Mom to Mom

[beach-mom]

While reading about an actress who lost her home in the fires, I read the story of her pregnancy after she mentioned her twins. I didn't know she was expecting. She and her husband kept things quiet until the babies were born, and she never stopped working. 

She mentioned she had a terrible time with postpartum depression and got therapy for it.

 I was surprised. I thought a woman could only get it if she was the birth mother. 

I was lucky and never had it, but my one sister-in-law did. Her mother raised her son (her younger child) for almost a year. Eventually she was OK.

So what do you think? Am I the only one who didn't know a surrogate mother or an adoptive mother could get postpartum depression? 

[Kachina624]

@beach-mom.  I don't understand....did she give birth or did someone else have babies for her?

I thought postpartum depression was a chemical abnormally  after giving birth.  Never experience d it myself. 

[beach-mom]

@Kachina624 - She did not give birth; she used a surrogate. That's what is confusing me. I don't understand how someone could have PPD without giving birth. But she went on and on about how it is a "real" thing and how she had therapy. 

[Carmie]

Well, I just looked it up.  What I read was that even fathers of newborns can get postpartum depression.

I won't say what I really think, but just saying something or writing about it doesn't make it so.  

Postpartum means after giving birth.  If you didn't actually physically give birth, it doesn't sound like it's postpartum depression to me.

[Starpolisher]

It must be like the "We're pregnant" thing. When I was pregnant, my husband was not. He may have had his own set of feelings going on but he was not pregnant. His hormones and body were not doing the same things that mine were. I always learned that postpartum depression was due to the sudden drop in pregnancy hormones that affects brain chemicals. But while looking this up just now, I read that even Fathers can have postpartum depression. 🤷🏽‍♀️

The world has changed so much from my generation.

Men go to baby showers

Men get pregnant

Men get post partum depression 

Talk about inclusion!😁

[Still Raining]

Perhaps she just had sleep deprivation?  Twins must be a shock to any household, even with hired hands.

[beach-mom]

@Carmie - I guess that's just one more thing! I won't say what I think either!  

@Starpolisher - I have always disliked it when I hear that! I guess it must have started with the millennials. When DD tells me "Jane and Sam are pregnant!" I respond with, "Janie and Sam are EXPECTING. Janie is PREGNANT!"  SMH! 

@Still Raining - She had to have known her surrogate was having twins from the start. She just made such a big deal about how SHE had PPD, obviously to get us to sympathize with her. 

We have all read stories about some tragic consequences resulting from PPD. I am happy these two "celebrities" have two healthy babies. However, I think for an actress who did not give birth herself to say how much she suffered from it is ridiculous. She made light of a condition that has affected millions of women.

She seems to be following the "Chrissy Teigen or Hilaria Baldwin" pleas for attention! 

[JeanLouiseFinch]

I agree about it being attention seeking.  It's also an insult to someone who has really given birth and experienced it.  I didn't have it to the degree of psychosis.  I was able to function but I had a rough few months after our first was born. 

[bikerbabe]

I’m not always a fan of Chrissy Tiegan’s posts but in her defense she nearly died (hemorrhaging) from a partial placental abruption. I believe the baby lived only a few moments at birth.

[Kachina624]

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@Starpolisher wrote:

It must be like the "We're pregnant" thing. When I was pregnant, my husband was not. He may have had his own set of feelings going on but he was not pregnant. His hormones and body were not doing the same things that mine were. I always learned that postpartum depression was due to the sudden drop in pregnancy hormones that affects brain chemicals. But while looking this up just now, I read that even Fathers can have postpartum depression. 🤷🏽‍♀️

The world has changed so much from my generation.

Men go to baby showers

Men get pregnant

Men get post partum depression 

Talk about inclusion!😁

---

@Starpolisher.  Men may get depressed after the birth of a baby possibly due to changes in their lifestyle, new responsibilities and moms attention being diverted to the new baby.   I would not, however, call that what clinically is known as "postpartum" depression.