This document discusses postpartum psychosis, including its symptoms, potential causes, risk factors, treatment approaches, and prevention strategies. It notes that postpartum psychosis is a severe mental illness that occurs in the first few weeks after childbirth and affects about 1-2 in every 1,000 births. Risk factors include a lack of social support for new mothers, a traumatic birth experience, preexisting mental health conditions, nutritional deficiencies, and a family history of postpartum psychosis or other mental illnesses. Standard medical treatments focus on medication and separating mother and baby, but herbal medicine approaches emphasize supporting the new mother holistically with improved nutrition, rest, and social support.

1. Preventing Post Partum
Psychosis

2. Post Partum Psychosis
 What is it?
Who gets it?
Why does it happen?
 Cultural?
 What happened to ‘lying-in’?
 Cases
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4. HEATHER BRUCE

5. Mum - times when a woman can
‘recharge’
(Dr John Shen)
 Menarche (puberty)
 Sexual initiation (he said marriage)
 Pregnancy
 Menopause
At each time, the hormones (Ki and Jing) are altering. At
each time, apparently what happens in a woman’s life has
a pivotal effect on the rest of her life.
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6. Baby - crucial influences
6Heather Bruce WFAS 2014 Preventing Post Partum Psychosis

8. PPP - Likely to experience
 Hallucinations and/or
Delusions
 Illogical or irrational thoughts
 Heightened or reduced motor
activity
 Sleep disturbances such as
insomnia
 Changes in appetite
 Extreme feelings of anxiety
and agitation
 Periods of delirium or mania
 Rapidly fluctuating mood
swings that may range from
deep depression to
 Euphoria
 Obsessive thoughts of the
baby (a type of OCD)
 Thoughts of harming oneself
or baby
THIS IS NOT baby blues/
post natal depression
Onset generally occurs within the first three weeks after birth, but may begin as
late as three months after the delivery. Apparently 1- 2 per 1,000
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9. TCM could perhaps say
 DAMP/PHLEGM/HEAT/COLD
 Hallucinations and/or delusions
 Illogical or irrational thoughts
 Heightened or reduced motor activity
 Changes in appetite
 Periods of delirium or mania
 Rapidly fluctuating mood swings that may
range from deep depression to
 Euphoria/Obsessive thoughts of the baby
(a type of OCD)
 Thoughts of harming oneself or baby
 DEFICIENT BLOOD
 Extreme feelings of anxiety and agitation
 Sleep disturbances such as insomnia
THIS IS NOT baby blues/
post natal depression
Onset generally occurs within the
first three weeks after birth, but
may begin as late as three
months after the delivery.
Apparently 1 - 2 per 1,000
affected
WHAT ABOUT lying in????/home help/mother’s support??
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10. Who gets it?
 Usually within a month of birthing
 May take up to 3 months to appear
 Swedish study 2008. During the first 90 days post-
partum, 892 women (1.2 per 1,000 births) were
recorded as having been hospitalised due to
psychoses.
 As expected, incidence rates for psychosis peaked in
the first month after birth (285 of the 892
hospitalisations were in the first seven days, and 523
were in the first 14 days).
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11. PPP - TCM
 Find it difficult to sleep (not getting
more than just 2hrs of sleep each
night (PTSD??)
 Entertain thoughts about hurting
yourself or committing suicide
 Having thoughts about hurting or
killing your baby or any other child
or adult
 Having thoughts that your child is
pure evil or that your child is
deliberately trying to cause you
harm
 Could be Shen disturbance – esp.
Blood deficiency, but also maybe
from phlegm misting heart
 Shen shock/split . .
 (unless this is appropriate – post
birth – not so)
 Same
 Same
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12. Why worry?
MUM
 Her own safety, plus she may kill
her baby
 How does she enjoy being a
mum? Is this what she was so
keen to experience?
 She is stuck, and can’t escape.
Also can’t expect help.
 More likely to kill herself (check
local statistics for maternal death
post baby)
 Qld (5million) 19 women suicided
in last 2 years in first year post
birth
BABY
 Breastfeeding vital for life
 Needs to be socialised, not just
fed and watered
 ANY disruption to this will have
permanent effects on baby’s
future
 Baby is totally dependent upon
mum for all life especially as a
newborn, regardless of whether
she is breastfeeding or not.
 See ‘The Silent Face’ experiment
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13. 13

