Skip to main content
  • Patient Portal
  • Pay Bill
  • Request Appointment
MCHS_Logo_2024_BLACK
    • Services

      Featured Services

      • Cardiology (Heart)
      • Gastroenterology & Hepatology (Digestive Care)
      • Neurosurgery
      • Obstetrics & Gynecology (OB-GYN)
      • Oncology (Cancer)
      • Orthopedics & Orthopedic Surgery (Bones)
      • Primary Care
      • Spine Care
      • Sports Medicine
      • Surgery
      • Urology

      View all services
    • Providers
    • Locations

      Minnesota

      • Albert Lea
      • Austin
      • Belle Plaine
      • Blooming Prairie
      • Butterfield
      • Caledonia
      • Cannon Falls
      • Fairmont
      • Faribault
      • Lake City
      • Lake Crystal
      • Mankato
      • Montgomery
      • New Prague
      • Northfield
      • Owatonna
      • Plainview
      • Red Wing
      • Sherburn
      • St. James
      • St. Peter
      • Waseca
      • Waterville
      • Wells
      • Zumbrota

      Wisconsin

      • Arcadia
      • Barron
      • Bloomer
      • Chetek
      • Chippewa Falls
      • Eau Claire
      • Ellsworth
      • Glenwood City
      • Holmen
      • La Crosse
      • Menomonie
      • Mondovi
      • Onalaska
      • Osseo
      • Prairie du Chien
      • Rice Lake
      • Sparta
      • Tomah

      View map
    • Classes/Events
    • Blog
    • Wellness
    • Referrals

    Recent Posts

    • Two people working
      Speaking of Health
      Maintaining healthy relationships with age
      May 15, 2025
    • Charlie Pierce
      Patient Stories
      The sound of success: How improved hearing aids career change
      May 01, 2025
    • Cutting yellow pepper on board
      Speaking of Health
      Eating healthy on a budget
      April 24, 2025
    Featured Topics
    • Behavioral Health
    • Cancer
    • Children's Health (Pediatrics)
    • Exercise and Fitness
    • Heart Health
    • Men's Health
    • Neurosurgery
    • Obstetrics and Gynecology
    • Orthopedic Health
    • Weight-loss (Bariatric) Surgery
    • Women's Health
    Join our email newsletter
    Patient Stories
    Tuesday, April 2, 2019

    Postpartum depression: Not something you just get over

    Topics in this Post
    • Obstetrics and Gynecology
    Alethea Clark

    “I was a hot mess,” says Alethea Clark of Menomonie, Wisconsin, recalling the turmoil she felt after her second child was born. “I said, ‘Something isn’t right with me. As a mother, you’re supposed to be happy.’”

    Alethea had no problems with her first child’s birth. After her second was born, she thought she just had the baby blues and it would pass. But as time went on, Alethea wondered why she didn’t want to deal with her baby. When her daughter cried, she just wanted someone else to take care of her. Then, the situation became more serious.

    “After feeding her one night, I was holding her and rubbing her toe when I heard a voice in my head,” Alethea says. “I had this urge to hurt her toe. I thought, ‘This is enough.’” Alethea asked her father and then-stepmother to care for her children and voluntarily checked herself in to Mayo Clinic Health System for inpatient psychiatric care. She was eventually diagnosed with postpartum psychosis.

    A PERFECT STORM 

    Postpartum psychosis is rare, according to Emily Sisco, a certified nurse-midwife in Obstetrics & Gynecology at Mayo Clinic Health System. However, 1 in 9 women suffer from depression or anxiety after giving birth, known collectively as perinatal mood disorder. While the baby blues pass within a couple of weeks, a perinatal mood disorder can be diagnosed anytime during the first year after giving birth. The disorder could linger longer than a year.

    “It’s kind of a perfect storm,” says Emily. “Even if it’s welcome and exciting, adding a baby to the family — be it your first or your fifth — is a major life change. Then, there are hormone changes and changes to your daily life pattern — and sleep deprivation is a big one.”   

    Women who suffer from perinatal mood disorder tend to blame themselves, Emily says. Like Alethea, they hear that having a new child should be a joyful thing, and they wonder what they have done wrong.

    “It’s very clear that there’s nothing that they do to trigger this,” Emily says. “This is something that could happen to any woman, even one doing everything right.”


     

    “Know yourself. When you know something is wrong, don’t be afraid to say something to a family member or doctor.” — Alethea Clark

     


    Screening for depression should be part of every woman’s postnatal care, Emily says. Mothers who show signs of depression or anxiety should be treated immediately. That may include counseling, medication or referral for psychiatric care.

    Emily adds that while breastfeeding is considered to be a bonding time that can help protect against postpartum mood disorders, when it is not going well, it can be a source of anxiety. If a woman is breastfeeding and has problems, it is important for her to get help from a lactation consultant.

    It was a two-year struggle for Alethea, but she says she is doing well, off her medications and able to care for her children. She says she is glad she made the decision to put their safety first and seek help, and hopes other women can learn from her experience.

    “Know yourself,” Alethea says. “When you know something is wrong, don’t be afraid to say something to a family member or doctor.”

    Emily says women can be assured there is help when they need it.

    “They should know that they’re not alone, and that other women experience this and it’s nothing they’ve done wrong,” Emily says. “There are lots of resources available once you reach out and open up about it.”

    Topics in this Post
    • Obstetrics and Gynecology

    Related Posts

    Umm...Too Embarrassed to Ask Too Embarrassed to Ask: Part I
    Smiling MiddleAged Woman You don't need fancy products for good feminine hygiene
    Pregnant woman looking at supplements Should women take supplements while pregnant?
    Mayo Clinic Health System
    About Us
    Careers
    Volunteer
    Donate
    Contact Us
    Patient Care
    Patients & Visitors
    Classes & Events
    Mayo Clinic Connect
    Mayo Clinic
    Resources
    For Medical Professionals
    Community Resources
    Financial Assistance
    Price Transparency
    Press Room
    Compliance
    Notice of Nondiscrimination
    Notice of Privacy Practices
    No Surprises Act
    Terms of Use
    Manage Cookie
    Privacy Policy
    © 2018 - 2025 Mayo Clinic Health System