Browse by Tags

• Pregnant Women Still Puffing Away

  I have a confession to make: I am an ex-smoker. I quit five years ago this month and it still ranks as one of the hardest things I've ever accomplished. I quit because we were trying to have a baby. Nine months later, I finally got successfully knocked up (apparently I had to give birth to myself as a nonsmoker first). And craved cigarettes like I hadn’t since the initial Trainspotting-like detox from smoking – so thank goodness I didn’t have to count on pregnancy to get me to quit. And if I had (shockingly, less than half of pregnant women do quit), chances are good it would not have stuck. Fully half of all pregnant women who quit Read More... Posted Jul 30 2008, 03:31 PM by Amy Kuras with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: pregnancy, smoking, postpartum depression, bad ideas, smoking cessation

• Depressed Dads More Likely to Have Troubled Children

  A new study from the University of Bristol’s Children of the 90s project indicates that postnatal depression in fathers is clearly linked to behavioral problems in their children. The downside is, worrying that your unhappiness is going to turn your kid into a criminal is not likely to ease your unhappiness. The upside is, the study aims to raise awareness about the need to recognize and treat paternal postnatal depression.   The study of 14,000 families found that the children of depressed fathers are twice as likely as those without depressed fathers to be diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder—such as hyperactivity or antisocial behavior—by the age of eight. Read More... Posted Apr 24 2008, 07:46 AM by Hannah Tennant-Moore with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: fathers, depression, gwyneth paltrow, postpartum depression, hyperactivity, university of bristol, children of the 90s project, postnatal depression, behaviorial problems, depressed dads, psychiatric disorders, gender roles in parenting, paternal postnatal depression, socializing

• Baby Boys Are (Allegedly) a Bummer

  If you recently gave birth to a boy, you run a higher risk of getting postpartum depression. Why? Well, for starters boys require more energy. Also, women are narcissists who would prefer to have little mini-me daughters. Lastly, little boys are made of snips and snails and puppy dogs' tails. And snails are kinda slimy. All right, so maybe I am oversimplifying this MSN article, which notes a recent study in France that implies mothers of small boys are indeed more likely to become depressed. Read More... Posted Apr 22 2008, 12:32 PM by Jen Chaney with | with 10 comment(s) Filed under: fathers and daughters, boys, postpartum depression, mothers and daughters, MSN, mothers and sons

• Gywneth Paltrow's Tips on Kicking the Baby Blues

  In the past 24 hours, the blogosphere has been flooded with reports that actress Gywneth Paltrow suffered postnatal depression. In an interview in the May issue of Vogue, Paltrow was uncharacteristically revealing about several aspects of her life, including her social life and body image. But the “revelation” about feeling depressed after the birth of her second child is the one that seems to have sparked the interest of the masses. This hubbub makes me glad that Paltrow was so open about her struggles as a new parent, since the emotions she describes—“I felt really disconnected. I felt really down; I felt pessimistic”—are hardly rare among new mothers. Between 50 and 70 percent of women suffer from “baby blues,” fits of sadness or irritability during their child’s infancy, and up to 25 percent of women suffer from postnatal depression, a more severe, longer lasting sense of gloom. To a lesser degree, postnatal depression also affects young fathers. Read More... Posted Apr 18 2008, 01:00 PM by Hannah Tennant-Moore with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: gwyneth paltrow, postpartum depression, working mothers, coldplay, stay-at-home moms, balancing career and family, chris martin, postnatal depresssion

