Perinatal mood disorders such as postpartum depression and anxiety can feel so overwhelming to navigate. Fortunately, there are many fabulous resources that exist! Read below to learn more.

How do I know if I need help?

A lot of parents are unsure if they even have a perinatal mood disorder. Up to 80% of birthing people experience the baby blues. It is completely normal AND it can feel distressing. Baby blues are typically experienced within three weeks of delivery.

A rule of thumb is overall if you are feeling happy, then the symptoms of the baby blues that you are experiencing such as bouts of crying, tearfulness and mood swings to name a few, are northing to worry about.

If you are experiencing these symptoms after the three week mark and your overall feeling is NOT happiness, you may be struggling with a perinatal mood disorder. That being said, you do NOT need to be experiencing a clinical perinatal mood disorder to utilize the AMAZING resources that are out there! I know that I’m biased, but I think everyone should go to therapy!

Postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety are the most talked about perinatal mood disorders, but there are others as well. Postpartum Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Postpartum Psychosis can also occur. These mood disorders can also happen during pregnancy! You can read more here.

Support tailored to perinatal mood disorders

Let’s face it, parenthood is hard! Many delivering people experience emotional distress and difficulties throughout some point of their pregnancy and postpartum journey.

The wait and see approach is NOT needed! You do not need to grin and bear emotional distress. YOU ARE NOT ALONE, and this is NOT YOUR FAULT!

There are so many highly trained professionals who can help you with perinatal mood disorders! Postpartum Support International is an amazing resource.

They have a provider finder that you can utilize to find a clinician in your area to talk to who specializes in postpartum depression and other related disorders. They also have great free local support groups and reproductive psychiatrists as well.

Psychology Today is a therapist search engine. You can filter the engine down to pregnancy and postpartum issues.

Your care team may suggest medication during pregnancy or after you deliver. I understand this may feel extremely anxiety provoking. However, there is plenty of excellent evidence based research on safe medications to take while you are pregnant and/or lactating.

Harvard has an excellent website that houses all of the latest studies on this topic. You can also visit the LactMed Database for more information on the safety of medication during pregnancy and lactation.

NorthShore Hospital has a 24/7 hotline that is staffed by licensed and trained perinatal clinicians. This hotline is completely free. While the majority of the resources available are in Illinois, the hotline is open to any pregnant or postpartum woman across the globe. The number is 866-364-MOMS.

Bumblebaby Resources

The Bumblebaby team is here to help you navigate this time! Deema is available for one on one consultations where she can provide you with customized help in order to put you in touch with specific resources that you need. Read her reviews here.

Deema came up with a customizable postpartum care plan! This care plan covers everything that you’ll need to process through in order to best equip yourself for this major change that is coming!

This makes a great gift to an expecting mother in lieu of a card!  Deema is an expert in perinatal mood disorders and has dedicated her career to pioneering for mothers/parents.

Deema also has a free e-guide available for download on postpartum depression.

You are not alone! With help, you will feel better! We are here for you!

Other helpful blog posts:

• Kate’s postpartum depression story
• Renée’s postpartum anxiety story
• A perinatal therapist’s experience with postpartum depression
• Kate’s perinatal depression story 
• 13 things no one told you about postpartum

**This advice should not replace that of your provider.