Postpartum Depression (PPD)

What is it?

Most of the time, people think that having a baby is the happiest time in a mother's life, when in reality it could be one of the hardest. Approximately 10-15% of women suffer from PPD within the first year of the child’s life. Some moms go through what is called “the baby blues” and it only lasts a little while whereas PPD can last months. Both moms and dads can suffer from PPD, but it’s more common in mothers.

Symptoms

Some symptoms are very similar to those of regular depression, but here are the main symptoms for Postpartum Depression:
The new mom can feel very overwhelmed and anxious, thinking that they aren’t able to care for this new baby.
She may feel sad, empty, alone, and afraid of what will happen and that she should be a better mom.
They think that the baby could potentially be better off without them.
Uncontrolled crying
Thoughts of hurting yourself or your baby
Thoughts of death and suicide

Here are the symptoms of the baby blues:
Mood swings including irritability, anxiety, and crying
Appetite problems and trouble sleeping.

Causes

There are two factors that can cause postpartum depression. There are both physical and emotional changes.

After you deliver your baby, there’s a sudden drop in both estrogen and progesterone within your body. This has a huge part in the physical factors of PPD. It can leave you feeling sluggish and tired.

When you’re near the end of your pregnancy, you start to become sleep deprived. You’re up all hours of the night with sadness, crying, anxiety and even just listening to the baby cry. These are emotional changes that you may have from childbirth.

Risk Factors

Some risk factors are:
Mental health disorders
Poor support of financial situation
Relationship with partner/family
Not being able to work/fear of losing your job
Postpartum depression after a previous pregnancy
Not being able to breastfeed your baby and feeling like you’re letting them down.


What to do

As with many other mental illnesses, the common support is cognitive-behavioural therapy, also known as CBT. Cognitive-behavioural therapy teaches you the way that your behaviour, feelings, and thoughts work together. You could also join a support group that would introduce you to other moms who are going through the same situation. Mother’s can also go on antidepressants, as long as it’s been discussed with a doctor. Most antidepressants are safe to use while a mom is breastfeeding.Lastly, the most important thing that you can do is to surround yourself with the ones you love. Make sure that you take time for yourself, if you have to ask a family member to come watch your newborn for a bit while you go take a bath or sleep, don’t feel ashamed.

This looks good Brittany! I am going to return with edits in a few days.

This looks good. I think it needs a conclusion at the end to wrap it up, and I noticed you did change your point of view. There is first, second, and third person in there.Which would you like to use? I edited point of view a little and then stopped because I wasn't sure what one you wanted.


Postpartum Depression (PPD)

What is it?

Most of the time, people think that having a baby is the happiest time in a mother's life, when in reality it could be one of the hardest. Approximately 10-15% of women suffer from Postpartum Depression, or PPD within the first year of the child’s life. [Cassie: Do you have a source?] Some moms go through what is called “the baby blues” and it only lasts a little while whereas PPD can last months. Both moms and dads can suffer from PPD, but it’s more common in mothers.

Symptoms

Some symptoms are very similar to those of regular depression, but herethere are the some main symptoms for Postpartum Depression:

• The new mom can feel very overwhelmed and anxious, thinking that they aren’tshe isn't [Cassie: Changed this to match below]able to care for this new baby.
• She may feel sad, empty, alone, and afraid of what will happen. and that sShe may think that she should be a better mom.
• They think The mom might have thoughts that the baby could potentially be better off without her them.
• Uncontrolled crying could occur.
  
• Thoughts of hurting yourself herself or your her baby might surface.
  
• Thoughts of death and suicide can present themselves.
  

Here are the In contrast symptoms of the baby blues may include:

• Mood swings including irritability, anxiety, and crying
• Appetite problems and trouble sleeping.

Causes

There are two factors that can cause postpartum depression. There are both physical and emotional changes.

After you deliver your baby, there’s a sudden drop in both estrogen and progesterone within your body. This has a huge part in the physical factors of PPD. It can leave you feeling sluggish and tired.