14. Medical ‘Prophylaxis’
Totally ignores the role of nutrition, or of understanding causative factors.
(Especially not that this may be a totally appropriate response to trauma)
 Although lithium is an effective prophylactic medication in bipolar disorder for
many patients, it must be taken regularly, has a narrow therapeutic window,
several undesirable adverse effects and is teratogenic to the foetus.
 Other agents used in prophylaxis – such as sodium valproate or
carbamazepine – have similar properties. Decisions regarding prophylaxis of
bipolar disorder in women of childbearing age require very careful weighing up
of risks and benefits, need to be based on robust evidence, and should be
made jointly with the patient.
 Many just get sterilised as the return to this is too horrifying.
 Who is working with why did it happen?
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15. Return experiences
Recurrence rates of puerperal psychotic episodes (over an average of 9
years - not one year as many studies)
 Fifty-four participants had a subsequent delivery, of whom 31 (57%;
95% CI 44–69) experienced another episode of puerperal psychosis,
and an additional 5 (9%; 95% CI 4–20) experienced an episode of
mania, depression or psychosis during pregnancy or within 6 months
(but not 6 weeks) of delivery.
 Using contingency table analysis, neither family history nor personal
history of psychiatric illness was a significant predictor of puerperal
recurrence in this sample. Of the 39 women for whom the index
episode of puerperal psychosis was their first episode, 22 (56%)
experienced a further episode following their subsequent delivery,
compared with 8 of 15 women (53%) who had experienced other
episodes of illness prior to the initial puerperal psychosis (χ2=0.04,
d.f.=1, P=0.84).
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16. Ina May:Spiritual Midwifery
The Farm - 1% or less post partum depression – in Brisbane this is running at 25%
 Compare with ‘normal’ - 19 women killed themselves within the first year of new motherhood in
Queensland (pop 5 million) in last 2 years. (Probably does not include one car accidents).
 “Society's 25%portrayal of motherhood does not recognize such feelings. Women find it
especially disturbing and isolating if they find they get angry with their baby for crying, "ordering
them around," or refusing the breast, but these feelings are much more common than most
realize.
 ‘Women need permission to talk about sadness, anger and shattered expectations. They also
need frequent breaks from the feeling of a 24-hour-per-day responsibility for the new baby.
‘The woman with baby-blues is at risk for full-blown PPD if her needs are not recognized and
met. Unfortunately, the tendency in our society is to medicate women rather than provide
social support. Nowadays, postpartum doulas (professional caregivers to new mothers) are
available for hire in some areas and may be the factor which prevents the development of full-
blown depression or even psychosis”.
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17. Perhaps
ponder

