Having suffered from postpartum depression herself, Susan Kushner Resnick last week spoke at the State House in support of a bill requiring screening for new mothers.
(Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff)
SUSAN KUSHNER RESNICK | G Force
Postpartum information
Having suffered from postpartum depression herself, Susan Kushner Resnick last week spoke at the State House in support of a bill requiring screening for new mothers.
(Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff)
Susan Kushner Resnick wrote a book in 2000 about postpartum depression because there wasn’t one when she needed it. After the birth of her second child, she had suffered four months of insomnia, anxiety, and unhappiness she knew wasn’t right but was undiagnosed by her doctor. Last week, the Massachusetts author spoke out in support of a state bill that would require screening for postpartum depression and referral for treatment. Her latest book, an account of a 1943 Montana mining disaster called “Goodbye Wifes and Daughters,’’ will be published March 1.
ELIZABETH COONEY
Q. Your memoir is called “Sleepless Days.’’ What was it like?
A. The absolutely worst part was I had this terrible insomnia. I just could never fall back to sleep after the baby was up nursing. But once he started sleeping through the night and I still couldn’t sleep, I was just wired 24 hours a day. A real buzzing feeling. I was having a lot of anxiety with absolutely no reason, like sitting at my kitchen table and suddenly having an anxiety attack. When I tried to get some help . . . my primary care doctor told me to take some Benadryl and take a vacation with my husband.
Q. Did you know something was wrong?
A. I didn’t have postpartum depression with my first child, so while that was a blessing, it also made me realize something was wrong. I just wanted to be happy and enjoy this little kid, like I did with her. I did love him. I knew I wasn’t enjoying the experience. I was miserable every minute, but also determined to function. . . . I didn’t want to admit I was having trouble. I was frightened [someone would] take my children away, which is irrational, but I did have irrational fears of things.
Q. How did you find out what it was?
A. I happened to be talking to a lactation consultant I was renting a breast pump from. I must have told her and she said it sounded like postpartum depression. I saw my obstetrician a couple of times, I saw my pediatrician all the time, but nobody else picked up on it. I did present as a totally normal, functioning mother. I think there are probably people all over, reading this story, who have it. But I was dressed and showered and the kids were fed, and they were dressed and clean. It wasn’t like I couldn’t get out of bed.
Q. What helped you?
A. Once you know what it is, [you can] start to get therapy and or medication; that’s what worked for me. I instantly started getting better. I was very, very resistant to going on antidepressants because of the stigma, but once I finally agreed to [taking them], it was fast.
Q. Would screening help others?
A. Yes, definitely. If [my doctor] had had a little training, he probably would have said, Oh, a woman four months postpartum, can’t sleep, high strung. Let’s look into this further.
Interview was condensed and edited. 
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