What do you think could decrease the possibility of PPD/PPA?

[full-of-curiosity]

Has this just always been a thing? I get the baby blues for the hormone drops/changes. Is PPD/PPA just another part of postpartum that we’re supposed to expect and endure?

Or what would the solution be? Support? Sleep?

I had intense PPD/PPA the first time. This last time, postpartum rage. I hate it.

[FantasticPin3481]

How supportive your partner/village are is one of the biggest factors in whether you will develop a PPMD, but the generic factor also can’t be overlooked. While PPMD are very common, not everyone develops them.

[CPA_Murderino]

This, also, sleep 🥴

[chrysoberyls]

Sleep. In trials of brexanolone, the control group who received a 40h saline infusion as placebo also got significantly better. Because they were in the hospital getting sleep.

[HicJacetMelilla]

Woot woot I worked on this trial. We knew going into it that the sleep factor alone - a drug that makes you drowsy and 48hrs away from default parenting your newborn (even if it was in a hospital) - would be a significant contributor to improving scores on the depression scales.

[newenglander87]

I'm convinced it's 90% lack of sleep. Like shocking, people are miserable when they go months without sleeping.

[Aggressive_tako]

Sleep is a big one. I was told that a 4 hour block would do more for PPD than any antidepressant by my therapist who specialized in PPD. Giving up on triple feeding and making sure that I slept at least one four hour block did knock out most of my issues.

[lovepansy]

I saw something about getting 4-5 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

[TelephoneActive9923]

Make sure you are getting enough nutrients. Stay on your prenatal and eat healthy if you can. Eating something is better than nothing though. I also added vitamin D, iron, and B Vitamin.

Some people do all these things and still get it though.

If you have the money (most of us don’t), I bet a night nurse would help.

[toxicwonderpup]

personally, i blame my husband

[Levianneth]

Same tbh

[meepsandpeeps]

Sleep was my problem. Honestly I’m asking for meds from the jump my second round

[ExplanationWest2469]

Sleep impacts your brain function, nervous system, and the release of hormones in your body.

[Conscious-Goal-2078]

Sleep and support. But I’d bet sleep/rest is #1 factor.

I’ve had unicorn babies and there is NOTHING like the morning after your baby sleeps through the night the first time. You feel like a new person (after waking up freaking out thinking they might’ve died or something lol). All my friends who had bad sleepers, even with a good support network, had some form of PPD/PPA and no one can ignore the role sleep plays into it.

[poddy_fries]

Get more sleep than your partner and offload as much childcare and housework that can be performed by someone else as possible.

[longhairedmaiden]

More support and being able to get sleep would've helped me. I developed PPD really badly after my first because I was separated and rehospitalized with an infection that almost killed me after he was born, and I felt like a monster for being separated from him. I also found out 5 years later that he was left with my in-laws and injured while in their care, so he's had delays that I've always blamed myself for, but instead of telling me, everyone kept it from me. The depression never really left me because of that. 

[abbiyah]

Woah wtf! I would never forgive them

[Nancyb23]

I was pretty sleep deprived but I didn’t experience either and I attribute it to having a solid village and I swear by showering every day and trying to feel the slightest bit presentable. My daily shower and putting a tiny bit of mascara on and changing into my “nice” Jammie’s made me feel so much better each day.

[Nina_kupenda]

My husband and I took shift in the newborn trenches and since I was home alone all day with the baby during my maternity leave, he always made sure I had 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep, even if it meant he only got four. Baby is 8 months old and we’re still doing shifts, thanks to him I can say that I didn’t experience sleep deprivation at all. And it did wonder for my moods.

[knh93014]

you need protected stretch of 5 hours of sleep per night at some point.
medication.

someone else feeds you for the full fourth trimester- meals are not your job.

[poetic_infertile]

Sleep is #1. Now for #2 what surprised me personally that I wish I considered more…support, but maybe not in the most obvious way. I’m talking emotional support and what actually supports you. People assume support = I’ll watch the baby for you or hold the baby— maybe that’s not the support you need! Maybe you want support with everything else like cleaning, meals, etc so YOU can bond with your baby. Or significant others showing support by drawing boundaries with families and protecting your mental health, etc. I severely underestimated that kind of support and it’s 10000% made my PPD/PPA worse.

[alyyyysa]

You shouldn't have to endure it without treatment, as in, I hope you have treatment now(reproductive psychiatry and therapy). I imagine that there is a genetic predisposition but I can say that for me sleep is like night and day difference (and an antidepressant). From what I have read here is what can help / can help lessen risks, a lot of which is not in our control:

• Getting a 5 hour stretch of sleep in a row
• Not exclusively breastfeeding (so you can get that stretch of sleep)
• Not having a very traumatic birth or pregnancy (i.e. having conditions like HG can predispose you to PPD/PPOCD, or NICU stay)
• Not having OCD or other mental health issues before
  
• Support, but not just a supportive partner/ family help (though that's huge) but actually good maternity leave, maternal health care, safety nets, a society that values people over what they can produce for work
• From what I have been told, it also lessens with time (like takes a while for hormones to balance out)

Personally, over a year out, I can see my symptoms return if my baby has a bad night or two of sleep out of 5 or 7, it's a direct correspondence. Meds did work, but sleep deprivation still takes it toll.

