NORTH SALT LAKE — Rickie Bryner first experienced depression, anxiety, lack of appetite and intrusive thoughts after having her first child.
“I was so afraid all the time that something bad was going to happen to me while I was caring for my baby, and I was terrified to be left alone with him," she said. "I remember my husband going to work and just feeling like, 'How am I going to make it through today?' Just feeling completely overwhelmed.”
A childbirth educator and postpartum doula, Bryner has helped dozens of women work through their depression and heal.
“Mom is just not feeling like herself," she said. "She's not able to feel joy or connect to things that she once loved. It can also show up as not wanting to take care of yourself or your baby, or not feeling like you're able to do that.”
Until now, the only medication for postpartum depression was through an I.V. injection. Last week, the FDA approved the first-ever oral medication, called Zurzuvae, to treat postpartum depression over the course of 14 days.
Dr. Sean Esplin, Senior Director for Women's Health with Intermountain Health, hopes the pill will be affordable for women since the price for Zurzuvae hasn’t been announced yet.
“Mental health conditions are one of the leading causes of maternal death in our state," he said. "A significant number of the maternal deaths that happen in our state happen there are associated with postpartum depression, so we're not adequately treating it. We need to be more aggressive.”
Both Dr. Esplin and Bryner are excited that solutions for postpartum depression are being prioritized, they but agree that this mental illness needs to be treated with a holistic approach.
“I do caution families to keep in mind that with postpartum depression, there's usually not one magic button that you push and you instantly feel better," said Bryner. "We usually have to tackle this from multiple angles.”
