Q:  I had a baby two month ago, and still feel very tired and low in spirit. I have
mood swings and feel irritable. Sometimes I feel as if I don’t care about my
husband or baby. Is there life after childbirth?
A: You may be experiencing postpartum depression (PDD). Estrogen and
progesterone levels suddenly drop after childbirth, which may lead to depression,
apathy, sudden mood swings, bouts of irritability and anger and often a compete lack
of sex drive, all of which can put a lot of strain on a marriage and make motherhood
difficult. See your medical doctor for a thorough assessment, including bloodwork.
Make sure you are not overworking yourself and are getting enough sleep.

Thyroid function may also be altered following childbirth, as the thyroid is overworking
throughout the pregnancy and may become hypothyroid (under-functioning) after the
baby is born. Sometimes thyroid hormone production is normal, but the body is unable
to use the hormone efficiently. As naturopathic doctors we use a combination of
conventional thyroid hormone testing as well as monitoring of the woman’s body
temperature on waking to assess thyroid function and metabolism. If the blood work is
normal, but you have a subnormal temperature of less than 36.6 degree celsius on
waking taken under your arm, you may be suffering from Wilson’s syndrome, an
inability to efficiently utilize thyroid hormone. Conventional medicine rarely considers
this syndrome.
Either way, you may experience symptoms of hypothyroidism, which can include
fatique and depression. Coupled with the changes in estrogen and progesterone
levels this can cause you to feel quite unwell.
Fortunately naturopathic medicine can offer some good solutions to these problems,
including the use of herbs, nutrition, supplements and homeopathy to rebalance your
hormonal function.