Breastfeeding and Postpartum Depression: Use One to Prevent the Other
About Kelly Brogan
KELLY BROGAN, MD, is a holistic psychiatrist, author of the New York Times Bestselling book, A Mind of Your Own, Own Your Self, the children’s book, A Time For Rain, and co-editor of the landmark textbook Integrative Therapies for Depression.
I recently discussed, on The Healthy Home Economist, an important new paper, and the first of its kind to explore the relationship between breastfeeding and postpartum depression. Here was the take-home message:
This seems to suggest that intensive lactation support in the first three months postpartum may help women to establish breastfeeding, and that once it is established, we may expect their risk of depression onset to decrease. I would also advocate for ruling out any complicating factors to successful nursing including undiagnosed thyroid imbalance, environmental toxins that can interfere with production and pass to the baby, and high sugar diets that can promote insulin resistance.
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