When you’re near the end of your pregnancy, you start to become sleep deprived. You’re up all hours of the night with sadness, crying, anxiety and even just listening to the baby cry. These are emotional changes that you may have from childbirth.

Risk Factors

• Some risk factors are:
• Mental health disorders
• Poor support ofr financial situation
• [Do you mean a poor relationship?]Relationship with partner/family
• Not being able to work/fear of losing your job
• Postpartum depression after a previous pregnancy
• Not being able to breastfeed your baby and feeling like you’re letting them down.

What to do

As with many other mental illnesses, the common support is cognitive-behavioural therapy, also known as CBT. Cognitive-behavioural therapy teaches you the way that your behaviour, feelings, and thoughts work together. You could also join a support group that would introduce you to other moms who are going through the same situation. Mother’s can also go on antidepressants, as long as it’s been discussed with a doctor. Most antidepressants are safe to use while a mom is breastfeeding.Lastly, the most important thing that you can do is to surround yourself with the ones you love. Make sure that you take time for yourself, if you have to ask a family member to come watch your newborn for a bit while you go take a bath or sleep, don’t feel ashamed.

What is it?

Most of the time, people think that having a baby is the happiest time in a mother's life, when in reality it could be one of the hardest. Approximately 10-15% of women suffer from Postpartum Depression, or PPD within the first year of the child’s life. Source Some moms go through what is called “the baby blues” and it only lasts a little while whereas PPD can last months. Both moms and dads can suffer from PPD, but it’s more common in mothers.

Symptoms

Some symptoms are very similar to those of regular depression, but there are some main symptoms for Postpartum Depression:

• The new mom can feel very overwhelmed and anxious, thinking that she isn't able to care for this new baby.
• She may feel sad, empty, alone, and afraid of what will happen. She may think that she should be a better mom.
• The mom might have thoughts that the baby could potentially be better off without.
• Uncontrolled crying could occur.
• Thoughts of hurting herself or her baby might surface.
• Thoughts of death and suicide can present themselves

In contrast symptoms of the baby blues may include:

• Mood swings including irritability, anxiety, and crying
• Appetite problems and trouble sleeping.

Causes

There are two factors that can cause postpartum depression. There are both physical and emotional changes.

After you deliver your baby, there’s a sudden drop in both estrogen and progesterone within your body. This has a huge part in the physical factors of PPD. It can leave the mom feeling sluggish and tired.

When the mom's near the end of your pregnancy, she may start to become sleep deprived. She is up all hours of the night with sadness, crying, anxiety and even just listening to the baby cry. These are emotional changes that she may have from childbirth.

Risk Factors

Some risk factors are:

• Mental health disorders
• Poor support or financial situation
• Poor relationship with significant other
• Not being able to work/fear of losing your job
• Postpartum depression after a previous pregnancy
• Not being able to breastfeed her baby and feeling like she's letting them down. [Britt: should I add in brackets that formula is a good alternative for breastfeeding]

What to do

As with many other mental illnesses, the common support is cognitive-behavioural therapy, also known as CBT. Cognitive-behavioural therapy teaches you the way that your behaviour, feelings, and thoughts work together. You could also join a support group that would introduce you to other moms who are going through the same situation. Mothers can also go on antidepressants, as long as it’s been discussed with a doctor. Most antidepressants are safe to use while a mom is breastfeeding.Lastly, the most important thing that you can do is to surround yourself with the ones you love. Make sure that you take time for yourself, if you have to ask a family member to come watch your newborn for a bit while you go take a bath or sleep, don’t feel ashamed.

In conclusion, whether the mother is struggling with PPD or the baby blues, she always needs to remember that she's not alone and has supports no matter where she reaches out.

Thanks Cassie, I didn't realize I was switching between first, second and third. I believe I have switched everything over to third person. I don't think the conclusion sounds the greatest. I will try and work a bit more on it.

Postpartum Depression (PPD)

What is it?

