Navigating Postpartum and Antenatal Depression

Hey everybody I am back! In this compelling podcast episode, I tackle the critical issue of postpartum depression (PPD) among African-American women. Sharing my excitement about returning to podcasting, I introduce a fresh solo format that dives deep into the alarming statistics and unique factors contributing to higher rates of PPD and antenatal depression within the African-American community. Join me for an empowering conversation that aims to break down barriers, foster understanding, and celebrate every small victory on the path to better maternal mental health.  

Transcript

Speaker 2: 0:45

Yo yo yo. What's going on? Everybody? It's your boy, anthony, and welcome to another edition of Spade the Podcast. I am back, y'all back better than ever. Feel rejuvenated. What's going on y'all? Um, yeah, I know it's been a while since I've recorded an episode, like since February, and here it is almost June. But I'm good, I'm back and all is well with me. The stressors and everything it's all gone down, so I'm all good, um. So just wanted to let y'all know that, um, I'm going to start recording some episodes, um, on my own and also, of course, I'm still going to have panel episodes. But I just wanted y'all to get to know me, because y'all haven't ever heard me do my own um podcast myself without a panel on me moderating. So that's what I, you know, want to do and I feel like it's going to be going to be neat and I'm a little nervous, but this is actually going to be my first one doing that. But I'm a little nervous, but this is actually going to be my first one doing that, but I'm excited and, yeah, I'm super excited about this particular episode. So, yeah, we're going to go dive in. I hope everyone y'all have had a wonderful start of the year it's finally summer, we finally have some nice weather, finally out the cold, and everything like that, because the last time I talked to y'all was February and it was freezing. So now it's 80s, 70s, 80s, and I'm loving it. I'm playing tennis again, so I'm loving it. But anyway, we're going to go ahead and go ahead and get there. So I'm going to get started.

Speaker 2: 2:57

But this particular episode that we're going to, the topic that we're going to address today, it actually doesn't get nearly enough attention and it's postpartum depression among African-American women, especially Postpartum depression or PPD. It's a serious mental health services. All of these factors create a complex of web of barriers that can make, you know, make it harder to seek help, and it can just be very trying for our African American mothers. So in this episode I want to explore different statistics that reveals, like, the higher Prelevance of postpartum depression among the African-American women. So, whether you're, you know, a new mother, health care provider or someone wanting to better understand the challenges faced by African-American women, you know, I think this particular episode is definitely going to help you and, you know, you don't even have to be, like I said, an African-American woman. If you're a new mother, this episode will definitely help you. So I want you to stay tuned, and we're going to dive in and let's get this conversation going All right. So I'll be right back, let's go, all right.

Speaker 2: 5:36

So, before we get into talking about postpartum depression, I want to introduce you guys to a form of depression that mothers deal with that affects women during the pregnancy. What and some of you may not know what it is, and it's called antenatal depression. So postpartum depression affects females after the birth of the baby. Depression affects females after the birth of the baby. Antenatal depression is a form of clinical depression that affects women during the pregnancy. So, according to the National Library of Medicine, this was in the year 2020 that they disclosed this particular statistic. Research suggested that 25 to 50% of African-American women experience depressive symptoms during their pregnancies, which is eye-opening and it's sad, very sad. Which is eye-opening and very that's good. It's sad, very sad. But it's also understandable because, you know, african-american women are the I guess you can say the super moms, so to speak. They take on everything having to balance the work life, balancing taking care of the home, balancing taking care of kids, making sure everything is taken care of, but then you're dealing with so much and not really taking care of yourself. So I can really see how they experience these types of symptoms. And so antenatal depression it can impact the mental health of the women and her baby, and research shows that infants and young children of, and antennately depressed, depressed mothers are more likely to have a difficult temperaments as well as cognitive and emotional delays. So this type of depression can set in during the pregnancy at any time and it can continue for weeks and maybe months and, in essence, if it's not treated, it can develop into postpartum depression after the birth of the baby, after the birth of the baby. And this type of depression is very hard to get recognized because when a woman is pregnant, their hormones are, you know, to be blunt all over the place. So one minute crying, laughing, you know, it's just everywhere. But that's why this type of depression can go unnoticed and eventually, if it's unnoticed, it grows. It can grow into full-blown postpartum depression after birth of the baby, like I said before.

