6 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Treatment if You Have Postpartum Depression

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3. Try Talk Therapy

Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy, is considered the first-line treatment option for people with mild to moderate PPD, making it a fundamental part of treatment. In moderate to severe PPD, it’s often paired with medication.

“There are many people that, with just talk therapy, they get better in a few months,” Burgos says. For PPD, she often recommends cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT) in particular.

Worrying that you’re not a good parent is a common symptom of PPD.

 “CBT helps you identify and change those negative thought patterns and behaviors,” Burgos says. “With IPT, we focus on adjusting to your new roles and working on relationships,” she says.

Other forms of psychotherapy can be beneficial too, Zhao says. For example, if you had a traumatic birth experience, an evidence-based therapy called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) may be helpful for you. During EMDR, a trained therapist helps you process traumatic memories while moving your eyes in certain ways, which is thought to help reduce the vividness and intensity of those memories.

 Couples therapy is another option that can help postpartum parents.

As with medication, it’s important to give therapy time to work. You may feel improvements after roughly 6 to 12 weekly sessions, which generally last 45 minutes to an hour each time, Burgos says.

And if you don’t click with your first therapist, that doesn’t mean therapy isn’t for you. Sometimes the therapist or approach simply isn’t the right fit.

4. Ask for Support From Others

Social support can make it possible to actually follow your treatment plan, Burgos says. “It doesn’t replace therapy or medication, but social support can significantly reduce those [PPD] symptoms and improve the treatment outcomes.”

Support can come from a partner, relatives, friends, parent groups, or community resources. Burgos recommends seeking practical help with feeding, diaper changes, meals, chores, and taking care of older siblings, as well as opportunities to connect with other parents who understand what the postpartum period is like.

Without this practical support, you may struggle with things like attending a doctor’s appointment, catching up on sleep, or taking time to care for yourself — all of which can make recovery harder.

5. Try to Make Time for Sleep and Movement

Alongside professional PPD treatment, getting enough sleep and moving your body can support your overall recovery.

“A lot of moms are getting one to three hours at a time and that’s just not enough,” Zhao says.

Research suggests that women with moderate or severe PPD benefit from protecting one four- to five-hour block of consolidated nighttime sleep.

 That may be difficult to do for some parents, says Zhao, but her rule of thumb is to aim to do that at least once every three nights if possible.

Aerobic exercise (aka cardio) may also help reduce PPD symptoms, especially when it’s done consistently.

 Going to the gym may be hard for time-strapped parents, but physical activity can also look like taking the baby for a stroller walk, following a workout video on YouTube, or joining a group fitness class, Burgos says.

6. Try to Carve Out ‘Me-Time’

Finding time for yourself when you’re taking care of a newborn may sound unrealistic, but it doesn’t have to mean an entire afternoon away.

Burgos often encourages her patients to start small — 30 minutes to an hour while a partner or another trusted person cares for the baby. During that time, you could take a walk in the park, get a coffee, call a friend, or simply eat your favorite meal without interruptions.

“Being with a baby is like a full-time job,” she says. Even half an hour to eat, nap, or regroup can help. “It’s about refilling your own cup.”

Think of it less as indulgence and more as giving yourself a chance to refuel.