Gwyneth Reveals Pospartem Battle

Only recently has postpartum depression entered the psychological scene as a valid depression diagnosis. For years, medical information excluded it or glossed over it, referring to the disorder as typical “baby blues” associated with the stress and heightened emotion of motherhood. Women were left feeling alone and afraid to express their thoughts.

The latest celebrity to share her experience with postpartum depression is Gwyneth Paltrow when she appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." After her first child Apple Blythe Alison was born, Paltrow says she was in “postnatal euphoria.” So when she was pregnant with her second child, she expected to be the same way after his birth. But shortly after Moses’ arrival, Paltrow said she felt very aloof and disconnected from even herself.  

It wasn’t until a dinner with her friend pop star Madonna, a mother of three, that Paltrow said she realized she needed to find a way to change her behavior and outlook. Paltrow also credits exercise and a healthy diet as change agents in lifting her postpartum depression. (Remember though that a celebrity’s version of exercise and normal people’s version of exercise are vastly different. Paltrow works out for two hours a day, six days a week. You don’t need to exercise that vigorously to be healthy. Half an hour to an hour most days of the week is plenty.)

Have you or someone you know experienced postpartum depression? What treatments worked best? [Celebrity-babies.com]