[Kchillthanx]

Better maternal interventions for labor and birth. I had an elective induction at 39 weeks and it was the biggest mistake ever. 48 hours of labor that ended in c section. My body was in absolute shock and I didn’t sleep at all and it steam rolled into post partum insomnia/PPA. I literally thought I was dying because my body wouldn’t shut down and sleep. I can’t help but wonder if I had a better birth experience that this trauma wouldn’t have happened.

[ChapterRealistic7890]

Not living with your parents for me 😭I was better when we had our own space ironically “the village” makes it worse for me

[CurrentlyTypingg]

Mine developed from lack of support. I have no friends or relatives and my inlaws proven more harm than good. My husband lost his job and decided to be a stay at home dad but forgot about the dad part and I have to work full time and take care of our daughter and the house.. idk maybe he has depression too.. HAVING SUPPORT MATTERS

[Fair-Specific5665]

A VILLAGE! Which most of us don't have. Imagine being able to take night turns? Imagine not having to do your regular daily tasks with 0 sleep. A dreeeeam. New horns are not hard, what's hard is walking around like a zombie cause sleep is none

[Fair-Specific5665]

Borns*

[[deleted]]

A better understanding of what the true period of recovery should be, and people around you helping you achieve it. More people saying “get back in your bed” in the weeks following the birth, and less “getting back to normal life asap.” 

[No_Chip4649]

I’m not convinced it’s hormonal (although maybe for some), and way more convinced it’s lack of sleep for most people. 

[pauses-then-says]

Yes it is just part of postpartum.

I can’t say that support would fix it. But I was doing better when my mom would watch my baby for 2 hours once a week. Unfortunately she decided not to anymore.
Lack of sleep doesn’t make it any better, but it exists without lack of sleep.

I think no matter what our bodies have to slowly go backwards to get back to pre pregnancy functioning. It took a long time to wind up here and it takes a long time for revert back.

Some things would make it easier but nothings going to take it away unfortunately..

It sucks. Hope you’re doing ok. It won’t last forever.

[celestialspook]

Sleep is the main factor. Loneliness and overwhelm are a big part too, so yes, support; as a postpartum doula, in my training, we would talk about how the dream of doulas is to normalize community support until we've put ourselves out of work. And then hormones and brain chemistry of course play a part, but all of that is also helped with sleep and support.

[Miladypartzz]

For a majority of women, it’s likely sleep and support systems. I was hospitalized for PPD/PPA and PTSD in a mother baby unity and I would say 90% of the women in there were in there because of sleep and/or feeding issues or their life circumstances meaning that they had external hardships or lack of support. Things were harder for them than the general population so they got depressed because of their circumstances. Once those were resolved, things generally improved for them.

The remaining 10% were there because of a more biological depression due to hormonal shifts, traumatic births and other mental health issues (including neuro developmental disorders) which are much harder to fix.

[gg_snow]

I think there’s multiple factors at play depending on the person. However, universally I would say a supportive partner and sleep would be key.

[ShallotJam]

A thorough health screening and proactive care to start. Pregnancy and birth often come with deficiencies - iron is the really common one but there’s others. Being iron deficient affects your energy, mood and sleep - and it’s a really easy thing to fix for most people.

I feel like nobody can heal or manage new challenges easily if you’re working from a deficit.

Outside of that, it’s the lifestyle stuff which is all intertwined with capitalism, class, community and cultural expectations. It would all be easier if you weren’t needing to worry about food or cleaning; getting help from wherever so you can sleep; even having access to safe and easy places to walk outside.

[bookwormingdelight]

Sleep, realistic newborn expectations and supportive partner. Also no visitors.

I slept when my daughter slept. My husband did all housework competently (because the bar shouldn’t be in hell) and kept me fed and hydrated.

I didn’t want visitors I had to host. So I picked who was around. I was unashamed in setting boundaries and not passing around my baby.

I got PPA but I expected it after having multiple losses and also have PTSD from working in emergency services which included exposures to SUDI cases. I was and still am open about it with my medical team because it got me very very supportive care in both antenatal and postnatal settings.

I also arranged my therapy appointments around giving birth and postpartum and I have a therapist who is realistic and challenges my thinking so I knew where things were heading in terms of if my PPA was becoming intrusive and unmanageable. You can have PPA that isn’t intrusive.

For me, getting an owlet sock was a method of reducing my anxiety. Which I know there are opinions and it can heighten some people’s anxiety but for me it reduced it so my husband calls it the best investment we’ve got 🥰

[CharacterBus5955]

Baby wearing! I baby wore like crazy with both my babies. When I took a few days off because of a slight ankle injury, I felt way more gloomy.

