Hi Reader,

I've spent a lot of time in the last year researching and teaching (both clients and other dietitians) on postpartum depression, including several hundred WIC dietitians, and I finally carved out the time to write about it so I can share it with you in a way that will hopefully be practical and readable, as well as evidence-based.

This topic has become really important to me partially because I don't think it gets talked about nearly as much as it should be, causing women who experience postpartum depression to feel like they are the only ones... and partially because there are real things that we can actually do to decrease our risk of postpartum depression, or to help us better manage it if we are currently dealing with it.

This is just the first part of the series, so be on the lookout for a few more posts over the next couple of weeks as I share the rest of the story. Today's post covers what postpartum depression is, and then we'll dig into some of the facets of how we live our everyday lives and the kind of help and support we need to help us be mentally strong and healthy in this challenging time of life.

We'll get deeper into the actual nutritional part of this discussion next time!

Can Good Nutrition Help Prevent Postpartum Depression? (Part 1)

Postpartum depression is shockingly common for how infrequently it actually gets talked about. Sure, we’ve all done the screening questionnaires in the hospital, and those are very important. But many women are shamed into feeling that the way they feel is a sign that they are bad mothers or that something is wrong with their ability to love their babies.
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But more than one in 10 women experience postpartum depression. It’s the most common postpartum mood disorder—and if you’re wondering why there even is a most common postpartum mood disorder, why this is such a sensitive time period in a woman’s life, I hope to partially answer that question in this series.
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But also, along with telling you about why postpartum is SO HARD (you already knew it was, I’m just going to give you even more reasons why it’s hard), my goal is also to give you hope—that maybe there is more you can do about it, more that is actually within your locus of control, than you might have thought.

See you next time!

Erica Golden, RDN, IFNCP

Let's work together to get you feeling better. I offer telehealth nutrition services to clients in multiple states across the US. If you want to find out how to harness the power of nutrition for your health and improve your relationship with food, send me a message or schedule a phone call with me. Schedule a 15-minute discovery call