Most of the time, people think that having a baby is the happiest time in a mother's life, when in reality it could be one of the hardest. Approximately 10-15% of women suffer from Postpartum Depression, or PPD within the first year of the child’s life. [source] Some moms go through what is called “the baby blues” and it only lasts a little while whereas PPD can last months. Both moms and dads can suffer from PPD, but it’s more common in mothers.

Symptoms

Some symptoms are very similar to those of regular depression, but there are some main symptoms for Postpartum Depression:

• The new mom can feel very overwhelmed and anxious, thinking that she isn't able to care for this new baby.
• She may feel sad, empty, alone, and afraid of what will happen. She may think that she should be a better mom.
• The mom might have thoughts that the baby could potentially be better off without.
• Uncontrolled crying could occur.
• Thoughts of hurting herself or her baby might surface.
• Thoughts of death and suicide can present themselves

In contrast, symptoms of the baby blues may include:

• Mood swings including irritability, anxiety, and crying
• Appetite problems and trouble difficulty sleeping.

Causes

There are two factors that can cause postpartum depression. There are both physical and emotional changes.

After you a mother delivers a your baby, there’s a sudden drop in both estrogen and progesterone within your the body. This has a huge part role in the physical factors of PPD. It can leave the mom feeling sluggish and tired.

When the mom's near the end of your the pregnancy, she may start to become sleep deprived. She is up all hours of the night with sadness, crying, anxiety and even just listening to the baby cry. [Cassie: It's hard to follow with the wording.] These are emotional changes that she may have from childbirth.

Risk Factors

Some risk factors are:

• Mental health disorders
• Poor support or financial situation
• Poor relationship with significant other
• Not being able to work/fear of losing your job unemployment
  
• Postpartum depression after a previous pregnancy
• Not bBeing unable to breastfeed her baby and feeling like she's letting them down. [Britt: should I add in brackets that formula is a good alternative for breastfeeding] [You might be able to mention it somewhere else. Maybe under What to Do, you could mention looking at other options for difficulties (such as difficulty sleeping and being unable to breastfeed) and give a few examples that way.]
  

What to do

As with many other mental illnesses, the common support is cognitive-behavioural therapy, also known as CBT. Cognitive-behavioural therapy teaches you the way that your behaviour, feelings, and thoughts work together. You could also join a support group that would introduce you to other moms who are going through the same situation. Mothers can also go on antidepressants, as long as it’s been discussed with a doctor. Most antidepressants are safe to use while a mom is breastfeeding. Lastly, the most important thing that you can do is to surround yourself with the ones you love. Make sure that you take time for yourself, if you have to ask a family member to come watch your newborn for a bit while you go take a bath or sleep, don’t feel ashamed. [Cassie: Second person here.]

In conclusion, whether the mother is struggling with PPD or the baby blues, she always needs to remember that she's not alone and has supports no matter where she reaches out. [Cassie: You could say something like "A mother deserves help and support regardless of whether or not she is struggling with PDD or the baby blues." Second person would be okay here if you wanted to say "If you or someone you know is struggling after giving birth, seek help."]

What is it?

Most of the time, people think that having a baby is the happiest time in a mother's life, when in reality it could be one of the hardest. Approximately 10-15% of women suffer from Postpartum Depression, or PPD within the first year of the child’s life. [source] Some moms go through what is called “the baby blues” and it only lasts a little while whereas PPD can last months. Both moms and dads can suffer from PPD, but it’s more common in mothers.

Symptoms

Some symptoms are very similar to those of regular depression, but there are some main symptoms for Postpartum Depression:

• The new mom can feel very overwhelmed and anxious, thinking that she isn't able to care for this new baby.
• She may feel sad, empty, alone, and afraid of what will happen. She may think that she should be a better mom.
• The mom might have thoughts that the baby could potentially be better off without.
• Uncontrolled crying could occur.
• Thoughts of hurting herself or her baby might surface.
• Thoughts of death and suicide can present themselves.

In contrast, symptoms of the baby blues may include:

• Mood swings including irritability, anxiety, and crying.
• Appetite problems and difficulty sleeping.

Causes

There are two factors that can cause postpartum depression. There are both physical and emotional changes.

