Post Natal Depression and Omega 3-EPA

Post Natal Depression – Post Partum Depression

There are many reasons why postnatal depression occurs. It depends on you as a person, your personal circumstances and the way your baby behaves.
The following risk factors may make you more susceptible to postnatal depression:
If you enjoyed a senior position at work or high-flying career before the birth, it can be difficult to adjust to the status changed.
If you already have difficulties in your relationship, the baby may make them worse; this in itself may lead to disillusionment and low self-esteem.
If you had an unexpectedly difficult birth experience, you could easily feel demoralized and feel that you have failed in some way.
If you have had depression in the past, you are more prone to it now.
A very demanding, sleepless baby can trigger it from sheer exhaustion.
If you have particularly difficult living conditions and no support network, this can exacerbate postnatal depression.
If you have bottled up your emotions and not sought help early on, postnatal depression may develop.
When I read the risk factors above, I must have had every one of them occurring when I had my son! No wonder I felt like I had the world on my shoulders! We had number two very soon afterwards (unplanned) and I would say that I probably would have had at least five of the risk factors applicable to me. The big difference was that the 2nd time round I was a little more prepared for it, more prepared to accept I had a problem and to seek help early on – something I wish I did with number one! …. Never mind, you live and learn, and I did it the hard way.
The second time round, with help from a counsellor and help from anti-depressants also, and a good understanding GP things got better ten times quicker – I also knew that I had TWO children to deal with also as well as myself. My partner thought he was being supportive but I actually felt like he was “bulldozing” me although I’m sure he didn’t intend for it to be like that.
If symptoms that started out as the common "baby blues" do not go away and in fact, start to become worse, you could be suffering from postnatal depression.
The "baby blues" are mood swings caused by hormonal changes. In all likelihood this period of feeling low one minute and euphoric the next won't last beyond the first week but you still need a lot of support to get you through it.
Maybe the "baby blues" are a natural sign to those around you that you need time and space to come to terms with being a mother.
Your hormones, progesterone and oestrogen, will have been high during pregnancy. After you have had your baby, these hormone levels drops and your body may find it difficult to adjust.
This can have a marked effect on your emotions. With this, and the fact that you are probably completely exhausted from the labour and lack of sleep, it is not at all surprising that you may not be feeling on top of the world.
Having a baby is a fantastic experience for both the mum and dad! Even the grandparents actually! However having a baby can change a lot of things for the lady, and it is quite common for us to suffer from depression after childbirth.
Birthing is a mixture of emotional, physical and behaviour changes that affect the mother after delivering her baby. Depression can also occur during pregnancy, but it is more common after the arrival of the baby. Around 70% of pregnant women experience depression after childbirth, however it does not have to affect the mother immediately, and it can take up to a year for postnatal depression to become apparent.
I could never have imagined how wonderful, and challenging, having a new baby could be until I had my son three years ago. We also have a daughter who is two (a FOURTEEN MONTH gap!) although I still struggle to get full nights sleep since they were born, I have transformed from a woman to a mother.
My question is - are we really informed enough during our pregnancy of this woman to mother transformation that like it or not it is going to take place? Are we able or do we give ourselves enough space during our pregnancy to grieve our old lives and lifestyles? It is therefore possible that postnatal depression is a grieving process, and or lack of preparation physically and emotionally, that on top of the marathon of birthing our babies, we are knocked over the edge and therefore classified as having postnatal depression?
After being a sufferer of PND twice, a locum at our local doctor’s practice happened to mention Omega 3 and the fact that during pregnancy the baby apparently “sucks” most of this vital component from our bodies. And, it is very hard to replace unless you eat lots of fish e.g. salmon, mackerel etc.
WHY IS THIS NOT A PUBLIC FACT????? Then some of us who are a little more susceptible to depression might actually be able to help ourselves a little earlier!!!
Some of us will have already heard that fish oil is brain food and in a way, that's exactly what it is. Not only is the brain largely composed of fat, it needs the Omega 3 fatty acids found in fish oil in order to work properly too. Interestingly, people who are suffering from depression, ADHD, Alzheimer's disease and other brain-related conditions have been found to have low concentrations of the essential Omega 3 fatty acids in their blood, particularly Eicosapentaenoic acid or EPA and perhaps this is no coincidence.
No one really knows the exact mechanisms involved or how it works but the indications are that EPA thins the blood and helps it to flow more efficiently to the brain, enhances inter neural connectivity, increases serotonin levels, reduces inflammation, improves concentration and memory and even has a mood elevating effect. Consequently, it stands to reason that supplementing with fish oil might alleviate symptoms of depression and this is just what researchers have been finding out. Fish oil is also supposed to help those suffering from Bipolar as well.
After finding out this vital fact, I went straight home and opened a bottle of Herbalifeline (I was a Herbalife Distributor) – which I was grateful to have, it has Omega 3, EPA & DHA in it. My partner informed me five days later that I was a completely different person (for the better of course)
It would be reasonable to conclude that a lack of Omega 3 fatty acids in the diet or perhaps even a higher than normal requirement for Omega 3 fatty acids can result in low fatty acid concentrations in the brain, which of course might increase the risk of depression and other related disorders. Depression can affect any one of us at any time, it is indiscriminate of age, background or gender and the numbers are increasing year after year.
Could it be that an overall reduction in consumption of fish and therefore Omega 3 fatty acids might be contributing in some way to a rise in cases of depression? The evidence isn't conclusive but the indications are that fatty acids certainly have a role to play in the prevention and treatment of all kinds of depression and mood related disorders. Research in this area is growing rapidly and no doubt we will be hearing a lot more about the benefits of Omega 3 and EPA in the future. In the meantime, fish oil is a safe and convenient supplement that can be taken by everyone to improve health in general.
Seeing as pregnant ladies are not recommended to eat lots of shellfish etc, then why not go to your local health shop or Herbalife distributor (google them) and get some into your body!
Tell anyone you know …… it should be a publicly known fact to help us depression sufferers!!!!!!!!