Although less common than the baby blues, PMADs also affect a great number of new parents: 1 in 5 women, or 20%, are affected. More traditionally termed “Postpartum Depression,” it is important to recognize that PMADs actually encompass a variety of mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar mood disorder, and postpartum psychosis.
We are all well aware that labor and delivery cause pain. Despite this expectation, it’s hard to know what it will feel like and what you may need to cope until you are in the thick of it. Because of this, it’s helpful to think about what pain management techniques, both non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic, are available to you before you are actually in labor.
A question that has been increasingly coming up in the office is, “Should I be collecting colostrum before my baby is born?” Let’s take a closer look.
Many parents have heard the term Postpartum Depression, but PERINATAL encompasses both the pregnancy and postpartum periods, extending to 1 year AFTER delivery. While mild mood changes can be common during the perinatal period, up to 1 IN 5 women (20%) experience more significant perinatal mood and anxiety disorders – also known as PMADs. PMADs can affect anyone and do not discriminate based on ethnicity, age or socioeconomic status. Here, we’ll discuss the implications of PMADs during pregnancy, symptoms to look out for, and what you can do to reduce your pregnancy-related risks and to feel better.
When people talk about breastfeeding, they usually focus on the benefits for babies. Your family, friends, pediatricians and OBGYNs will tell you that breastmilk provides excellent nutrition and has major health benefits for babies. But what we don’t talk about nearly enough, are the significant positive impacts that breastfeeding has on mom.
In the United States, infertility affects 10-15% of heterosexual couples, making it one of the most common medical diagnoses for people ages 20 to 45 years old. Amongst married women in the U.S. specifically, 19% are affected. The WHO estimates that ONE in SIX couples worldwide experience infertility during their lifetime. LGBTQ couples face family building challenges at well. What these substantial numbers suggest is a high likelihood that most of us either know someone affected by infertility, or have been affected by infertility ourselves. Yet there is still so much that is not talked about when it comes to Infertility. Infertility can feel lonely and isolating to those trying to build a family. To address this, National Infertility Awareness Week, or NIAW, was started in 1989 to improve education and bring awareness to infertility.
