February 1—

As most parents know, nothing can truly prepare you for what it will be like to bring a child into the world and be charged with raising that tiny, vulnerable creature into adulthood. After reading a dozen books, endlessly questioning my friends with children and buying more baby supplies than anyone could ever need, I thought I was prepared. But, strangely enough, when the nurse put my son in my arms, I couldn’t have felt more unprepared. Somehow, we parents work it out. Our children survive our initially clumsy attempts at diaper changes, feeding and bathing. We navigate the challenges of early parenthood that we could never have anticipated. However, this learning curve is a rocky road, one that leaves many (if not most) feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and perpetually longing for a nap.

Yet, today I write about those parents who feel all of those things but to a degree that is difficult to articulate. Those parents who may, on one hand, feel like what they are experiencing is “normal” adjustment but on the other, suspect their struggle is different from those of their peers, and as such, may be reluctant to voice what they are feeling. It is my hope that this post serves to do a few things:

  • Elucidate differences between the more typical (I want avoid saying “normal” as there really is no such thing) early parenthood experience and symptoms of postpartum depression and anxiety (PPD/A) that might warrant support and treatment
  • Discuss how being an expatratriate might exacerbate early parenthood difficulties

and

  • Assure any suffering parents that they are not alone- that help exists in the form of effective treatment by a professional or by accessing resources available in our community

Symptoms of PPD/A

Listed below are symptoms that characterize the general experience of postpartum depression/anxiety. Keep in mind that not all of the symptoms might apply or that the symptoms may be somewhat different for you. I provide the list simply to increase general awareness.

For at least two weeks at a time following the birth (or adoption) of a baby, you experience:

  • Depressed mood (most of the day, almost every day)
  • Inability to find pleasure in the things you normally enjoy
  • Not wanting to eat or overeating
  • Not being able to sleep, not wanting to sleep, or wanting to sleep all the time
  • Feeling physically tired or aching to the point that your level of activity is markedly different from normal
  • Feeling physically wound up so that you feel as if you can’t sit still
  • Lack of energy or fatigue nearly every day
  • Intense feelings of inappropriate or excessive guilt and worthlessness
  • Difficulty concentrating and making decisions
  • Thoughts of harming yourself or someone else
  • Racing thoughts
  • Constant worry
  • Frequent or constant resentment of your partner or child

And most importantly,

  • The way you feel consistently interferes with your normal functioning (e.g., decreased socialization, inability to manage responsibilities, decline in hygiene).

The Expat Experience: Feeling Alone in the World

Living in a country far from family and friends can serve to exacerbate feelings of being isolated and alone. There may be fewer sources of support to help you remain balanced and able to care well for yourself in conjunction to you caring well for your baby. There is less access to people who might remind you of your personal resources and help you combat thoughts of worthlessness and hopelessness, people who know how to encourage and praise you when the going gets tough. Not to mention the difficulty involved in simply accessing community resources when you do not speak the native language. Feeling tongue-tied is just one more obstacle to picking up the phone and getting help. Furthermore, expat parents often come to a new country for a work opportunity and having a baby can change or eradicate the existing support network that was provided by simply being at work. Depending on your parental leave situation, all of the sudden, you are out of the office and plunged into life as a mom or dad, which is likely quite different from the work environment.

Just to put things in context, clinical psychologists and other health professionals commonly use a scale called the “Social Readjustment Rating Scale” to measure the degree of stress in a person’s life. To give you a taste, “pregnancy (#12)”, “addition of a new family member (#14)”, “change to a different line of work”, “change in sleeping habits” and “change in working conditions” are among the top 30 most stressful events in life. And this list does not even include “Adapting to a new culture in a different country – far from friends, family, and all that you know”! When a person experiences a certain amount of stressful life events in a year, they are more vulnerable to illnesses. And make no mistake: PPD/A is an illness. It is a condition involving daily suffering from which it can seem like there is no reprieve.

You are not Alone: How to Get Support and Support Yourself

As with any health condition, the best chance you have of it improving is if you take steps aimed at healing. For instance, if you have a cold, you rest, drink fluids and avoid going for a jog in the rain. And just like taking care of a cold, there are treatment options for PPD/A that show excellent efficacy. And the things that work range from intensive psychotherapy paired with medication to the simple implementation of self-care activities that your pre-baby self might have done without thinking. Those self-care activities might include things like exercising regularly, meeting weekly with a friend for coffee and a chat, or ordering take-away food rather than cooking. Doing these things does not make you less of a parent. In fact, taking care of yourself is one of the best things you can do for your child.

When talking to clients, I often refer to the airline safety guidelines requirement that, in the event of an emergency, the adult should put on their own oxygen mask before helping their child put on his. Our children need us to take care of ourselves first because otherwise, we cannot tend to their needs.

It can be unbelievably hard to reach out for help when you have no energy to pick up the phone or feel overwhelmed by cultural differences or believe that you should just grit your teeth and “get through it, it’s normal.” If increasing self-care activities does not diminish the symptoms or if it is just too daunting to embark on these changes alone, it is important to enlist the help of a professional. Luckily, there are a number of options:

Michelle Walz, is also a La Leche League leader/counselor, Expatriate Parenting Consultant and doula experienced with postpartum issues: michellewalz@expatdoula.ch, http://www.expatdoula.ch/postpartum-baby/

Corinna Rasmann, doula experienced with postpartum issues: corinnarasmann@gmail.com, http://www.expatdoula.ch/about-us/bios/

c2 will be hosting Manuela Berger on May 11th to discuss the intersection between parenting and emotions, both our own emotions and our children’s.

Sarah Cooper, Rainbow Moon Healing and Guidance: http://www.rainbowmoon.org/

The practitioners that are part of the Association Co-Naître: http://www.co-naitre.ch/le-reseau-de-professionnels/doulas/

You can search for an FSP psychotherapist who speaks English (however, you cannot specify a specialization postpartum or early parenthood issues in the search criteria) via this link: http://www.psychologie.ch/fr/services_en_psychologie/vous_cherchez_une_psychologue.html

The Know-It-All passport also contains useful information about local practitioners: http://www.knowitall.ch/

Additionally, here are some links to online support resources:

To those parents who are struggling with early parenthood, please know that you are not alone and you are not without hope. There are many parents and professionals who share your experience and who can help you become a more empowered parent. Enlisting the support of your partner, a compassionate friend, a group of other parents, a medical doctor, a health practitioner or a psychotherapist can radically transform your experience of parenthood while enriching the relationship you have with yourself and your child.