It was heartbreaking to watch Paula sobbing her heart out. She came to see me looking for homeopathy for postpartum depression. Paula could hardly fit a word in between the sobs. She had a beautiful four-months-old, picture-perfect baby girl. Paula knew she was blessed, but she wasn’t able to enjoy it.
I am so ashamed and embarrassed that I have postpartum depression! I’ve longed for this baby for so long. Everything was planned for, I have a fantastic husband and my family and friends always offer to help, but I hate asking. I feel tired, cold and useless. I can’t cope. I’m a crappy mother. All I’ve done since we came home from the hospital was cry and cry. I can’t get out of this black hole. I am full of anxiety all the time. Every other mom seems so happy. I was so looking forward to being a mom, why is this happening to me??
Postnatal depression can happen to anyone. Paula used to be an outgoing person, full of energy, ambitious in her career. She had lots of friends, a supportive husband and close family relationships. Life was fun, and she loved it. She thought her baby would complete the picture, a cherry on the cake. The possibility of postpartum depression never crossed her mind, she tossed the leaflet she got at one of her ante-natal appointments without reading it. PND was something that happened to other people, surely not to her. But somehow it has taken the life out of Paula, she became a shadow of her former self.
If every minute of every day is a struggle, seek help
It is a time when you and everyone around you expect you to be blissed out with your new baby. But instead, you feel disconnected, tearful, lost, hopeless and numb, and you can’t bond with your newborn. Some women have suicidal thoughts and notions of harming their baby. Postpartum depression is dreadful and catches many women by surprise. Talking about it helps. Knowing that you are not alone helps. Between 10 and 15 women in every 100 suffer from postpartum depression. Most women get through their depression and bond with their baby. It’s important to know that there is help out there. Many women who come to see me looking for homeopathy for postpartum depression hide their low mood and anxiety from their partners, family and friends. They often feel guilty for not being able to love their baby.
A lot of women end up on antidepressants. Paula was offered Prozac by her doctor too. She was adamant though not to go down that road. Her father suffered from depression and was put on Zoloft. He stopped sleeping at night, felt nauseous all the time and began self-harming. His personality had completely changed, he became like a zombie. Watching him going from bad to worse was very traumatic for Paula. When she began feeling low, she was confident she didn’t want antidepressants. This is how Paula ended up in my homeopathic clinic in Dublin.
Homeopathy for postpartum depression – the top remedies
The homeopathic remedies for postpartum depression that I use most frequently include:
- Cimicifuga: women needing this remedy often say that it feels as if a dark cloud settled over them. Depression can be severe, with self-harming. The woman may be agitated and feel like something dreadful is going to happen, a sense of doom.
- Cocculus: lack of sleep is the worst in this remedy picture. They also feel dizzy and constantly worry whether their baby is OK.
- Ignatia: great grief and depression remedy. Particularly good for sensitive and idealistic person. She may have had her heart firmly set on a perfect picture of life with a new baby, but the reality turned out to be nothing like she’d imagined. Big disappointment remedy.
- Opium: this remedy will be particularly useful in cases of traumatic birth. Mom becomes spacey and dreamy and may suffer from stubborn constipation.
- Pulsatilla: new mom feels terribly lonely and isolated, overwhelmed and needs a lot of support and reassurance. She craves company and attention and gets very emotional.
- Sepia: they feel tired and dragged down, but curiously better for exercise. Exhausted by baby’s demands, tearful but hate consolation. One of the most useful remedies for women.
Homeopathy for postpartum depression – Paula’s treatment
My patient Paula fit Sepia remedy picture perfectly. Feeling exhausted and unsupported despite all the help available, Paula was irritable and short-tempered. She felt resentful towards her husband because his life hadn’t changed. She resented her baby as well. In her own words, her family demanded every scrap of her time, and she felt trapped. She missed her workplace where she could be independent. She missed the sense of achievement she enjoyed getting challenging work projects done. Paula wanted her life back and felt guilty for it. This picture along with Paula’s physical symptoms was a text-book Sepia case.
I sent Paula home with the remedy. Five days later she emailed me to say that the remedy worked wonders.
I know now what it feels like to love your baby with every cell of your being. I’m addicted to her, I can’t get enough of her, I could sit on the couch with her sleeping on my chest all day long. I’m blissed out.
Paula went from strength to strength over the next three months of treatment. She repeated the remedy a few times when she felt her irritability returning and her energy slipping. I discharged her after that, job done. Baby Katie got her mom back.
I hope you found this helpful. If you have any questions or would like to book an appointment, please feel free to contact me. I am a qualified professional offering expert homeopathic treatment in Dublin and Online. Family discounts available.
