My baby was healthy and I couldn't understand what was wrong with me. Although her daughter was born with a deformity, she was very healthy, and Susie was able to breastfeed the baby. But in the months after the baby's birth, she struggled with depression that would not go away. When the baby was six months old, Susie was hospitalized at her own insistence because she was afraid she would not be able to control her suicidal feelings. There is no official psychiatric diagnosis, and there is widespread disagreement about causes and risk factors.
Research is often contradictory and inconclusive.
The question of whether postpartum depression is unique to the childbearing experience, or is an expression of an already existing depression or a tendency toward depression, is debated in professional circles. What is clear are the fear, misery, and isolation of women who experience it. LLL Leaders are in close and regular contact with women in the early postpartum period. We are in a position to offer empathy and support to a mother who is having difficulty adjusting to motherhood, whether for her first or fifth time. But just as we need to know when a physical problem requires the attention of a professional, it is important for us to be aware of the possibility that the adjustment period may need the attention of a professional, too.