After a mother delivers a baby, there’s a sudden drop in both estrogen and progesterone within the body. This has a huge role in the physical factors of PPD. It can leave the mom feeling sluggish and tired.

When the mom's near the end of the pregnancy, she may start to become sleep deprived. Once the baby is born she is up all hours of the night with sadness,anxiety, and listening to the cries from her baby. These are emotional changes that she may have from childbirth until a couple years after the birth of her baby.

Risk Factors

Some risk factors are:

• Mental health disorders.
• Poor support or financial situation.
• Poor relationship with significant other.
• Not being able to work/fear of unemployment
• Postpartum depression after a previous pregnancy
• Being unable to breastfeed her baby and feeling like she's letting them down.

What to do

As with many other mental illnesses, the common support is cognitive-behavioural therapy, also known as CBT. Cognitive-behavioural therapy teaches you the way that your behaviour, feelings, and thoughts work together. You could also join a support group that would introduce you to other moms who are going through the same situation. Mothers can also go on antidepressants, as long as it’s been discussed with a doctor. Most antidepressants are safe to use while a mom is breastfeeding. If a mother is having trouble breastfeeding, there are many different options out there. Most areas have a Lactation Consultant who can try and help with latching, but also, formula is a great alternative for those moms who are unable to breastfeed. Lastly, the most important thing that a mother can do is to surround herself with the ones that she loves. Make sure that she takes time for herself, if the mom needs to ask a family member to come watch her newborn for a bit while she goes to take a bath or sleep, don’t feel ashamed, they are here to help.

In conclusion, whether the mother is struggling with PPD or the baby blues, she always needs to remember that she's not alone and has supports no matter where she reaches out. All mothers deserve help and support regardless of whether or not she is struggling from PPD or the baby blues. If you or someone you know is struggling after giving birth, seek help.

Postpartum Support International: 1-800-944-4773

What is it?

Most of the time, people think that having a baby is the happiest time in a mother's life, when in reality it could be one of the hardest. Approximately 10-15% of women suffer from Postpartum Depression, or PPD within the first year of the child’s life. [source] Some moms go through what is called “the baby blues” and it only lasts a little while, whereas PPD can last for months. Both moms and dads can suffer from PPD, but it’s more common in mothers.

Symptoms

Some symptoms are very similar to those of regular depression, but there are some main symptoms for Ppostpartum Ddepression:

• The new mom can feel very overwhelmed and anxious, thinking that she isn't able to care for this new baby.
• She may feel sad, empty, alone, and afraid of what will happen. She may think that she should be a better mom.
• The mom might have thoughts that the baby could potentially be better off without her.
• Uncontrolled crying could occur.
• Thoughts of hurting herself or her baby might surface.
• Thoughts of death and suicide can present themselves.

In contrast, symptoms of the baby blues may include:

• Mood swings including irritability, anxiety, and crying.
• Appetite problems and difficulty sleeping.

Causes

There are two factors that can cause postpartum depression. There are both physical and emotional changes.

After a mother delivers a baby, there’s a sudden drop in both estrogen and progesterone within the body. This has a huge role in the physical factors of PPD. It can leave the mom feeling sluggish and tired.

When the mom's mother is near the end of the her pregnancy, she may start to become sleep deprived. Once the baby is born she is up at all hours of the night with sadness, anxiety, and listening to the cries from her baby. These are emotional changes that she may have from childbirth until a couple of years after the birth of her baby.

Risk Factors

Some risk factors are:

• Mental health disorders.
• Poor support or financial situation.
• Poor relationship with significant other.
• Not being able to work/fear of unemployment.
• Postpartum depression after a previous pregnancy.
• Being unable to breastfeed her baby and feeling like she's letting them down.

