*Do I have Postpartum Depression?
Are you feeling sad or depressed?
Do you feel more irritable or angry with those around you?
Are you having difficulty bonding with your baby?
Do you feel anxious or panicky?
Are you having problems with eating or sleeping?
Are you having upsetting thoughts that you can’t get out
of your mind?Do you feel as if you are “out of control” or “going crazy”?
Do you feel like you never should have become a mother?
Are you worried that you might hurt your baby or yourself?
If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, you may be suffering from postpartum emotional complications. You don't have to remain in pain. Heightened anxiety during pregnancy or after birth or adoption is extremely common. Some women need extra emotional support in the form of a support group, others want individual assistance, and some benefit from both.
If you answered "yes" to the last question about hurting yourself or your baby and it's not just a thought that you know you would never act upon, please seek help immediately.
*Postpartum quiz courtesy of Postpartum Support International.
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)
PMDD is a very severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Thoughts of suicide are not uncommon during parts of the menstrual cycle for those suffering from this painful and often misunderstood dis-ease. While medication is often the first line of defense, Dr. Buysse has specialized training in this area and can provide emotional support, teach coping skills and provide resources specific to this diagnosis.
Perinatal Traumas Including Infertility, Miscarriage, Stillbirths, Emergency C-sections, Premature Babies and Other Complications
The perinatal period often fails to proceed as expected. Sadly, not all women get pregnant easily, have an easy pregnancy and/or end up with a healthy baby 9 months later. Pregnancy loss and infertility are some of the most devastating experiences a women can go through. These difficulties often challenge the very core of how someone sees themself as a parent. Sometimes even well thought-out births end in emergency Cesarian sections for the mother or protracted NICU stays for baby. Sometimes the baby doesn’t make it. These events are often traumatizing with women and birthing parents and sometimes even their partners experiencing flashbacks, nightmares, panic, hypervigilance, and an inability to sleep, (even when the baby sleeps). Dr. Buysse has the experience and training in both trauma and the perinatal period to guide the mother or birthing parent and their family through these overwhelming experiences.
If you have a History of Trauma or a History of Mood Complications Connected to a Previous Birth
Impending motherhood or parenthood can bring up issues from your past, as well as heighten anxiety and remind you of prior losses. Maternal or parental anxiety and depression occur in pregnancy as well as after the birth. Treatment at this stage will provide you with the support and tools that you will need for motherhood or parenthood. If you had a postpartum mood disorder with a previous pregnancy or birth and you are pregnant again , this is the perfect time to get the extra support that you deserve. I can help you plan for a much smoother transition into motherhood this time around.
Perinatal Mood Complications During Pregnancy or Postpartum
10 to 20% of all postnatal women and birthing indiviiduals experience full-blown postpartum mood complications or disorders (PMADs) which include postpartum anxiety, depression, panic, and/ot obsessions-compulsions usually involving intrusive thoughts or fear of death, illness or germs. (85% of postpartum women experience transient symptoms known as the blues.) Unlike the blues, however, PMADs are infused with excruciating anxiety that gets worse, not better, after the first four to six weeks. Sometimes women have thoughts that scare them. Mothers, birthing or adoptive individuals (and families) cannot parent alone. The support and guidance provided by a therapist is often an invaluable part of any successful treatment plan that guides the parent back to feeling like themself again. Half of perinatal mood complications begin during pregnancy. Seeking help earlier rather than later makes a huge difference in the outcome for the whole family.
Postpartum Emotional Support Groups
Many new mothers and parents who are adjusting to parenthood find the support of others in a similar situation invaluable. At least six postpartum emotional support groups exist in the Seattle area. For a list of groups, please visit http://www.ppmdsupport.com/supportgroups.html.
“Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had and dealing with fears you didn’t know existed.”