How to Overcome the Baby Blues or Handle Postpartum Depression [VLOG #121]

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Transcript:

Note: The following is the output of transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate. This is due to inaudible passages or transcription errors. It is posted as an aid, but should not be treated as an authoritative record.

Hi Beauties,

Today would to talk about How to Overcome the Baby Blues or Handle Postpartum Depression. Here we’ve been talking a lot about pregnancy, fertility, nursing. Obviously I am pregnant right now.

Understanding Baby Blues and Postpartum Depression

These are topics that are very much top of mind for me. I think this is a really important topic to cover because research shows that 50-75% of women experience some form of postpartum sadness and depression. I know when I was pregnant the first time with Bubby and I gave birth, I experienced some moodiness and sadness myself.

It’s really important that we talk about this and figure out ways to support each other and to alleviate what can be a difficult time for many women. Also, I want to mention, we will take our approach using the Four Cornerstones of true beauty, which includes food, body, emotional wellbeing/mental health and spiritual tips, as we dive in.

As I mentioned, the Cleveland Clinic has showed that it is about 50-75% of women. If you have been through this or going through it currently, and you feel like you’re alone, I assure you, you are not. This is a very common issue and the more we talk about ways to get past it, the better we’re all going to be.

The National Institute of Mental Health defines postpartum depression as feeling moody, irritable or restless, which I personally experienced. Sad, hopeless, overwhelmed, overly anxious or worried, crying more than usual. Does any of this sound familiar to you? Having trouble concentrating, remembering details, making decisions or experiencing anger or rage.

Now for many women, this may go away in one to two weeks, but if you are concerned that this is something more serious, of course, please do contact your healthcare provider.

Postpartum Nutrition

Let’s get into some natural practices that you can start to incorporate into your routine, whether you are expecting, or you just had a baby, or this is something that may you want to be prepared for sometime in your future.

Food is our first cornerstone and it’s always a great starting point because food is tangible. We pick it up, we all need to eat. As a new mama you will probably be very, very hungry.

Fatty acids

Some of the foods that are really important are number one, fatty acids. Getting omega-3. This is really great for nurturing our brain health, for elevating our moods and combating depression. There are also walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, avocados, Brazil nuts, almonds and hemp seeds are all great sources of omegas. You can take a DHA, EPA, algae-based supplement, which is something that I’ve been doing while I’m pregnant and something I will continue to do post-pregnancy as well.

Whole Grains

Whole grains are also really great foods to have at this time. Quinoa, millet, brown rice, also oatmeal‘s a top nursing food as we’ve talked about before. Whole grains give you sustained energy, especially gluten-free ones. You can sprout them, you can soak them which make them easier to digest.

They’re a great source of B vitamins, which is linked to increased levels of serotonin, which is known as the happy chemical. Also, we’ve been talking about immunity with zinc rich foods which have magnesium like lentils, seeds and nuts. All of these are amazing foods to add into your diet.

These are not only great for immunity but they’re also great for helping overcome postpartum depression. So keep those around. And a study published by the National Institutes of Health found that this deficiency in these trace minerals can also increase your chance of postpartum depression.

Lentils, Nuts and Seeds

If you are still pregnant like me, make sure to load up again, on lentils, seeds, and nuts as amazing sources of all of these foods.

Yoga for Postpartum Depression

Now yoga falls into the body category, which is our second cornerstone here at Solluna. This is one of the best things you can do for centering yourself and your energy.

Now, baby’s very little obviously, but you can take baby with you. You could do a little bit of stretching on your mat or do grounding poses like child’s pose, while baby’s napping. Or, a little bit of cat-cow, just to feel connected back into your body, to remind yourself to take deep breaths.

Mindfulness and Meditation for Postpartum Depression

You can also do meditation and mindfulness. Now meditation for me is such a grounding practice. I start to crave it now. It used to be something I had to train myself to do but now I feel like it really genuinely does make me feel so much better.

Remember on our website we also have lots of free guided meditations for you guys if that is of interest and help.

In Closing

I wish you as always all the best, all my love, health, safe, happy pregnancy and family time. And again, if this is something that you’re just thinking about in the future, it’s always great to have this information to be prepared for whenever that special time may come. I will see you back here next week. Till then, sending so much love. See you soon.