31 December 2009

profound, beautiful and sad

I heard an amazing story on NPR, "Capturing The Brief Life And Death Of An Infant", from the Obituary Project: Lives Of The Unnoticed.
December 30, 2009 Joanna Blum and Ashley Hutcheson talk about their extraordinary meeting to record the life and passing of Baruch Levi Blum. On Dec. 1, Blum gave birth to Baruch Levi. He weighed 2 pounds, 11 ounces. He lived about 10 minutes. Hutcheson, a photographer, was there to document his birth.

This is obviously sad, and I hesitated to post it but am doing so because I think it's also important to honor passages and there is much to be learned. I have been in that photographer's place and it is powerful and difficult, but ultimately so wonderful for the family to have something of their baby's time on earth.

If you are pregnant, especially, please do think about weather it makes sense for you to listen. You'll know in your gut if it's ok for you.

13 December 2009

postpartum depression in dads

When I meet with expectant parents prenatally or teach a childbirth class, we discuss impacts on marriage, general adjustments and also postpartum depression for the person giving birth. But I will now raise the issue for dads/partners regardless of gender as well. OK - it's not really the same - for postpartum women the depression is generally biochemical, and it was pointed out to me that a new name should be given so as not to take away focus on PPD in birthing women. However, I do think it's helpful for people to know that depression, no matter the cause, can happen for either partner (and has also been noted in adoptive parents) upon such a huge life event. I suggest to everyone, but especially those with a tendency toward depression (or sensitivity to hormones), to have a plan in place in case it becomes an issue. Most people going through even minor depression, combined with sleep deprivation etc., find it overwhelming to have to start from scratch if they need to find a support group or therapist.

from the New York Times:

Mind
Postpartum Depression Strikes Fathers, Too


Article Tools Sponsored By
By RICHARD A. FRIEDMAN, M.D.
Published: December 7, 2009

The pregnancy was easy, the delivery a breeze. This was the couple’s first baby, and they were thrilled. But within two months, the bliss of new parenthood was shattered by postpartum depression.

A sad, familiar story. But this one had a twist: The patient who came to me for treatment was not the mother but her husband.

A few weeks after the baby arrived, he had become uncharacteristically anxious, sad and withdrawn. He had trouble sleeping, even though his wife was the one up at night breast-feeding their new son. What scared her enough to bring him to my office was that he had become suicidal.

Up to 80 percent of women experience minor sadness — the so-called baby blues — after giving birth, and about 10 percent plummet into severe postpartum depression. But it turns out that men can also have postpartum depression, and its effects can be every bit as disruptive — not just on the father but on mother and child.

We don’t know the exact prevalence of male postpartum depression; studies have used different methods and diagnostic criteria. Dr. Paul G. Ramchandani, a psychiatrist at the University of Oxford in England who did a study based on 26,000 parents, reported in The Lancet in 2005 that 4 percent of fathers had clinically significant depressive symptoms within eight weeks of the birth of their children. But one thing is clear: It isn’t something most people, including physicians, have ever heard of.

At first, my patient insisted that everything was just fine. He and his wife had been trying to conceive for more than a year. He was ecstatic at the prospect of fatherhood, and he did not acknowledge feeling depressed or suicidal.

Suspicious of his rosy appraisal, I pushed a little.

It turned out that he had just taken a new high-pressure job in finance six months before the birth of his son. Though he was reluctant to admit it, he clearly had more than a little concern about his family’s financial future.

And he was anxious about his marriage and his new life. “We go out a lot with friends to dinner and theater,” he said wistfully, as I recall. “Now I guess that’s all going to end.”

He had spent the nine months of pregnancy in a state of excitement about being a father without really registering what a life-transforming event it was going to be.

Unlike women, men are not generally brought up to express their emotions or ask for help. This can be especially problematic for new fathers, since the prospect of parenthood carries all kinds of insecurities: What kind of father will I be? Can I support my family? Is this the end of my freedom?

And there is probably more to male postpartum depression than just social or psychological stress; like motherhood, fatherhood has its own biology, and it may actually change the brain.

A 2006 study on marmoset monkeys, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, reported that new fathers experienced a rapid increase in receptors for the hormone vasopressin in the brain’s prefrontal cortex. Along with other hormones, vasopressin is involved in parental behavior in animals, and it is known that the same brain area in humans is activated when parents are shown pictures of their children.

There is also some evidence that testosterone levels tend to drop in men during their partner’s pregnancy, perhaps to make expectant fathers less aggressive and more likely to bond with their newborns. Given the known association between depression and low testosterone in middle-aged men, it is possible that this might also put some men at risk of postpartum depression.

By far the strongest predictor of paternal postpartum depression is having a depressed partner. In one study, fathers whose partners were also depressed were at nearly two and a half times the normal risk for depression. That was a critical finding, for clinicians tend to assume that men can easily step up to the plate and help fill in for a depressed mother. In fact, they too may be stressed and vulnerable to depression.

And there is the child to think about. Research has clearly shown that maternal postpartum depression can impair the emotional and cognitive development of infants. A father could well buffer the infant from some of the adverse effects of maternal depression — but that is a tall order if he too is depressed.

Dr. Ramchandani, who also followed children for three and a half years after birth, reported that they were affected differently depending on which parent was depressed. Maternal postpartum depression was associated with adverse emotional and behavioral effects in children regardless of sex; depression in fathers was linked only with behavioral problems in boys. (The study did not report on possible effects when both parents were depressed.)

As for my patient, he recovered within two months with the help of psychotherapy and an antidepressant. Afterward, he summed up the situation in just 10 words: “And I thought only women get this kind of thing.”

All too many doctors think so too.

Richard A. Friedman is a professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College.

03 December 2009

"BABIES" - a new documentary

Check out the trailer for this new documentary, estimated due date 4/16/10 (in theaters) - looks wonderful...I dare you not to laugh or get misty!

trusting what you read, thinking before you write

a friend (hi Laura) sent me a link to an entry in this social media blog, containing the following quote:

In a Nielsen survey, it was pointed out that 70% of people surveyed believed opinions they read about something online. It was the second highest level of trust people gave (trusting their known friends came first). So, just by writing something down online, 3/4 of the population will believe what is written. If you’re evil, this is awesome. If you’re a good person, this requires a little bit of thought.

Good to consider for blog writers and blog readers...

01 December 2009

local breastfeeding class - NJ

BREASTFEEDING
BASICS

Sat. Dec 5th - 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.

- The Benefits of Breastfeeding
- Starting Off on the Right Path After Delivery
- What to Expect from a Newborn
- Latch & Positioning
- Milk Supply and How Milk is Made
- How to tell if Baby is Getting Enough
- Support from Partner
- Skin-to-Skin and Bonding
$60/couple

Instructor: Danit Wehle, RN, IBCLC
Registered Nurse
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
For private consultations. Please call 973-866-0039

Contact: Kelli DeFlora,RYT, LMT, CD
To register for class, Please call 973-655-9655
Or register online at www.motherbirthyoga.com

Location: Montclair, NJ