• Armchair Activism: The MOTHERS Act Needs to Pass

  Read carefully, because this affects all of us: 800,000 American women each year suffer from the debilitating and horrible effects of postpartum depression.  Eight hundred thousand.  That is a staggering number, isn't it?  Equally shocking is that only 15 percent of these women will receive any assessment or treatment for postpartum depression.  That's why BlogHer, Postpartum Support International and Postpartum Progress are joining together to host a blog action day (next Wednesday, October 24th) in support of the MOTHERS Act - The Moms Opportunity to Access Help, Education, Research and Support for Postpartum Depression Act.  Women in this country are demanding that new mothers and their families are educated about postpartum depression, screened for symptoms and provided with essential services.  To show your support by the bill, call your senator next Wednesday (the more calls the better!), and blog for the cause.  The women of American need this bill to pass, and we need the acknowledgment and support of lawmakers to make that possible.  All it takes is a phone call and a blog post to do your part.  Posted Oct 17 2007, 03:33 PM by Alisyn with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: legislation, women's health, postpartum depression, activism, mother bloggers, armchair activism, the MOTHERS Act

• Pregnant Women Afraid to Tell Their Worries

  Pregnancy can be such a weird time. Your body is hit by an ever-changing cornucopia of hormones plus all of a sudden you're not alone in your body at all but instead you're sharing it with someone. Then there are the expectations, yours and society's. And the fears and worries. Sure, you're excited, but... I had tons of fears when I was pregnant: fears of something going wrong, fears that I wouldn't be able to love the baby as much as the children I already had, fears I would suck as a mother. Apparently I'm not alone. A bunch of you weighed in over at Sarah's great post a few weeks ago on antepartum depression. And a new U.K. study reveals that moms-to-be worry about all sorts of things, but don't express those worries due to societal taboos.   Read More... Posted Aug 31 2007, 07:27 AM by Karen Murphy with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: pregnancy, babies, postpartum depression, pregnancy worries

• How You Hold Your Baby Tells Whether You're Depressed

  There may be a new clue in recognizing post-partum depression, and it's all in how you hold your baby. Like with telephones, most parents develop a preference in which hand they use predominantly to hold their babies. I'm the opposite of most people, as I'm right-handed but use right hand-right ear to talk on the phone, and all four of my bables mostly were held to the right. Most righties use left hand-left ear and face their babies left. Right? Read More... Posted Aug 30 2007, 01:15 PM by Karen Murphy with | with 7 comment(s) Filed under: babies, depression, studies, postpartum depression, holding babies

• Britney's Breakdown: Suicide Attempt

  If new reports are to be believed, Britney Spears is continuing to have a difficult time coping even while being attended to in rehab.  The latest has her attempting to hang herself from a light with a bedsheet, screaming "I am the antichrist", and scrawling "666" on her head and unintelligible words and scribbles across the backs of her hands. On a brighter note, Justin Timberlake, Pink, and Brooke Shields have attempted to contact Britney (whose chewed gum you can now bid on at eBay) and leave encouraging messages.  Brooke wrote a book two years ago about her own journey with postpartum depression and likely has some good advice.  A variety of postpartum mood disorders, including depression as well as the more common "baby blues", strike about 80% of mothers.  Meanwhile, K-Fed's behavior continues to be exemplary, with him bringing the boys by for another visit, and now it's being reported that Brit wants yet another baby with him. Having had four children and having gone through various degrees of mood disorders myself, I cannot imagine how much more difficult the situation is when you're a celebrity.   For the sake of everyone involved, especially the babies, I'm still hoping everything turns out all right. Posted Mar 05 2007, 10:10 AM by Karen Murphy with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Kevin Federline, Britney Spears, Brooke Shields, rehab, postpartum depression, Justin Timberlake, Pink

• Britney: Postpartum Depression?

  Doctors working with Britney Spears in rehab think that postpartum depression may be the root of all her recent troubles. A "source" inside Malibu's Promises rehab facility reveals that Brit's doctors have acknowledged that she has a drinking problem, but think that drinking has been a way for her to cope with her depression, and that by trying to self-medicate, she lost control of herself, and her life.  Perhaps as part of her therapy program, rumor has it that Brit is currently reading Brooke Sheilds' PPD memoir Down Came The Rain.  Read More... Posted Feb 27 2007, 08:15 PM by Alisyn with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: celebrity, Britney Spears, rehab, postpartum depression