I try my best as a physician to make sure that I ask appropriate screening questions of all of my patients who have recently had babies.

For the first two weeks after having my daughter, the smallest things would send me into a rage (i.e. the dishwasher not being started), and I found my husband incredibly irritating despite his desire to help and comfort me. I would even cry over silly things that I normally wouldn’t bat an eye at. For me, these feelings lasted for about two weeks, and resolved on their own. I was very fortunate that i did not go on to suffer from postpartum depression – an illness that is very common, which can go unrecognized and lead to great impacts on a moms functioning and mental well-being.

There are many women who do suffer from postpartum depression and do not seek medical attention for many reasons – guilt, lack of time, lack of family support or encouragement, finances, and the stigma behind mental illnesses to name a few.

If you feel as though you are suffering, please seek help from your family physician, or notify any specialist or health care provider that is involved in your care. These are some of the other resources available nationally for Moms struggling with Postpartum depression:

National Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the USA

National Suicide Prevention Hotline (USA): 1-800-273-8255

Postpartum Support International: 1-800-994-4773

Postpartum Depression Moms: 1-800-773-6667