it through the rough spots…
I’m surprised doctors suggest that, because there are anti-depressants safe for nursing that might be worth a try first. The thing is, we are all tethered to our infant whether or not we breastfeed. It can be overwhelming, but perhaps a combination of counseling and meds (and pumping a few feedings so dad can help) could work, too.