Category: Postpartum

Articles About Postpartum Depression and Anxiety by Lori Calabrese, M.D.

After the birth of a baby, a woman’s hormones take a dramatic dip, while she is adapting to the reaction of her newborn’s introduction to life outside the womb. Babies are individuals, just like their parents, and some adapt more easily, while others experience some amount of pain and shock.

They may sleep well, or they may not. Sleep deprivation is a common factor that can contribute to a new mother’s overall condition. Parents and child can struggle to get through those early weeks. And that’s when all things are normal. But in some cases, the impact on the mother can be so daunting, that she may experience some level of depression.

Baby Blues

The adjustment that feels like an uphill battle for a few weeks, then resolves, is known as the “baby blues,” and is not uncommon. As baby learns to sleep, and mom learns to nap when baby naps, and hormones begin to stabilize, those difficult first weeks can settle into a routine. The joys of having a new baby return. This happens with 50 – 75% of new moms.

Postpartum Depression Symptoms

However, sometimes, those problems don’t resolve for a longer period of time. And they become much more severe. When symptoms of depression arise, like feelings of sadness, hopelessness, worthlessness, or guilt occur, intense irritability, crying for no reason, or crying often, loss of interest in things you once enjoyed, Overwhelming tiredness, difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much, changes in your appetite, difficulty bonding with your baby – or a lack of interest in your baby – or even wanting to hurt him, as well as loss of motivation and even thoughts of dying become part of your daily experience, you need to seek treatment.

Postpartum depression can be caused by hormonal changes, a history of depression, lack of support, extreme stress during pregnancy and/or delivery, and other factors. First, it is not your fault, just as any other illness is not your fault. Second, you need treatment to reduce or eradicate your symptoms, so you can move forward and enjoy a rewarding life with your child.

Sometimes Dads Suffer from Postpartum Depression, Too

Postpartum depression is not limited to mothers. Sometimes dads suffer the symptoms of depression, caused by stress in the home, increased responsibility, sleep deprivation, and inability to soothe a baby who doesn’t stop crying. There is also a drop in testosterone levels in some men after the birth of a baby. Just like moms, some dads feel inadequate as fathers and self doubt creeps in.

But the good news is that postpartum depression in both parents can be treated very successfully, restoring your enjoyment in your baby and your confidence in yourself.

Keep reading to learn more.

IV Ketamine Therapy for Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression affects 1 in 7 women and can last for months if not treated. The symptoms of pervasive depressed mood, feelings of inadequacy and being overwhelmed are often accompanied by anxiety, irritability, inability to sleep despite exhaustion, inconsistent appetite, and intense isolation and guilt about experiencing these symptoms during what should be a joyful time. Some women have thoughts of harming themselves or intrusive thoughts of intentionally or unintentionally harming the baby.

Treatment for postpartum depression includes support for the mother and baby, omega 3 fatty acids, bright light therapy, and acupuncture. Data on the effectiveness of these is limited, but some women have found them helpful. Multiple studies have found that postpartum depression responds to psychotherapy and to traditional antidepressant medications. However, psychotherapy can take weeks or months to help ease symptoms; antidepressants often take weeks to work and are transmitted to the baby if the mom is breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding mothers with postpartum depression often agonize about whether or not to use antidepressants to treat their symptoms because they often don’t want to expose the baby to medication and don’t want to stop nursing in order to take a daily medication. Yet they need rapid and effective relief–for their own health and the health and development of their babies. Multiple studies show that untreated postpartum depression affects mother-baby interactions and are associated with lower cognitive functioning and adverse emotional development in the baby. In these instances, IV Ketamine Therapy for Postpartum Depression can help.

Explore IV Ketamine Therapy for Postpartum Depression Safely and Affordably

If you have postpartum depression or know someone who does, IV ketamine can treat it within hours without requiring that you stop breastfeeding.

IV ketamine is an extremely rapid, effective treatment for depression and 75-80% of patients respond quickly and dramatically to very low dose IV infusions. Although more research needs to be done, this makes IV ketamine therapy an exciting treatment option for postpartum depression, where getting better quickly is what every mom hopes for, and where restoring the health of the mother positively impacts the whole family. Mood, negativity, hopelessness, anxiety and distractibility can improve within hours, and hopelessness and suicidal thoughts can evaporate. A series of low dose infusions over about 2 weeks can result in dramatic and complete remission of symptoms.

Most women experience a mild floating feeling during the 45 minute infusion and lightheadedness, which clears within about 10 minutes. Although other side effects are possible, they are rare, and have not occurred in our postpartum patients. We are careful to discuss and review these in depth with our patients, as well as the breadth of research that supports the use of IV ketamine in the treatment of depression.

We Prioritize IV Ketamine Therapy for Postpartum Depression with Flexible Scheduling

We offer IV ketamine infusions, called IV Ketamine Therapy, for depression and for postpartum depression, and we make it a priority to see postpartum moms. We offer flexible scheduling in the late afternoon and evenings so that a breastfeeding mom can come in for her treatment and resume breastfeeding when the medication has cleared from her system so that her baby is not exposed to it. We carefully calculate the time that it takes for ketamine to clear and work with our patients to plan breastfeeding or pumping around their treatments.

This is dramatic and life-changing for new moms and their families and can be easily added to support, non-pharmacologic approaches and psychotherapy for the most robust and sustained result.

If you or a loved one would like to learn more about IV Ketamine Therapy for Postpartum Depression, please reach out to our office. We are here to help restore you back to your best self.

To getting you back to your best self,
Lori Calabrese, MD

September 18, 2016