Ep 58 - Postpartum Depression from a Male Perspective with Steven D'Achille
Postpartum depression is a treatable medical illness that affects about 15-20% of women after giving birth. It can develop anywhere from a few weeks to a year after delivery, but it's most common in the first three months postpartum.
However, postpartum depression can be hard to spot, because the moodiness and other symptoms are similar to the "baby blues" — a short-lived state that affects up to 70% of new mothers. Only 15% of all women with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, including postpartum depression, ever receive professional treatment.
Steven shares his story of how his wife developed postpartum anxiety and why perinatal mood and anxiety disorders are not just issues for women, but for the family to work together through.
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From the moment Adriana arrived, Alexis seemed stressed. Once home, she felt out of control, with anxiety beyond the “normal” new mom worries. Though she sought help, she was not able to get the relief she needed from what was now obviously postpartum depression.
Clearly not seeing any other way out, she took her own life on October 10th, 2013, just 6 weeks after Adriana’s birth.
The way Alexis died was not the way she lived. She had a doting husband, a beautiful daughter, gorgeous home, great family and friends, and a fulfilling career – everything a girl could hope for. That’s why her passing was so tragic and unexpected. If she could feel that lost and alone, any woman can.
In the weeks after, Steven decided he would make it his mission to do what he could to stop something like this from happening again…To create a legacy for Adriana to carry on in her mother’s name.
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