Speaker 2: 9:04

So some of the symptoms of antenatal depression and these are just some symptoms are you feeling low or numb, feeling nothing at all, loss of confidence, feeling helpless, feeling teary-eyed and emotional angry. Changes in your sleep pattern. You don't want to go to sleep, changes in appetite, lack of interest and or energy, difficult in concentrating, thinking clearly or making decisions, feeling isolated, having thoughts of harming yourself, in the baby or other children. I've heard that so many times where you know, um, parents like they feel, like that they're not going to, but they just have that thought of, they want to because they're just tired. So tired that's if they have another child, because the other child is just that other child is sensing that mommy has another being inside them and mommy's not really paying attention to me and mommy's always tired. So that stress for alone is making things worse for mom. Also, another symptom is finding it difficult to cope and getting through the day, experiencing panic attacks, sleeping too much, losing interest in sex, sex withdrawing from family, having thoughts of death, mood swings and easily annoyed and irritated. So all of these and it's so many more symptoms. But all of this are symptoms and you know some people they experience this. They just think that all these are just natural hormones and it goes unchecked. And so maybe now you understand like, oh my, these are not natural symptoms.

Speaker 2: 11:13

I may be dealing with a form of depression that I never knew I was dealing with. And so now, because I'm dealing with this type of depression now and it's gone untreated, I'm now going through depression, going through postpartum depression. The baby's born and so now I'm even more into a funk. So how do you treat? You know, how can we treat this antenatal depression? Well, a couple, couple treatments are safe pregnancy antidepressants, counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy and psychotherapy.

Speaker 2: 11:56

Also, of course, have your network. Make sure you just have a nice network that you can talk to, you know, that you trust, that you can just go to and that can just help you out in your time of need. You know, because pregnancy, that's that's that's a lot to deal during that time of a pregnancy. My ladies, just make sure you have that your tribe. Gotta have a tribe around you. Gotta have your friends, somebody that you can count on, that you can depend on to help get you through these nine months, because it's tiring and it's, it's, it's, it's, it can be frustrating. I I've seen it firsthand with many different people. So, um, we shall statistic with you.

Speaker 2: 13:48

According to the American Psychological Association and this is in 2022, sorry, it's not an actual statistic, but this was in an article in their website Black birthing people are more likely to experience long-lasting mental health concerns after childbirth than their non-Black counterparts. In this article it was the article. It says research from the ICAHN School of Medicine in Mount Sinai found that 44% of African Americans reported depressive symptoms two weeks after delivery, compared to 31% of white women. Wow, they also said that, uh, why black women face higher risk but receive less treatment.

Speaker 2: 14:53

Pregnancy and new motherhood features a rollercoaster of emotions. The highs are sky high, while the sadness, weepingness and rapidly changing emotions that results from the rough shift in hormones following the birth, which is a known fact, which is a known fact. So African-American women experiencing postpartum depression often face specific difficulties that can impact their mental health and overall well-being, and some key challenges for that are one the cultural stigma. So in many African-American communities, mental health issues can carry a stigma and making women less likely to discuss their feelings or seek help. There's often a cultural emphasis on you know nothing is wrong. They are going to keep going and going and going and not really helping. You know themselves, or anything like that, and themselves or anything like that, and there's often that cultural emphasis on strength and resilience which can discourage admitting to struggles with postpartum depression Under diagnosis and under treatment.

Speaker 2: 16:44

African-american women are often under diagnosed and undertreated for postpartum depression due to healthcare disparities and biases in the medical system. This can lead to prolonged suffering and lack of appropriate interventions. Also, access to mental health services barriers such as lack of insurance, financial constraints, geographical limitations, can hinder access to quality mental health services. Additionally, there may be, you know, like a shortage of culturally competent healthcare providers, meaning Black healthcare providers. So you got all of these, you know, white doctors or whatever, but they're not really pay attention to what our Queens want, want, you know, they're just treating them like a number or whatever. There's like rushing them to get them out.

Speaker 2: 17:44

I that this is on another subject, but I dealt with a white doctor that um didn't want to hear me out with my epileptic problems and wanted me out. I had an issue going on and instead of really listening to what I was saying and he just treated me like I was nothing for real, for real, and I ended up leaving that neurologist because I mean he was rated so quote, unquote high, but I mean he was good at what he did. However, if I don't feel a connection with you, you just treat me like a number. Why am I going to stay there and I end up finding a black doctor, a black neurologist. So that's what you know is kind of the problem with our women. Like they feel the same way that I felt why come here, why go see a physician if I'm not being heard? You know Socioeconomic stressors higher rates of poverty, single parenthood and job insecurity can increase stressors.

