Effects of Postpartum Depression on the Baby - Health Channel

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Effects of Postpartum Depression on the Baby |

Postpartum depression can have implications in a baby. Dr. Jila Senemar, Obstetrician and Gynecologist with Baptist Health South Florida, says the mother can have negative feelings of resentment towards the baby and, also, she feels the baby is rejecting her.

The expert says when she has a patient with postpartum depression; she studies the behavior and the feeling of the patient. If it’s something emergent, she acts upon it right away.

If it’s not an emergency, the physician starts with counseling, therapies and family therapy.

Transcript

Let’s for a moment talk about the implications for the baby as well. And want you to walk through this and give us some of your experiences in some of these these implications as well. First of all it can interfere with the mother child bonding you can absolutely see that because there is a there is a feeling from the mother it’s maybe not jealousy, but it’s it’s almost as if why am I here look what you’ve put me into here. It becomes anger right absolutely and there there’s resentment they they they have negative feelings of resentment towards the baby and on the other hand they can also feel like the baby is rejecting them. So yes. > Major depressive disorder if left untreated. What’s been some of your reactions and some of your your personal interactions with with patients about that. > Interesting Ed. You know as the patient in the video Jenelle, you know, alluded to as it’s that if left untreated it can get out of control and it can be a bigger problem to manage and treat down the road. So she was correct in seeking help. Behavioral problems temper tantrums hyperactivity when a patient comes in to see you I would imagine that right from the first get go you’re sensitive to these, because, these are things that that you really don’t normally see in a doctor’s office. So they’ve got to be things that you’re able to look for and see it happening. Yes? > Exactly. You… you… have an eye for this stuff now, because okay why is this happening what is the background cause, if any, of what’s going on and you have to be prepared to to see it and act upon it. > All right. So you have a patient in the office and one you’re going to talk to here today you have a mother who is having trouble bonding with her child because of postpartum depression. What do you recommend? > At that point Ed I would speak to the patient ask her some specific questions does she have help, who’s around, how does her husband feel, how does she feel that they’re if they’re helping her, are they not helping her, and just try and delve in a little bit deeper to see exactly the extent of what’s going on and if it’s something emergent then we need to act upon it right away. Otherwise you know we with counseling we start with therapies family therapy and proceed from that.

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