PACIFIC POST PARTUM SUPPORT SOCIETY

Punjabi Language Information

MOTHERS WITH YOUNG CHILDREN OR PREGNANT WOMEN

Are you feeling
SAD? OVERWHELMED?
ANXIOUS? NUMB?
We understand. We can help.

Telephone Support: (604) 255-7999
Toll Free: (855) 255-7999
www.postpartum.org
(We welcome self-referrals)

We offer telephone support and weekly support groups throughout the Lower Mainland.
We support Dads, too!

(Initial contact will be with English-speaking staff. For support in Punjabi, please let the worker know your name, your contact number, and request our Punjabi-speaking worker call you)

Some information on Postpartum Depression and Anxiety (PPD/A)

• 15% to 20% of moms experience PPD/A
• 10% of dads experience PPD/A
• Pregnant women and parents who adopt a child may also experience PPD/A

These feelings…

• Can start during pregnancy, after birth, or months into the postpartum period
• Can last a number of weeks or months or even past a year postpartum
• Can emerge after the birth of the first child or subsequent children. The probability of experiencing PPD/A increases if the mother has had previous experiences of depression.

It is most important to remember that having postpartum sadness or challenges is not the woman’s fault. It is not an indication that she is incapable, or “crazy”, or weak.

With the appropriate treatment and support, you will feel better and heal.

Is this happening to you?

• Crying often or for no apparent reason
• Numbness
• Feeling helpless or unable to handle daily activities
• Afraid to be alone
• Feeling that something is not right
• Frightening or intrusive thoughts
• Feeling overly worried for your child
• Disinterested in baby, not bonding with baby
• Depression that may range from sadness to thoughts of suicide
• Anxiety or panic attacks
• Anger and aggression
• Difficulty sleeping
• Loss of appetite
• Feeling resentment towards baby or family members
• Feeling alone, have no support
• Feel inadequate, useless

If your youngest child is under three years, or if you are currently pregnant, and you have any of the above feelings, we can help.

Extra challenges and barriers faced by South Asian immigrants may include:

• Difficulty with the language
• Living with relatives can create conflict; relatives sometimes add to the burden instead of helping
• Feeling pressure to keep performing household and family responsibilities that one did before baby arrived
• Difficulty building a new social circle in Canada; feeling isolated
• Financial pressures; feeling others must work so cannot help mother
• Missing own culture and traditions
• Missing family and friends from home
• Living far away from people who could help with the baby
• Lack of information about or lack of access to resources; you don’t know where to go for help
• Lack of knowledge about Canadian health care system
• Difficulty understanding doctors’ diagnoses or instructions
• Difficulty acclimating to new environment
• Post Partum Depression and Anxiety isn’t talked about in native country, making women feel alone and ashamed
• Lack of education and stigma on mental illness in native country leads women to not seek help

Women’s Voices:

“I was worried even before the baby was born, worried about finances and stopping work.”

“During labor, whole night I was screaming with pain. Baby was breech. I ended up with C-section. I was crying, I wanted to breastfeed but I didn’t know English. There was no one helping. My husband wasn’t helping. I was alone. No family here to help.”

“I was worried about my son until he was 4 years old. I didn’t sleep much because I had him sleep with me so I would know if he stopped breathing”. 

“In India, there was lots of support from family and even servants. In Canada, it’s just me and my husband.”

“My mom raised four children by herself. I have just one daughter and it’s so difficult.” 

“I talked with the nurse and realized I was depressed. I thought, this is my life, I have to get help and help myself.” 

“I would tell new moms that she can get support. Try to surround yourself with supportive people. The baby is not just a mother’s responsibility, but the responsibility of the whole family. The new mother can’t do everything. Her parents-in-law, her brother-in-law or sister-in-law who live in the house have the responsibility of creating a good environment. So, that it has good effect on the baby.”

Funding for this section provided by Integrated Primary and Community Care, Vancouver Coastal Health.