I read this article about a study being conducted, or a new program actually, at a hospital in Toronto (why are the Canadians so far ahead of the U.S. when it comes to family and parenting??) where they are trying to reduce the severity of post-partum depression by having birth mothers stay for 5 extra days at the hospital. The nurses help a lot and the moms get to sleep. The thinking is that sleep deprivation has a lot to do with post-partum depression, so by having mothers who are at "high risk" stay at the hospital and sleep the severity of PPD will be less. Or avoided completely.
Well, what a great idea! Although I'm not sure 5 days is enough....
At least someone, somewhere, is trying to do something to help.
Now, what about us adoptive moms? Are we not sleep deprived??
Click here to read the whole article.
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4 comments:
I often think my PAD wouldn't be so severe if I had more sleep and less, well sleepless nights.
But then again, I'd feel guilty not taking care of Sammy because I wasn't there for the first 10 mos...
this topic just came up in a training class i went to last night for adoptive families from foster care. 4 out of 6 families in the class reported their children had major sleep problems due to anxiety/nightmares. and these aren't necessarily kids who've recently adopted. one girl has been sleeping in the parents bedroom since age 3 and she's now 8 and is transitioning back to her room. and i have to say, as an adoptive parent to a child with major sleep issues and a baby that likes to eat in the middle of the night, sleep deprivation will start leading me towards depression for sure!
Someone told me you can start sleeping when they leave for college . . .
I read your entire blog yesterday (when I should have been doing other stuff, natch). My husband and I are seriously considering ET adoption, and I have been cruising the net for any information I can find about the process. I have loved reading your story! Don't stop now - discussing PAD is so rare - I think that bloggers who suffer it just stop blogging - so many stories seem to stop after the child comes home. I realize that some of that is just being a zillion times busier than they were before, but I suspect that many new parents are also suffering from PAD & don't want to blog about that - isn't it supposed to be a big happy ending? Not a chaotic, stressful, frightening new beginning??
I appreciate your blog so much - I hope you can keep up with it, amidst all the other demands on your time.
Lynn in SD
Lynn,
Thanks! That is one of the nicest comments I've ever received :-)
Way to make my day!
Thanks so much. I hope you keep reading. You are the reason I write every day.
Sam's Mom,
I know, isn't the guilt a killer? Ugh.
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