Article Written by Mary Rodrique
Thursday August 14, 1997 (a few things have been altered to keep anonymity)

For this local new mom, it was a classic case of Murphy's Law. Anything that could go wrong did. It began with her baby shower in the 35th week of pregnancy.

"I contracted dysentery," said Kim (not her real name). That meant several weeks of bloody diarrhea and cramping and one overnight stay in the hospital. Because it is also contagious, she feared for the health of her unborn child.

"For 18 days, I was really sick," she said. "I was told it's really uncommon." A health care worker told her the disease is transmitted oral-fecally and she could have contracted it by shaking hands with someone who didn't wash their hands after using the bathroom.

"I delivered a healthy baby, but I still wasn't over the dysentery," she recalled. Because of the blood she was losing with the dysentery plus during delivery, she also became anemic after her son was born. "Because of all the medicines, I had to quit breast feeding."

Three days after giving birth, Kim, 29, says she couldn't eat or sleep. "It was maddening. I was already stressed from the dysentery. Then I kept thinking when I laid the baby down that he would be getting up in a couple of hours. and I really had to sleep now. That made my insomnia worse. "I was anxious and paranoid because of the dysentery. I was always washing my hands, afraid I'd pass it to the baby. That first weekend at home I couldn't stop crying. I felt numb. My mom took over." Her 52 year old mother got up with the baby for nighttime feedings. Kim didn't want her husband to go to work in the morning. She would plead with him to stay home.

A lot of moms suffer in silence but Kim took an important step. She told her home visiting public health nurse that she was feeling blue. The nurse told her about a Doctor who specializes in post partum depression. She made an appointment.

"I like him, He really helped me," Kim said. He prescribed anti-depressants Zoloft and Ativan, plus group therapy. Kim's husband attended a couple of the sessions with her. "My husband has been very supportive. He said if there war this many women suffering post partum depression, he's sure there are a lot more out there not getting the help they need.

"I've had two friends give birth since I had my son in March, and they both feel blue but they don't say anything to their doctors."

Kim is over her dysentery now and is getting over her depression.

"The baby sleeps though the night now and that helps, too," she said. "I still have trouble right before my periods with not being able to sleep and migraine headaches."

As stay at home mom, she has also found solace in the Internet. "Depression after Delivery has a home page on the Internet. "Its kind of nice to talk to other women with the same problems," she said. "I gave one mom the phone number for Depression after Delivery. But she was in Israel. So it's really a universal problem."

Kim and her husband decided to limit their family to their son, now 4 months old. "After all I went through, no more kids," she said. "It was hard on all of us." She urges new moms who are feeling depressed to let their health care provider know.

"Don't be embarrassed. See your doctor." Or call the county health department. You are not alone."

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