Recognizing and Coping with Postpartum Depression

Tell your Women’s Care physician if you experience any of the following for two weeks or more:
• You can’t sleep when the baby is sleeping
• Feelings of guilt
• Excessive feelings of sadness
• Not enjoying things you used to enjoy
• Changes in eating
• Thoughts of hurting yourself
• Changes in concentration
• Feeling excessively slow or anxious

Here are some tips for getting through this period:
• Sleep when the baby is sleeping. Try to nap enough to equal 8–9 hours of sleep daily.
• Accept help from friends and family: to make meals, clean, hold baby while you nap.
• For help with breastfeeding questions, call Women’s Care at (541) 868-9700.
• Recognize and acknowledge your feelings. Don’t judge yourself for those feelings, or worry that someone else is judging you.
• You have a new baby—let the household chores go a bit!
• Contact WellMama, a Eugene-based organization that provides emotional support for women struggling with mental health issues during pregnancy and postpartum. Visit www.wellmamaoregon.com for information about support groups, donations, and stories from women and their partners succeeding through challenges, or call 1-800-896-0410.
• Counseling services can be really helpful. Call us for recommendations.
• Do something nice for yourself every day (a bouquet of flowers, a pedicure, reading a magazine).
• Keep a journal of your concerns.
• Walk outside with the baby in a stroller every day.
• Know that many women go though similar issues.
• Make an appointment with your Women’s Care doctor and talk about your feelings. We’re here to help!