Overcoming Post Natal Depression Naturally

This is a post from my old blog, Mama O Naturale, but I thought it was too valauable to leave behind, so here it is again.

Overcoming Post Natal Depression Naturally

-          Disclaimer

So for the sake of all mankind and my backside, it’s probably pretty important that I get this out of the way first. I am NOT a medical professional or expert. The content of this blog post is not intended as medical advice. I was under the care and monitoring of Maternal Mental Health during the process to ensure things went as they should. Readers should seek their own advice and inform themselves fully before choosing to undertake this, or any other, method of care.

-          SSRI’s – A Crash Course

SSRI stands for Serotonin Selective Reuptake Inhibitors. SSRI’s are the most commonly prescribed form of antidepressant medication prescribed today. They work by slowing down the serotonin reuptake process at the serotonin synapses in the brain over a period of weeks. It is believed that inhibiting the uptake of serotonin leaves more serotonin in the brain to be utilised to help with mood.

The most common SSRI prescribed for Postpartum Depression is Citalopram. You can find out about Citalopram here.

-          So, why not SSRI’s?

As you can see from the above link, there is a fairly hefty list of possible side effects. And while I feel that those side effects alone should be enough to deter anyone from touching SSRI’s with a fifty foot barge pole, I have also formed my own theory.

Here is where I need to point out that what I’m about to say is my own theory and opinion and has no scientific backing. Well, not that I know of anyway.

The reason I refuse to take SSRI’s (especially while breastfeeding) is because while on the drug, your brain is “trained” to work/function in a certain way by altering the serotonin reuptake. I believe that if the drug goes through my milk to my baby (which a small amount does), then the drug may effect may babies brain. Considering a babies brain is on a developmental supercharge, forming it’s foundations for life, I feel that the possibility of my babies brain being trained to function differently to what it is naturally designed to, is detrimental. Because, if their brain develops while being made to function in this way, then what will happen to their tiny brain when the drugs are taken away? My theory, is that I would be setting my child up for a lifetime of depression because their brain does not know how to function without the drugs and the brain loses its ability to regulate its serotonin reuptake naturally and normally.

Again, this is just my own theory. Delusional paranoia perhaps, but it was enough for me to make sure I could find another way.

The fact that I won’t take SSRI’s shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows me. I’ll run a mile from any pharmaceutical drug. They’re just not my thing. The way I figure it, mankind got by without them for a heck of a long time by using natural, what we now call “alternative”, remedies.

-          Natural Alternatives

There are 4 basic things that I have found that are totally natural and proven effective. Fish oil (Omega 3), B Vitamin Complex, Magnesium and Exercise.

Although controlled studies are lacking, from the limited knowledge we have we know that fish oil (Omega 3) is known to work as a mood stabiliser reducing inflammation and promote flexible cell membranes in the brain. You can read more about this here.

B Vitamins (specifically B-6) are an important part of any diet. They are already readily used to aid and support the body and mind during stress. You can find out more about the use of B Vitamins here

I was once told that 70% of depression is caused by a magnesium deficiency. Our foods are so depleted of such an important mineral that our bodies and minds suffer the consequences. You can find out more about treating depression with Magnesium here.

Exercise causes the body to release many “happy” hormones within your body including natural endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin. You can find out about how exercise can help depression here

-          Doing it Naturally

It all started for me through my Maternal Mental Health nurse. I expressed my distain for pharmaceutical drugs and explained my theory to her right from day one so she knew exactly where I stood. Right then and there, without hesitation, she offered me some insightful information about the use of Fish Oil and that’s where it started.

It was initially suggested that I take up to six 1000mg tablets per day, starting with two per day and slowly increasing up to six over the space of two weeks to avoid gastrointestinal upset.

I will admit that it wasn’t an immediate relief for me but instead I found that the Fish Oil gave me clarity of mind, the ability to think more clearly and therefore organise my own thoughts and feelings, giving me the ability to rationalise them. But I still wasn’t completely happy, so continued to seek more help.

At the time, I was part of a Facebook chat group which Hilary Butler moderated. For those of you who don’t know who Hilary Butler is, you can find out more about her work here. It was Hilary who directed me towards the B Vitamin Complex and Magnesium. I talked to Hilary about my depression and my diet which enabled her to identify through my cravings of chocolate, that I was severely lacking in B Vitamins and through her own knowledge of lacking minerals she also suggested a reasonably high dosage of Magnesium.

So, along with my six fish oil tablets a day, I began to take two B Vitamin Complex tablets and two Magnesium tablets, which I later increased to three tablets per day. I also began to incorporate a basic exercise circuit routine into my day. I have two small children after all and going out for a daily run just wasn’t on the cards for me.

Here is where the magic began. Within two weeks, I began to feel normal again. Tired, but normal. I had more control of my emotions. I stopped bursting into tears for no apparent reason. And the anger and tension towards my daughter faded. I was suddenly able to cope far more effectively and it was good.

I’m not perfect though. I still lose the plot every now and then. I am human after all but I talked to my Maternal Mental Health nurse and requested a psychiatric assessment. An odd thing one might think, but with a family history of mental disorders, I had to know once and for all if there was anything more than Post Natal Depression going on for me.

So the happy ending is this; I am free and clear of any and all mental disorders including Post Natal Depression and was told that I am “so normal, it’s funny!” And I did it all without taking pharmaceutical anti-depressants.