(Newswire.net — August 12, 2013) Los Angeles, CA — Andrea Yates brought the nation’s attention to the brutal reality of postpartum depression. Suddenly, the nation had to figure out why she killed her children. She had a well documented history of uncontrolled depression. Next, the nation had to see if there was any way to prevent this from happening again. More recently, Sonia Hermosillo threw her baby off a parking garage to his death. She was suffering from postpartum depression. Over half of the women who have given birth will experience mild to severe depression within the first year.
Postpartum depression used to be termed baby-blues. It wasn’t until women like Andrea Yates, that postpartum depression began to be looked at seriously. Now, women like Sonia Hermosillo have better access to help before a tragedy happens. It has become a routine part of well-baby checkups to ask how the mother is doing. They are screening mothers for signs of depression in an effort to avoid such irrevocable consequences. Why Mrs. Hermosillo did not get help is unknown.
Many medications are available for the treatment of depression. It has long been known that what goes in the mother usually ends up in the breast milk and, therefore, the baby. There have not been enough clinical trials to determine exactly how much of various antidepressants end up in breast milk, or what the long−term effects this may have on the baby.
So far, the clinical trials have indicated that Zoloft is safe for breastfeeding moms. Zoloft has not been detected in the serum of breastfed babies. Click here to contact us for more information about the safety of Zoloft and breastfeeding.
Moms want to do what is best for their babies. Depression can turn to psychosis unpredictably quickly. New moms need peace of mind when handling depression in a way that doesn’t harm the baby. Medication for postpartum depression is not the only option, but it may be the best option. Do not ignore the symptoms of postpartum depression. Do not listen to anybody who brushes off the symptoms as “just baby blues”. Take the symptoms of postpartum depression seriously. Get the facts and get help.