Antenatal & Postnatal Depression is not caused by any one thing but often has several contributing factors - some social, some physical and some psychological. Usually it is a combination of hormones & tiredness & stress that comes with the pregnancy, birth and caring for a new baby.

Once a woman recognises that she has Postnatal Depression, she may start to ask "why me?" and begin to look for reasons. There are various factors, as mentioned above, that seem to make women vulnerable to developing PND and often a combination of these may trigger the condition.

Here are some of the suggested explanations:

1. Your experience of birth and medical intervention may have been painful and frightening and you may feel that events went out of your control. You may have "flashbacks" to what happened and feel traumatised, angry, regretful or sad. The birth may have been too sudden or long and exhausting and you may have been separated from the baby or from home and caring support. All of these things can trigger PND.
2. Having a new baby means that you are likely to be deprived of both rest and sleep. You may also find that you lose your normal routines and get hardly any time and space to yourself. These things can make it very hard to cope with everyday life as mother.
3. Your baby may be ill, very demanding or cry persistently, which can cause unbearable stress.
4. Being a mother is regarded as instinctive - something we should just "know" how to do. Yet in this culture we have often had little opportunity to watch or practise caring for babies, so we are likely to feel insecure, vulnerable to all kinds of advice and judgement and prone to blaming ourselves if things go wrong.
5. Your identity and role in life will probably have changed dramatically through having a child. Your relationship with your partner will also have to re-adjust to the situation of becoming parents. These changes can be difficult and upsetting until life settles down into a new pattern.
6. You may be having to cope with other pressures as well as the baby. Perhaps you are a single parent or receive little support from your partner. Maybe you have money, housing or other social problems to deal with which creates isolation and anxiety.
7. Motherhood is not well recognised in this society as the important and difficult job that it is and we can begin to feel invisible and undervalued. Public transport and many public places are still hard to get around and not "child friendly", so going out can be an effort and we can end up feeling socially unwanted.
8. Many mothers are isolated in their homes in the small family units in which we now live. If you have given up work, you may feel cut off from the adult world and a loss of independence. Friends and relatives may be some distance away, especially if you have moved house close to having the baby - a stressful event in itself.
9. Previous fertility problems, miscarriage or loss of a child may heighten anxiety and bring back feelings of grief.
10. How we are mothered ourselves affects how we are as mothers and whatever was lacking in that relationship may feel hard for us to do and cope with. Having a baby can also cause painful childhood memories (e.g. deprivation, loss or abuse) to return and cause distress.
11. The kind of person you are may make you more vulnerable - for instance, if you feel that you have to do everything perfectly or cope all the time and stay in control (impossible for any mother!). Also if you are prone to feeling anxious, depressed, guilty or over-responsible.
12. The effects of hormonal changes have never been proven as a cause of PND beyond the "baby blues" a few days after the childbirth, when there is a massive drop in hormones. However, some doctors support the view that hormones do have a big part to play, even months after the birth.

Any or all of these factors may cause women to develop PND. It can happen at any time from pregnancy through the first year after having your baby. It usually happens slowly and you might not notice at first. Many women develop Antenatal or Postnatal Depression without knowing it is an illness that can be successfully treated. Any form of depression is distressing and support is really important. The important thing is to recognise the problem as early as possible and not blame yourself for it, but to begin to seek help.

Will I get better?

Remember you will get better! Good support from family and friends will help speed up the recovery process.
Friends and family can help by listening to you. Don't let anyone tell you to "pull yourself together" - this won't help but the right treatment and patience will.

Help is out there you just need to ask.