Speaker 2: 18:54

Higher rates of poverty, single parenthood and job insecurity can increase stress levels which contribute to the onset of severity of postpartum depression. And, most importantly, discrimination. Experiences of discrimination and biases in the healthcare settings can lead to mistrust within the healthcare providers. You know experiences of discrimination and biases in the healthcare settings can lead to mistrust within the healthcare providers. You know all of us um have experienced um some form of discrimination. If you are, if you're an African American, you have experienced that in your lifetimes in some form or type of way of your you. If not you, your family has experienced that. It's just inevitable and again, this can lead to mistrust in the healthcare providers. And it's also this mistrust can result in delayed care seeking and poor communication with healthcare professionals seeking and poor communication with health care professionals. And then these feelings of vulnerability and distress causes distress during the postpartum period. But addressing these challenges requires different approaches and one can increase an awareness and education about postpartum depression and this can go back as far as community-based. So a good thing as far as helping with that is community-based support groups. Maybe that can be formed which will play, like I guess, a critical role in providing the necessary support and resources for mothers, so mothers can band together and form like these neighborhood organizations or Facebook groups.

Speaker 2: 20:56

I want to go back and talk about some symptoms. So some symptoms I want to go over is the baby blues. So baby blues that last only a few days to a week or two after delivery. So that is mood swings, anxiety, sadness, irritability, feelings of overwhelmed crying, reduced concentration, appetite problems and trouble uh, sleeping now. Postpartum depression um is sometimes now.

Speaker 2: 21:32

Postpartum depression is sometimes confused with baby blues. But postpartum depression symptoms are severe mood swings, excessive crying, difficulty bonding with your baby, withdrawing from family and friends, loss of appetite, inability to sleep or sleeping too much, overwhelmed fatigue, reduced interest and pleasure in activities that you used to enjoy, intense irritability and anger. Intense irritability and anger, fear that you're not a good mother, feelings of worthlessness, shame, guilt, inadequacy, diminished ability to think clearly, severe anxiety and panic attacks, thoughts of harming yourself and your baby and recurrent thoughts of death and suicide. So these are just very, very strong, strong symptoms. So what are some treatments for postpartum depression? So, again, treatments are antidepressants, counseling therapy and also exercising, relaxing, fun activities. And again, like I said earlier, that support network is very, very super important. Is that network, your tribe, is everything and will help get you through this trying time. And also I wanted to Throw this note in here, especially for my breastfeeding parents their baby isn't latching and they feel like that they're, you know, worthless or they're not doing something right because the baby isn't, um, isn't latching on, or they feel like that the baby, their baby, doesn't love them and they're a horrible mother. I'm just going to tell you don't feel like that, that baby will love you.

Speaker 2: 24:06

It takes time with breastfeeding. Go see your um, go see a lactation consultant, um, go to the WIC program. Go to the WIC program and um and see if you qualify for WIC and then make sure, sure you go ahead and look to get a scheduled appointment for breastfeeding classes. It's in talking with the breastfeeding peer, counselor and lactation consultant, etc. Educate yourself, consultant, et cetera. Educate yourself and then also set realistic expectations, because it's important to make sure you set realistic expectations, not only for yourself and also for your baby, understanding that it's okay not to have everything perfect. Remember that it's okay not to be perfect and to experience a range of emotions. You're going to experience a range of emotions, it's okay. It's going to be okay.

Speaker 2: 25:19

Try to avoid alcohol and drugs. Those substances can worsen depression and interfere with medications you might be taking for your postpartum depression. And then also be patient with yourself. Recovery from postpartum depression it takes time. So be kind to yourself.

Speaker 2: 25:41

Acknowledge your progress, even if it's just a small little thing. Acknowledge it. Acknowledge your progress, even if it's just a small little thing. Acknowledge it. Give yourself daily affirmations. You know, no matter. Acknowledge the progress, no matter how small it is. Give yourself daily affirmations. Involve your partner. If you have a partner, involve them in the journey. Encourage them to learn about postpartum depression. Be honest, be open. Don't try and hide it. Don't try and don't be ashamed. And you know. Remember postpartum is a treatable condition and seeking help is a sign of strength. It's not a sign of weakness. Remember that and if you or someone you know is struggling with postpartum depression again, don't hesitate to reach out to a health care provider, health care professional or support and guidance. So I hope this episode, I hope you guys learned something from it, and I look forward to doing more one-on-one episodes with you guys. Okay, so again, be kind to yourself, stay true to yourself. It's going to be okay. Be patient, love yourself. You got this, see y'all. Thank you Bye.