SASKATOON – The birth of a baby is supposed to be a joyful experience but for some mothers it can turn into a nightmare. In Saskatchewan, there have been great gains in the area of screening mothers for postpartum depression but health care providers are now petitioning for that screening to start before the baby is even born.
It might have saved Amber Daniels from hitting rock bottom after she and her husband welcomed their son Denton into the world on May 15 of last year.
“We had completely forgot what it was like to be new parents,” said Amber.
“We had a lot of phones, late night phone calls phoning our moms asking what do we do. It was a big adjustment with an eight-year-old.”
Around the three-month mark it became something more. Amber started to feel anxious, had her first panic attack and things really started to unravel.
“I was afraid of my washing machine. I was really afraid to do laundry because I thought what if accidentally switching loads of laundry what if the baby went in there,” she said.
“I was afraid to cook, I was afraid to turn on my oven, I was afraid of my knife set.”
Amber was terrified to be alone with her baby. She was even admitted to a Calgary hospital but discharged without any answers. She eventually got the help she said she was begging for and was diagnosed with postpartum depression.
“It is so peaceful to know that I am the mom that I knew I was.”
She was put on medication briefly, that’s all she needed and was put in touch with a support group.
“I think that I would not be here if I didn’t talk about it,” added Amber.
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It’s estimated 15 per cent of women will experience postpartum depression at some point. In one to two per cent of cases if left untreated, a mother can become psychotic.
“The worst case scenario for us is that a mom does take her own life and/or her baby’s life,” said Angela Bowen, an associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan.
In Saskatchewan, mothers are supposed to be screened for postpartum depression during their infant’s two and six month check-ups, according to Bowen. It can however set in at any time within the first year of the baby being born.
If left untreated it’s likely a woman will have it during subsequent pregnancies and some mothers can fall through the cracks and not be screened at all.
Bowen is now pushing province-wide for every woman to be screened during pregnancy since warning signs can surface even then.
“If we know that women can be caught in pregnancy with this anxiety and worry then we’re going to help to prevent some postpartum depressions.”
On May 4, which is World Maternal Mental Health Day, a petition for the change will be presented to the Minister of Health.