Comments on: The part of postpartum depression that no one talks about http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2008/02/13/the-part-of-postpartum-depression-that-no-one-talks-about/ Advice at the intersection of work and life Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:29:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Chloe http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2008/02/13/the-part-of-postpartum-depression-that-no-one-talks-about/comment-page-2/#comment-270698 Chloe Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:58:31 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2008/02/13/the-part-of-postpartum-depression-that-no-one-talks-about/#comment-270698 Thank you for the article. I too suffered debilitating PPD and antidepressants saved my life. I'm currently pregnant for the second time and am prepared for the first symptoms that indicate I need help. I wanted to note that as a Canadian, I was quite surprised that you were not allowed to have your baby with you in the mental ward. It is allowable here, and I believe it is truly beneficial for mothers suffering with PPD. Thank you for the article. I too suffered debilitating PPD and antidepressants saved my life. I'm currently pregnant for the second time and am prepared for the first symptoms that indicate I need help.

I wanted to note that as a Canadian, I was quite surprised that you were not allowed to have your baby with you in the mental ward. It is allowable here, and I believe it is truly beneficial for mothers suffering with PPD.

]]> By: Anna http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2008/02/13/the-part-of-postpartum-depression-that-no-one-talks-about/comment-page-1/#comment-266748 Anna Fri, 23 Dec 2011 05:56:48 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2008/02/13/the-part-of-postpartum-depression-that-no-one-talks-about/#comment-266748 Steve, I just read a comment you left for Penelope (Brazen Careerist) in 2008 about post-partum depression and how important it is for a husband to support his wife. You mentioned that you had two kids less than 18 months apart. My two are 13 months apart and I nearly fell apart trying to "do it all" after an 8-week maternity leave (because I didn't qualify for FMLA) and with a stressful job as a social worker with juvenile offenders. I ended up deciding to stay home with the two until preschool/kindergarten but acknowledge that I need support and ASK for it (and damn near insist on it at times). My husband is incredibly supportive but has his limits -- it's just really freaking hard to have two kids under 2. And we have LOTS of help from my mother/father/uncle. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for your comment and say that it spoke to me. Thank you for being a real man and taking care of your family no matter what the social cost. Steve, I just read a comment you left for Penelope (Brazen Careerist) in 2008 about post-partum depression and how important it is for a husband to support his wife. You mentioned that you had two kids less than 18 months apart. My two are 13 months apart and I nearly fell apart trying to "do it all" after an 8-week maternity leave (because I didn't qualify for FMLA) and with a stressful job as a social worker with juvenile offenders. I ended up deciding to stay home with the two until preschool/kindergarten but acknowledge that I need support and ASK for it (and damn near insist on it at times). My husband is incredibly supportive but has his limits — it's just really freaking hard to have two kids under 2. And we have LOTS of help from my mother/father/uncle. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for your comment and say that it spoke to me. Thank you for being a real man and taking care of your family no matter what the social cost.

]]> By: Wiggle http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2008/02/13/the-part-of-postpartum-depression-that-no-one-talks-about/comment-page-2/#comment-264878 Wiggle Tue, 29 Nov 2011 01:00:00 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2008/02/13/the-part-of-postpartum-depression-that-no-one-talks-about/#comment-264878 Gee whiz. I'm a bit surprised at some of the comments here. PPD is no joke. Women are made to feel that we have to give, give, give, and if we are intelligent women, why, we should be able to handle being the breadwinner, making the decisions, all while looking beautiful and fantastic caregivers. Has anyone noticed that if a father is single, or faces the same challenges that Penelope illustrated, everyone says, "Wow, look at that great dad!" Whereas we are just expected to do all of these things and if we say " I need help!" we are unstable or weak. And top the poster who commented on the "wealthy family " issue. Just because a person's family is well off doesn't mean that A)She would feel comfortable discussing this with them  B) They would be financially supportive and C) That they are even emotionally supportive. Thank you for sharing this, Penelope, you are a marvel. Gee whiz. I'm a bit surprised at some of the comments here. PPD is no joke. Women are made to feel that we have to give, give, give, and if we are intelligent women, why, we should be able to handle being the breadwinner, making the decisions, all while looking beautiful and fantastic caregivers. Has anyone noticed that if a father is single, or faces the same challenges that Penelope illustrated, everyone says, "Wow, look at that great dad!" Whereas we are just expected to do all of these things and if we say " I need help!" we are unstable or weak. And top the poster who commented on the "wealthy family " issue. Just because a person's family is well off doesn't mean that A)She would feel comfortable discussing this with them  B) They would be financially supportive and C) That they are even emotionally supportive.
Thank you for sharing this, Penelope, you are a marvel.

