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There is no reason to keep your feelings secret. If you have postpartum depression, you should try to talk to someone who will listen to you without judgingyour spouse or partner, a trusted friend, a friend who is also a new mom, or a close family member. Tell this person how you are feeling and what your concerns are. The simple act of getting your feelings off your chest can be therapeutic. Studies have shown that many women with PPD benefit from therapy. A sympathetic therapist with experience treating postpartum depression can help you identify your feelings, avoid mood swings, and take steps to start feeling better. For women with mild or moderate PPD, finding a therapist may make it possible to avoid taking antidepressants or other medications. You can find a therapist who specializes in the treatment of PPD by asking your OB/GYN for a recommendation or by searching the internet. To find a specialist that is right for you, try searching on http://locator.apa.org/. At the bottom of the webpage linked here, you can enter your city name or zip code to find therapists near you. You can then search more specifically for therapists who specialize in the treatment of PPD by searching with the keywords depression and pregnancy/childbirth. You can also reach out through support groups listed here: http://www.postpartumprogress.com/ppd-support-groups-in-the-u-s-canada; they may be able to provide recommendations based on their own experiences. Seek out family members and your partner to help with the baby. Your baby is not solely your responsibility even if it feels like it is. Reach out to those around you; tell them that you are feeling depressed and overwhelmed and that you need their help! Get specific in what you need help with. It's fine for you to focus, in these first postpartum months, on taking care of yourself and caring for your baby. PPD can make you feel exhausted, emotional, and overwhelmed; it's absolutely okay to let others ease your burdens a bit. If you have a spouse or partner, this person should be helping you with household tasks and with baby care. In addition, you can ask friends, neighbors, and relatives for help. These people can: Bring frozen or prepared meals for you and your family. Take care of household chores like cleaning and doing the laundry. Run errands for you. Entertain and care for older children. Watch your baby for short periods so you can shower or nap. With all your new responsibilities, finding time to rest is easier said than done. It's easy to get caught up in the endless cycle of feedings, burpings, and diaper changes, especially if you have other responsibilities as well. That said, do your best not to neglect your own well-being. Make sure you get plenty of rest. There are a few tips to keep in mind that may help you get the rest you deserve and need. When your partner or family member is taking care of your baby, and you want to turn to another task instead of resting, ask yourself how important getting that job done is relative to your health. There will likely be times where you can put off tasks for later to get much needed rest. Learn to power nap. Try taking short naps in a dark room when you find yourself with a bit of downtime. Aim for 10 to 30 minutes, no longer. You may find yourself benefiting the most from naps in the afternoon. Relax your mind by playing a casual video game on your phone. Playing a mindless game can improve your mood and reduce stress. As long as you are cautious, you can do this while keeping an eye on your baby. Keep your phone and your baby in sight at the same time if you can't get alone time. A nutritious diet, complete with fruits, vegetables, lean protein, low-fat dairy, and whole grains will help you feel better. If you are breastfeeding, eating well becomes even more crucial as your nutrients pass through your breastmilk to your baby. Avoid beverages like soda, caffeinated drinks, and alcohol. All of these can aggravate postpartum depression by altering your mood in certain ways. For example, caffeine can make you anxious and alcohol is a depressant. As exhausted and overwhelmed as you may feel, physical activity can help with postpartum depression. This exercise does not have to be strenuousand, in fact, it shouldn't be strenuous during the first few weeks postpartum. To start, simply try to take a walk with your baby every day. Although trying to stay positive alone is unlikely to completely solve your PPD, it can help to alleviate its symptoms. Remind yourself that postpartum depression is temporary and that you will feel better soon. Although maybe easier said than done, try focusing on things that make you happy. Put a stop to mental filtering. This negative thought trap occurs when you give more weight to negative information than positive information. To combat this, try thinking about your situation like an outsider would; that is to say, try to be as objective as possible. You may end up finding that there are more positives to your current situation than you would have thought. Try to avoid overgeneralizing. When you do this, you treat one instance of something as indicative of how things are in general, or how they will always be. For example, if you aren't getting much sleep lately and you feel this is contributing to your PPD, try to remember that this won't always be the case; you will have some nights of full rest! Try thinking about how amazing it is that you have brought a new life into the world! This is a truly magnificent thing.
Talk to someone you trust. See a therapist. Don't do it all yourself. Get help with household tasks. Set aside time to rest. Eat well. Get exercise. Try to stay positive.