MANY TRANSITIONS IN LIFE ARE DIFFICULT — ESPECIALLY THE TRANSITION TO PARENTHOOD — BUT WE TEND TO TALK ABOUT THE NEWBORN PERIOD AS ONE OF INSTANT BONDING AND BLISS. FOR A LOT OF NEW MOMS, THAT’S NOT THEIR EXPERIENCE, AND THAT’S 100% NORMAL.
But what’s the line between feeling like “Wow, this is a really tough time. I’m struggling with this adjustment,” and “Hmm. I think I might have perinatal depression (PPD) or anxiety (PPA)”? In this chat, we’re going to be talking with Catherine Birndorf, M.D, a Reproductive Psychiatrist and Co-Founder of The Motherhood Center of New York, about this grey area between “well” and “sick”, when to seek help, what the standard is for a diagnosis of PPD or PPA, and what the research shows about prevention and treatment.