What to do

As with many other mental illnesses, the common support is cognitive-behavioural therapy, also known as CBT. Cognitive-behavioural therapy teaches you the way that your how behaviour, feelings, and thoughts work together. You Mothers could also join a support group that would introduce you to other moms to meet others who are going through the same situation. Mothers can also go on aAntidepressants are an option, as long as it’s been discussed with a doctor. Most antidepressants are safe to use while a mom is breastfeeding. If a mother is having trouble breastfeeding, there are many different options out there. Most areas have a Lactation Consultant who can try and help with latching, but also, formula is a great alternative for those moms who are unable to breastfeed. Lastly, the most important thing that a mother can do is to surround herself with loved the ones that she loves. Make sure that she and takes time for herself. if the mom The mother should not feel ashamed if she needs to ask a family member to come and watch her newborn for a bit while she goes to take a bath or sleep, don’t feel ashamed, as they are here to help.

In conclusion, whether the mother is struggling with PPD or the baby blues, she always needs to remember that she's not alone and has supports no matter where she reaches out. All mothers deserve help and support regardless of whether or not she is struggling from PPD or the baby blues. If you or someone you know is struggling after giving birth, seek help.

Postpartum Support International: 1-800-944-4773

Thanks Haley!
Cassie, I’ll fix the edits tomorrow and post my sources

What is it?

Most of the time, people think that having a baby is the happiest time in a mother's life, when in reality it could be one of the hardest. Approximately 10-15% of women suffer from Postpartum Depression, or PPD within the first year of the child’s life. [source] Some moms go through what is called “the baby blues” and it only lasts a little while, whereas PPD can last for months. Both moms and dads can suffer from PPD, but it’s more common in mothers.

Symptoms

Some symptoms are very similar to those of regular depression, but there are some main symptoms for postpartum depression:

• The new mom can feel very overwhelmed and anxious, thinking that she isn't able to care for this new baby.
• She may feel sad, empty, alone, and afraid of what will happen. She may think that she should be a better mom.
• The mom might have thoughts that the baby could potentially be better off without her.
• Uncontrolled crying could occur.
• Thoughts of hurting herself or her baby might surface.
• Thoughts of death and suicide can present themselves.

In contrast, symptoms of the baby blues may include:

• Mood swings including irritability, anxiety, and crying.
• Appetite problems and difficulty sleeping.

Causes

There are two factors that can cause postpartum depression. There are both physical and emotional changes.

After a mother delivers a baby, there’s a sudden drop in both estrogen and progesterone within the body. This has a huge role in the physical factors of PPD. It can leave the mom feeling sluggish and tired.

When the mother is near the end of her pregnancy, she may start to become sleep deprived. Once the baby is born she is up at all hours of the night with sadness, anxiety, and listening to the cries from her baby. These are emotional changes that she may have from childbirth until a couple of years after the birth of her baby.

Risk Factors

Some risk factors are:

• Mental health disorders.
• Poor support or financial situation.
• Poor relationship with significant other.
• Not being able to work/fear of unemployment.
• Postpartum depression after a previous pregnancy.
• Being unable to breastfeed her baby and feeling like she's letting them down.

What to do

As with many other mental illnesses, the common support is cognitive-behavioural therapy, also known as CBT. Cognitive-behavioural therapy teaches how behaviour, feelings, and thoughts work together. Mothers could also join a support group to meet others who are going through the same situation. Antidepressants are an option, as long as it’s been discussed with a doctor. Most antidepressants are safe to use while a mom is breastfeeding. If a mother is having trouble breastfeeding, there are many different options out there. Most areas have a Lactation Consultant who can try and help with latching, but also, formula is a great alternative for those moms who are unable to breastfeed. Lastly, the most important thing that a mother can do is to surround herself with loved ones and take time for herself. The mother should not feel ashamed if she needs to ask a family member to come and watch her newborn for a bit while she goes to take a bath or sleep, as they are here to help.

In conclusion, whether the mother is struggling with PPD or the baby blues, she always needs to remember that she's not alone and has supports no matter where she reaches out. All mothers deserve help and support regardless of whether or not she is struggling from PPD or the baby blues. If you or someone you know is struggling after giving birth, seek help.

Postpartum Support International: 1-800-944-4773

Sources
https://cmha.ca/documents/postpartum-depression

http://www.postpartumprogress.com/th...n-mama-english

I have published this.