Most members of the church have at least a passing familiarity with Social Services. You may or may not know that the counselors there are prepared to help with postpartum depression. What I would like to share with you is the idea of utilizing the services before you suffer from the extended ‘baby blues’. The Social Services counselor I spoke with at an Enrichment activity a few years ago told me that he wished more people would use them before as well as after suffering from this serious depression.
When my first two children were born, I suffered from severe postpartum depression. I already knew that I was susceptible to severe depression, and my mother takes medication for clinical depression. I knew that, in the throws of depression, I didn’t want to call the Bishop, set up an appointment, call the social services office, and set up an appointment – and when I wasn’t in the midst of the problem, it was easier to brush it off. When I discovered I was pregnant with my third child, I decided to go proactive, and one of the important steps I took was to speak with the Bishop before rather than after the baby was born. He was very supportive and filled out the necessary paperwork.
I wound up meeting with the counselor only once after the birth of my third child. Honestly, I didn’t struggle with postpartum nearly as much. I’m not sure how much of that related to the proactive steps I took (such as having a best friend willing to call me every few days if she didn’t hear from me and specifically instructing husband to be more hugging, more complimentary, and less critical over the lack of housework) and how much resulted from simple hormones. But just knowing that I could call for help when I needed it significantly helped me through part of my struggles.
Postpartum depression can be difficult to predict, and even harder to cope with. If you have struggled with it – or with depression – in the past, taking preventative measures makes a lot of sense. I urge you to speak with your Bishop if you think that counseling would help you. Personally, I would prefer to have safety measures in place rather than suffer the utter despair I faced in the months following my first two pregnancies.
Related Articles:
LDS Family Services
Postpartum psychosis: What is it?
Tips for Living with Postpartum Depression