]]> By: Tracerz http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2008/02/13/the-part-of-postpartum-depression-that-no-one-talks-about/comment-page-2/#comment-262707 Tracerz Thu, 13 Oct 2011 03:35:00 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2008/02/13/the-part-of-postpartum-depression-that-no-one-talks-about/#comment-262707 Thank you so much for sharing your PPD story, Penelope.  You're my new hero. :D Thank you so much for sharing your PPD story, Penelope.  You're my new hero. :D

]]> By: Resume Advice You Never Hear - RESUME PORTAL – RESUME PORTAL http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2008/02/13/the-part-of-postpartum-depression-that-no-one-talks-about/comment-page-2/#comment-262322 Resume Advice You Never Hear - RESUME PORTAL – RESUME PORTAL Thu, 06 Oct 2011 11:17:58 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2008/02/13/the-part-of-postpartum-depression-that-no-one-talks-about/#comment-262322 [...] is what happened: I put a blade in my head. It’s a uncanny thing about a knife. A blade can’t get unequivocally distant in one’s head. [...] [...] is what happened: I put a blade in my head. It’s a uncanny thing about a knife. A blade can’t get unequivocally distant in one’s head. [...]

]]> By: Resume Advice You Never Hear » UTILITY DOCUMENTS http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2008/02/13/the-part-of-postpartum-depression-that-no-one-talks-about/comment-page-2/#comment-262282 Resume Advice You Never Hear » UTILITY DOCUMENTS Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:42:54 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2008/02/13/the-part-of-postpartum-depression-that-no-one-talks-about/#comment-262282 [...] is what happened: I put a blade in my head. It’s a uncanny thing about a knife. A blade can’t get unequivocally distant in one’s head. [...] [...] is what happened: I put a blade in my head. It’s a uncanny thing about a knife. A blade can’t get unequivocally distant in one’s head. [...]

]]> By: Nath http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2008/02/13/the-part-of-postpartum-depression-that-no-one-talks-about/comment-page-2/#comment-262057 Nath Mon, 03 Oct 2011 01:02:00 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2008/02/13/the-part-of-postpartum-depression-that-no-one-talks-about/#comment-262057 Also, believe it or not walking really helps your mood, it helps support having the chemicals in the brain needed to have a good attitude...everything plays a part. Walking can be stronger than prozac and helped 90% of people that went on a walk. Source: http://anxiety-remedy.net/uncategorized/anxiety-remedy-what-exactly-is-anxiety-and-what-can-be-done-about-it Also, believe it or not walking really helps your mood, it helps support having the chemicals in the brain needed to have a good attitude…everything plays a part. Walking can be stronger than prozac and helped 90% of people that went on a walk. Source: http://anxiety-remedy.net/uncategorized/anxiety-remedy-what-exactly-is-anxiety-and-what-can-be-done-about-it

]]> By: Survivor http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2008/02/13/the-part-of-postpartum-depression-that-no-one-talks-about/comment-page-2/#comment-260778 Survivor Thu, 22 Sep 2011 03:38:00 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2008/02/13/the-part-of-postpartum-depression-that-no-one-talks-about/#comment-260778 I just found this post via a link in your homeschooling post. I did end up in a mental institution 10 days after my first child was born and was separated from her for 9 days because the hospital had a policy that children under 18 couldn't visit. I was suffering from postpartum psychosis (what Andrea Yates was diagnosed with, affects 1 in 1000 women), which meant that basically having a baby made me go insane. I feel that the medical community that we encountered at the emergency room the two times we went weren't prepared with dealing with women in such situations and as such my condition deteriorated to the point that I ended up in the mental hospital. I was lucky to have an amazing family as my support system. If I hadn't, I don't know how I'd have been able to recover. I just found this post via a link in your homeschooling post. I did end up in a mental institution 10 days after my first child was born and was separated from her for 9 days because the hospital had a policy that children under 18 couldn't visit. I was suffering from postpartum psychosis (what Andrea Yates was diagnosed with, affects 1 in 1000 women), which meant that basically having a baby made me go insane. I feel that the medical community that we encountered at the emergency room the two times we went weren't prepared with dealing with women in such situations and as such my condition deteriorated to the point that I ended up in the mental hospital. I was lucky to have an amazing family as my support system. If I hadn't, I don't know how I'd have been able to recover.

