No Joy: Postpartum Depression

 

Cecelia was so excited for the birth of her first child.

She had painstakingly renovated a spare room for her baby’s nursery with soft, springtime colors of pale greens and soothing blues. In Cecelia’s daydreams, however, she didn't envision her child sleeping alone there but rather, right next to Cecelia and her husband in a crib next to their bed.

Cecelia couldn’t wait; she longed to hold her new child in her arms and looked forward to cuddling her baby throughout those coveted nighttime nursing sessions.

On that wintry day when Elenore was born, Cecelia was exhausted but happy. Labor had been long, but Cecelia made it through with pluck as Elenore finally emerged at a healthy seven and a half pounds.

The first week after the birth, Cecelia was so exhausted and overwhelmed by her new role, she didn’t actually notice how she really felt. Her husband Mark was thrilled and excited, and Cecelia assumed she was as well … after all, wasn’t this what she had wanted and looked forward to for so long?

But, after a week had passed, Cecelia gradually became aware that something was wrong.

Instead of enjoying those nighttime cuddles with Elenore at 3 AM, Cecelia resented them.

She thought maybe it was just sleep deprivation, as any new mother can attest to when it comes to caring for a newborn. But even in the daytime (with a lot of naps in between), Cecelia knew something else was missing.

She felt no joy, no excitement, and (to her horror), didn’t feel the strong maternal bond to Elenore she had felt while her baby was still in the womb; when Cecelia and Mark had lovingly talked to their baby in utero and laughed with excitement whenever they felt her kick.

It wasn’t just a problem with Elenore or Cecelia’s connection (or lack thereof) to her.

Cecelia didn’t feel like herself.

She had lost her sense of humor, and life seemed colorless and dull.

Nothing felt particularly interesting, except for a recurring fantasy Cecelia had that she could get away from her baby, get away from Mark, get away from her house and her town, get on a plane, and fly to some hot, tropical place where she could just sit on the beach with a book and soak up the sun.

Cecelia craved the sun. Everything was so dark and gloomy this winter!

Cecelia lived with these feelings for a LONG month without telling anyone; she felt too guilty to admit how she felt. But then Cecelia’s mother Annette came to visit for a week, and Cecelia couldn’t hold it in anymore.  

“Mom, I feel terrible …” she began, as the two sat in the kitchen with their morning coffee.

Luckily for Cecelia, Annette had been studying homeopathy and took my Feminopathy course on women’s health issues while Cecelia was pregnant. This was Annette’s first grandchild and she wanted to be prepared. Grandma to the rescue!

Annette promptly went online and ordered Sepia 200C and Aurum metallicum 200C (and even paid for overnight delivery)!

Meanwhile, she provided Cecelia with two doses of Ignatia 200C (Annette always carried that one in her purse). She gave one dose that morning and another that evening. The next day when the remedies arrived, Annette had Cecelia start with Sepia 200C, every three days.

Annette tucked the Aurum metallicum away in a kitchen cupboard knowing it would come in handy at some other time; she wasn’t yet sure whether Cecelia needed it but wanted to have it on hand just in case.

Annette was confident Sepia would help Cecelia, but she was so impatient for her daughter to have some relief, she gave her another two doses of Ignatia 200, and continued to do so every day she was visiting.

By the time Annette was packing to go home, Cecelia had had 14 doses of Ignatia and three doses of Sepia, and Annette could see the change that had progressed over the course of the week:

Cecelia began smiling more, there was more life and inflection in her voice, and her energy was improving. Better yet, she began to laugh at funny things little Elenore did.

Annette was able to board her plane and return home feeling confident Cecelia was on the mend. Within about two weeks, during their routine Skype call, Cecelia told her mom she felt like her old self again. But Annette didn’t need to be told; she could see it herself.

Mothers know these things instantly.

Cecelia no longer wanted to escape from her husband, her baby, and most importantly, her life in general! She was right where she wanted to be.

The topic of postpartum depression was covered in my Feminopathy course, but it’s also relevant to the newest course I’m offering: Mindful Homeopathy: Practical Protocols® for Mental and Emotional Conditions.

This latest course will focus on homeopathy’s ability to uproot both acute and chronic mental and emotional ailments such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, OCD, learning disorders, brain fog, PTSD, addictions or dementia — to name a few. I hope you’ll join me.

P.S. I’ve put together an infographic called “The Many Faces of Mindful Homeopathy.” It’s a diagram showing some of my favorite medicines for common mental and emotional health issues.

This infographic will offer a sneak peek into what my newest course will provide. Click here to receive your free copy of the infographic and follow the link on the page to learn why you should add this important course to your homeopathic library.