Ways to fight post partum depression without medication
I am not a doctor. The information in this post are my own personal opinions and not intended to be used in place of medical advice. If you think you may be suffering from postpartum depression speak with your doctor or medical provider.
Becoming a mom is a magical time full of a lot of “firsts”.
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You get to have this little baby grow inside of you. You find joy in feeding them (sometimes), teaching them, caring for them. You see them learn how to crawl, walk, talk.
Postpartum depression stole a lot of these happy moments away from me.
It wasn’t until I accepted what I had that I did everything I could to fight postpartum depression naturally.
Almost 4 years ago I was going to be a first-time mom.
It was three weeks before my daughter was born I was over the moon. I was going to have 6 weeks off work. I was going to organize the house, put all our photos together, cook every day, exercise, and be the best wife and mom possible.
I laugh at how naive I was.
It started a few weeks after my daughter came home.
Someone was always crying. It was my daughter, me, or both of us at the same time.
I’d cry all day until my husband got home. I cried because I was tired. I cried because my daughter cried. I cried because I wasn’t happy. I cried because breastfeeding sucked. Most of the time I just cried.
I can’t really explain it. Every day my head felt like it was stuck in this dense fog of negativity. I just felt like I was living inside my head.
Each day’s mission was survive until the next day. Showering became a luxury, sleep was nonexistent.
I was jealous of my husband who got to leave the house and go to work. I wanted so badly to go back to my old life, my old routine.
I was mad at myself for not enjoying being home with our baby.
At the same time I was scared to leave my baby home with anyone else other than my husband.
I chalked up the bad thoughts and extensive crying to being a new mom with crazy hormones aka what people refer to as the “baby blues”.
FYI, the baby blues tend to last about 2 weeks after you deliver your baby.
When I had my 6 week postpartum checkup they gave me the postpartum depression screening test.
I know this sounds terrible, but I cheated. I don’t know why, I just did. I guess I was afraid of what I already knew. I also hated the idea of having to take medicine. (I hate swallowing pills).
Everything was on a five-point scale.
Do you cry all the time? Most of the time? Sometimes? Rarely? Never?
So if I thought I was a 5 I wrote 4. If I thought I was a 4 I put 3.
No matter how much I wished the bad thoughts and sadness to go away they wouldn’t.
My daughter would cry all day and I swear she could sense my sadness. I would try effortlessly to get her to sleep to no avail. My husband would come home and in less than 10 minutes she would be asleep in her arms.
Eventually it was all I could take. Crying on the bathroom floor, no longer feeling anything like myself.
I had to get help.
The first thing I did was see a psychiatrist who confirmed my fear of having postpartum depression. My OB/GYN didn’t know because as far as they knew I was a happy mom.
Being up all hours of the day and night (not by choice) I started looking up postpartum depression and ways to fight postpartum depression naturally.
Keep in mind I did not experience a quick fix to my problem (I tried everything!), but it was a process that got much easier once I knew I had a problem.
STOP POST PARTUM DEPRESSION WITH NATURAL REMEDIES
Here is everything that I came up with to fight my own postpartum depression naturally that I hope can help you too.
SPEAK TO THERAPIST/PSYCHIATRIST
Talking to someone and letting it all out was a big weight off my shoulders. Confirming I did in fact have postpartum depression was the first step.
I was able to talk about everything that was bothering me and it wasn’t all baby related. It had to do with a lot of other stressors in my life at the time.
JOIN A GROUP
I joined a Facebook group for moms suffering from postpartum depression and anxiety.
Sometimes it is easier to open up to strangers about your feelings than to your own friends and family.
When you’re up all hours of the night your mind can play some mean tricks on you. Having a support group 24/7 is invaluable.
I was able to get great advice from other moms who had already gone or were going through the same thing I was.
We each vented about our triggers. I even vented about how I had the biggest fight with my husband because he purchased the wrong kind of salt. (At the time I wanted kosher salt, NOT sea salt. It’s funny now, but trust me, it was the biggest deal to me at the time.)
ESSENTIAL OILS
Essential oils can help fight postpartum depression naturally because of their different healing powers.
Bergamot, lavender, and chamomile are the top oils I found to help me relax and battle depression.
SUPPORT SYSTEM
Having a supportive husband or special one to use as a verbal punching bag and deal with mood swings makes the world of a difference.
However, it can be extremely difficult if they think you’re A) crazy, B) tell you to just get over it, or C) aren’t patient.
Having multiple people in your support system is also a plus. My friends and my mom were a big help even if they don’t realize it. Just going out and talking to them helped me feel normal.
BABYSITTER
You might laugh, but having someone to help watch my daughter just so I could shower helped fight my postpartum depression.
Use your “free” time to go out, get pampered, or a massage. Something to make you feel special.
SLEEP
Getting sleep. I know this isn’t a possibility for some people, but when I got 4 hours of sleep I felt like a million bucks.
When your baby sleeps you should sleep too. Cleaning can always wait. People will understand. They may even offer a lending hand 🙂
EXERCISE
I read that exercise helps with depression. It helps create endorphins. Just going out for walks and breathing in fresh air helped me.
EATING HEALTHY (ha!)
I read this also helps with post-partum depression, however, I’m not going to lie. I ate healthy for two days.
I had become a T-Rex. My husband was convinced I was pregnant again. I didn’t know how hungry a breastfeeding mom could get. I thought it best for the well-being of myself and my family to forgo this method.
DON’T OBSESS
Avoid obsessing over being the perfect mother or comparing yourself to other moms that seem to “have it together”. Those moms have either a) been through the hard stuff already b) have a lot of help c) have super-human powers and are probably from another planet.
If you are reading this, know that you are not alone. You are not a bad mother.
Fighting postpartum depression naturally takes work. (But it doesn’t always work either.)
Find someone to talk to. Be open with your doctor and yourself. There are plenty of resources out there and I hope that some of these tips will help you. In the beginning you will have many more bad days than good, but slowly the good days will outweigh the bad.
Don’t give up and don’t beat yourself up. I know many women who have had a lot of success with and without taking medicine. Be patient and allow yourself time to find out what works best for you.
If you have any tips that helped you get through postpartum depression naturally leave them in the comments below.