]]> By: Survivor http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2008/02/13/the-part-of-postpartum-depression-that-no-one-talks-about/comment-page-2/#comment-260779 Survivor Thu, 22 Sep 2011 03:38:00 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2008/02/13/the-part-of-postpartum-depression-that-no-one-talks-about/#comment-260779 I just found this post via a link in your homeschooling post. I did end up in a mental institution 10 days after my first child was born and was separated from her for 9 days because the hospital had a policy that children under 18 couldn't visit. I was suffering from postpartum psychosis (what Andrea Yates was diagnosed with, affects 1 in 1000 women), which meant that basically having a baby made me go insane. I feel that the medical community that we encountered at the emergency room the two times we went weren't prepared with dealing with women in such situations and as such my condition deteriorated to the point that I ended up in the mental hospital. I was lucky to have an amazing family as my support system. If I hadn't, I don't know how I'd have been able to recover. I just found this post via a link in your homeschooling post. I did end up in a mental institution 10 days after my first child was born and was separated from her for 9 days because the hospital had a policy that children under 18 couldn't visit. I was suffering from postpartum psychosis (what Andrea Yates was diagnosed with, affects 1 in 1000 women), which meant that basically having a baby made me go insane. I feel that the medical community that we encountered at the emergency room the two times we went weren't prepared with dealing with women in such situations and as such my condition deteriorated to the point that I ended up in the mental hospital. I was lucky to have an amazing family as my support system. If I hadn't, I don't know how I'd have been able to recover.

]]> By: emily http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2008/02/13/the-part-of-postpartum-depression-that-no-one-talks-about/comment-page-1/#comment-258339 emily Thu, 18 Aug 2011 15:54:00 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2008/02/13/the-part-of-postpartum-depression-that-no-one-talks-about/#comment-258339 We, as a culture, are kind of ill in certain ways but we isolate the illness to individuals so we all don't have to take on what we need to take on to change. That might sound hippy dippy, but we could all help each other a lot more than we do. Women's post post-partum depression is a big deal social problem in the US - does anyone have cross-cultural statistics? This is an old comment and an even older post, but I'm just now reading and was wondering what it was that you wanted the doctor to say? I understand that it's terrible for the medical profession to deny that there are real problems but sometimes I wonder if it's actually not best for them to let the real problem be healed - in this case, the dad wasn't taking on his share of the responsibility at home. I'd actually agree with the doctors' bubble bath cure - IF he recommended this solution not only for that night but for 100 nights after. Call that feminist and unrealistic, but i think that it's much more of an issue if the medical profession actually denies that the woman needs anything at all. It's much more common, and dangerous, i think - if the depression is seen as something without any real world relationships - something in someone's head that's isolated. It comes up a lot with mental illness when people somehow thing they can catch it from other people and so I often think that illness is the wrong word to use all together. We, as a culture, are kind of ill in certain ways but we isolate the illness to individuals so we all don't have to take on what we need to take on to change. That might sound hippy dippy, but we could all help each other a lot more than we do. Women's post post-partum depression is a big deal social problem in the US – does anyone have cross-cultural statistics?

This is an old comment and an even older post, but I'm just now reading and was wondering what it was that you wanted the doctor to say? I understand that it's terrible for the medical profession to deny that there are real problems but sometimes I wonder if it's actually not best for them to let the real problem be healed – in this case, the dad wasn't taking on his share of the responsibility at home. I'd actually agree with the doctors' bubble bath cure – IF he recommended this solution not only for that night but for 100 nights after.

Call that feminist and unrealistic, but i think that it's much more of an issue if the medical profession actually denies that the woman needs anything at all. It's much more common, and dangerous, i think – if the depression is seen as something without any real world relationships – something in someone's head that's isolated. It comes up a lot with mental illness when people somehow thing they can catch it from other people and so I often think that illness is the wrong word to use all together.

]]>