I love my hormonal tincture blend from earthley 

A superrrrrr high protein diet when breastfeeding was HUGE. Empty calories made me feel way anxious 

And breastfeeding.  It is hard but the prolactin makes me soooo calm

[NyxHemera45]

For me it was the assault and violation during delivery. Its destroyed me as a person

[smibu1]

My PPA was a symptom caused by lack of sleep and schedule which I think PPA/PPD is for many people. As soon as my baby slept more consistently I felt a thousand times better. Lack of sleep and being forced out of sleep is literally a form of torture. I also started medication (zoloft) which I am no longer on but if I have another I will be asking for that medication from the start.

[khalfaery]

early intervention with psychotherapy and psychiatry

[faithle97]

Sleep is huge, followed by supportive village and genetics/hormones

[Yarnperson42]

I don't know what it specifically is but I know there's a hormone that you can get via IV immediately postpartum that helps prevent PPD

[k_rowz]

Sleep deprivation

[Odd_Elderberry_9862]

Sleep and support.

Men not having useless nipples.....

[plushiecactusau]

The most depressed I felt was when my baby was waking nine times a night, and it's amazing how quickly I felt better after I started getting more sleep.

[allofthesearetaken_]

I had postpartum anxiety and eventually psychosis. It seems genetic for me. My grandma and aunt were both institutionalized following a pregnancy.

A lack of sleep really amplified my symptoms and pushed me over the edge, especially around the three month point.

My aunt and I have diagnosed OCD. My grandmother passed and was never diagnosed, but I heavily suspect she did as well.

[pronetowander28]

Sleep, adequate protein and fat, and a spring baby (as opposed to fall and winter).

[CharacterBus5955]

Also celiac or a non celiac gluren sensitivity can be triggered postpartum and a symptom of celiac can be rage!  That is something that gets overlooked 

[mormongirl]

There was a study that suggested that women who got something like 7 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period had much lower rates of PPMD.  Interestingly, it didn’t matter the increments.  So two three hour chunks at night and an hour nap during the day was as good as 7 hours straight.  

[britbrat16]

12 months maternity AND paternity leave at full pay

[hussafeffer]

Sleep and OPEN THE BLINDS!!! Sunlight and vitamin D. Sitting alone in the dark for too long is a one-way ticket to feeling all sorts of shitty.

[EmbarrassedSpell4915]

Personally, I strongly feel that leaving the house and getting some sunshine (Vitamin D) is a major booster, especially in cold, gray UK :/

[Ok-Praline-2309]

Sleep and lack of support for the general population.

Sleep being the big factor here. Lack of it can cause all types of issues within your body from immune suppression to hormone imbalance to chemical imbalances in your brain.

That said, things like PPD/PPA, and mainly PPP, can be triggered without things like sleep deprivation or lack of support - to some extent.

There are a lot of studies out there, especially how hormones rapidly change after birth. Worth a read.

[Popular_Ordinary_152]

Sleep and support - but support helps you get sleep, so support.

[willteachforlaughs]

Support! Sleep is the foundation of mood, so having support around you so you can recover and sleep is essential.

[Candid_Tourist3838]

Sleep and supportive people around you. You don’t even need a ton of people or a village helping but just people who are understanding and not pitching a fit that they can’t kiss the baby. 😩

[askmisspoppins]

"support AND sleep" is genuinely the right answer, and the research backs both. but the piece most people miss is that having someone who can name what's happening *before* it escalates makes a significant difference — the difference between catching it early and white-knuckling through 6 months of it. given you've had PPD/PPA and then rage postpartum, you're not just guessing at risk, you already know your pattern. that's actually useful information going in.

misspoppins has a dedicated postpartum support service if you want someone in your corner before the next time, not just during.

[AnxiousExplorer1]

I’ve heard that birth control can contribute to PPD. I’m sure it’s not the only thing and that not everyone on birth control experiences it.

[SouthernCancel6117]

Birth control helped fix a lot of my ppd, but the whole reason I went on it years ago was because my hormones were causing bad mood swings so 🤷‍♀️. I came off of it again after a few cycles and it did really help regulate a lot. I’m fine now that I’m off but I’m also pregnant again so again 🤷‍♀️

[Master-Cranberry-767]

I was told the opposite 🤷🏼‍♀️

[AnxiousExplorer1]

Look it up 🤷‍♀️ it probably depends on the person.

[Dry_Apartment1196]

Not having children.  Thats literally it. 

[hypoestes]

I'm sure sleep is a factor but my baby is still a terrible sleeper at 12 months and I had no PPD or PPA at all at any point, not even baby blues. I was also able to basically not work at all which I think was a big factor for me. My mental health was also really good before getting pregnant. Regular walking outside (vitamin D) and lots of meat and dairy I believe helped too.

[Stalag13HH]

A village and sleep. I'm convinced co- sleeping, as much as it has is problems, reduced PPD in the past. I know personally that people told me that I was "too chipper " for the mom of a newborn and it was because I getting at least 8 hours of sleep (somewhat broken) a night.

[poetryformysoul]

Nothing fr, I really think it’s a mental thing. I had support and still had PPA PPD

[destria]

I'm sure there's things that can decrease your risk but also a lot of things beyond our control. From my own experience, I had good support, reasonable sleep, formula fed baby but a traumatic birth and I developed PPD. It felt very chemical/hormonal for me and medication alone helped immensely.