19. What are we doing to mums &
babies?
Mammalian birthing
 When baby & mum ready (be
like a ‘Jersey cow’)
 Set for maximum biological
survival
 Hormones and listening to
Nature dictate al that can
survive do – for rest of the
line’s history – not just this
dyad.
 Empowering for life
Modern medicalised
 According to external (fear
based) schedule.
 retail opportunities now
 Natural is seen as too
dangerous, no trust in birth
process, woman knowing
what to do.
 Disempowering for life
 Disconnected/broken
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20. Causation
Birth injury &/or pre existing nutritional burden of life
(Plus PTSD)
 We are mammals – and need to birth primally
 Hormones of ecstatic birthing (Dr Sarah Buckley)
 Women need to be present totally, as does baby - otherwise she/they will KNOW that she/they are not
bonded. SMELL
 Also pre existing –
 Pyroluria
 Gut dysbiosis
Lack of support (& lying in)
Will all boil over into ‘Stuck Liver Qi’ and ‘Fire Rising’ along with ‘Phlegm’ & ‘Deficient Blood’
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21. Red tent
 ‘Back in the day’ women were tribal, and supported each
other – lived communally, and at the very least had their own
mothers living with them when babies started happening.
 Were birthed in the company of mothers who knew what it
felt like to be mothers and birthing (midwives)
 Sisters, cousins and aunties.
 All knew what it took to raise a baby (a village)
 Not living in a box (house), looking boxes (TV, screens),
pretending all perfect (FB etc) – as perfect is tribal, not
segregated in their own personal prisons.
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22. Heather Bruce WFAS 2014 Preventing Post Partum Psychosis
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23. Stories: what we call ‘normal’
 My maternal grandmother was a home birth.
 (2 months early, chucked under the bed to die as she would
die anyway – in the depths of a snow storm) First of 7
children, so great grand ma retrieved, resuscitated and
reared tiny soul.
 She (my own mother) was a home birth, last of 4
 I (first of 3) was a hospital birth
 As were all my four children
 Ask of your own family birthing practices/after effects
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24. Maternal distress
 My own mother – PTSD and future madness
 Why?
Not given baby till she decided (3 days later) that I was dead
and they were just not telling her.
 Lifetime of disconnected bonding including she tried to kill
me, and told me all my childhood that she wished that she
had.
 This was not repeated in her normal birthing and mothering
of the next 2 sisters.
 This does not engender easy lives for all affected.
 ??Why are we breaking mothers and their bonding?
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25. Personal experience
 In hindsight, I can see that she was magnesium, zinc and B deficient at least.
 Child of the depression, from vey poor parents she was not made well – and was always
in a state of malnutrition, loving sweets – and giving them out as treats as they were
when she was little.
 In later years her ill health was not seen as being thyroid deficiency (iodine would have
helped - as would have all minerals).
 Thus ‘diagnosed’ and treated with polymyalgia rheumatica – never given what would
have fixed this – magnesium, zinc, B complex and iodine) and was hospitalised for
‘madness’ (paranoid schizophrenia) and highly medicated throughout for all her
nutritional woes.
 (Alopecia at 45 and extreme rosecea all later years plus insomnia and
depression/madness). This is a common woman’s story.
 Me? Became a healer as did not want my children to be as we were.
 (Also a common woman’s story)
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26. Out of hospital too soon
 My mother - 2 weeks in the maternity ‘home’ – this was for normal first birth,
no injuries – similar to the UK norm for the time )1955
 1977– discharged myself at 7 days as I was not being fed well enough to
recover (stitches back to anus as they had forceps and slit to extract)
 1984 – out on Day 5
 1986 – same
 1994 - C section discharged self on Day 4 as not feeding me well enough for
recovery.
 2014 - Brisbane – a few hours, and ‘home’ you go.
 Post birth care – hopefully there is some ad mum does not become super
hero, as it ends in tears eventually. Where is the village?
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27. May be
 Modern disturbed birth consequence. (Dr Sarah Buckley)
 (The Farm and their stats) – who does not get this??
 Natural reaction to outrageous loss of control – modern birthing
‘best practice’ allowing all non natural catastrophes to happen (and
then she is ‘saved’ with the use of . . )
 Regardless of her best efforts pre birth – in all aspects of
preparation.
 (Out of her hands .. ‘control freaks’)
 To be so – Stuck Liver Qi/Blood deficient type - who may have
an underlying rape/shock that is percolating – and is part of her
survival process – now active.
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28. Medically . . .
Common Postnatal Psychosis Treatment
 I remind you .. .
 Treating postpartum psychosis is commonly done using
the following treatment options:
 - Separation of mother and child temporarily
- Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
- Psychotherapy
- Medications such as anti-psychotic drugs, anti-
depressants – all of which are not conduicive to breast
feeding
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30. Clinic – 35 years ago
(May as well be in the past .
 Dry phlegm and Blood deficient crack in tongue
 (Underlying heat and yin deficiency)
 Very wary if she has this at all – even when not pregnant
 Can often see this in IVF drug taking – please try to
dissuade her using these until she is stable.
 Often can even say – ‘do you feel as though you are going
mad sometimes?”- she will be so grateful you broached – as
who else would think to??
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31. Cases - 1
Normal pre pregnancy and during pregnancy care –
 I was away for birth (continuity of care model broken)
 She had herpes outbreak, so natural birth not possible.
 From there – psychotic break.
 Pristique drug – non breast feeding.
 Never to have more children/does not trust herself
 ??Past sexual abuse?
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32. 2 - Patient said . .
 Went to visit a friend post baby - and she in front of her
had an ‘absence’ of 20 minutes - when she ‘came back‘
briefly – she said she was trying to work out whether
baby was better off dead with her, or just to kill herself’
(I said – straight to her husband and a doctor . .)
 Another - walked in on his wife as she was drowning
the baby.
 This is NOT depression.
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33. 3 - Triplet mother
 All 5 lb at term – born 4lb 6 ish at 35 weeks.
 Breastfed – and at 6 weeks when husband returned to
work – very distressed.
 Obstetrician’s medical option – anti depressants and
that did not help – psych hospital (no babies or breast
feeding possible)
 Protein, B , Zinc, Magnesium – and more food – (was
eating an apple in between feeds),
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34. 4 – past trauma revisited
 3 family members killed by brother 6 years before - so first grandchild- no
family.
 Stirred up all her distress – gut less and less able to support life – so only
really eating meats.
 (Where was her village – ad that of her lineage for baby?)
 Did eat all placenta – but realised the sleep depravation was causing her
madness (worried about her brother’s issues getting to her – ‘genes’)
 (Where was her village??)
 There is only so much a dad/husband can do
 She asked for a sleeping tablet, used formula for a few days and got herself
back on track.
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35. 5 - Too close together/too
much to do
 Prior children 14 months, 6, 9
 Was not eating well/looking after herself as she had the baby before.
 Arrived for ‘induction’ with no breakfast (was 11 am) and not having eaten
much the day before.
 Home within a week. Back into school runs, and not able to give youngest all
she was used to – mother guilt.
 Post baby – was on the ‘mad’ edge.
 Chose to attack husband, yet he was bending over backwards to help himself.
 Mother fracture/alcoholic. