Better Care is Needed for Postpartum Depression
A doctor learns to ask the right questions to help patients get the help they deserve.
A nurse
She was a nurse. I worked with her daily. She was my friend and also my patient. Happily married. Perfect pregnancy. Easy delivery.
How did I not recognize she was suffering from postpartum depression?
She could not get out of bed. Although madly in love with her baby, dark and dangerous thoughts filled her head. Each day she forced herself out of bed. She cried daily. The stress of hiding her depression from her husband was tearing her marriage apart.
One year later, she confessed. During her annual exam, she revealed all that she had been through. Struggling in silence. Sharing with no one. She was miserable.
I am the doctor she trusted. Once I knew of her illness, she got better. Why did I not catch it sooner?
I didn’t ask. She didn’t say.
I’m sorry.
