By: Dr. Fasika Teferra
Did you know that women with IBD are at a higher risk of developing new-onset mental health disorders in the perinatal period? [1] Not every pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience is all happy and bright. One of the most neglected topics that should take the spotlight during pregnancy follow-up is postpartum depression and anxiety.
There is a whole spectrum of mental illness and mental health, and that holds true for postpartum depression and anxiety. I do not attribute my late recognition of postpartum anxiety to a lack of knowledge because I am a medical doctor, but rather, it is due to ignorance. I didn’t think that having some of the symptoms I had was that big of a deal. I was told as a first-time mom, I would worry about everything, but I didn’t stop and think to what extent that was normal. Thankfully, I had a very subtle experience and found some things I could do to catch myself when I am worrying too much. Meditation and breathing techniques had been quite successful.
Although I was able to finally recognize it, it was already months after my delivery. As a first time mom, I read through all the blogs I could find and all the youtube videos I could discover. They taught me about how to pack my hospital bags, what kinds of cloths to wear and things to bring for your baby to list a few. But there were none that I came across that prepared me for what would happen after we leave the hospital and start our lives with our newest family member. It never even crossed my mind to watch out for something like this or even discuss it with my husband. It just isn’t being talked about enough yet.
There are so many mothers who struggled with this behind closed doors and some who have passed away because of this. I want to do my part by raising awareness to this critical issue of motherhood. There is still more that needs to be done. It is not shameful to be experiencing it, and it is certainly okay to ask for help!
1. Vigod SN, Kurdyak P, Brown HK, Nguyen GC, Targownik L, Seow C, Benchimol EI. A5 FIRST-ONSET PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS IN PREGNANT AND POST-PARTUM WOMEN WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE IN ONTARIO, CANADA: A POPULATION-BASED STUDY. Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology. 2018 Feb;1(suppl_2):7-8.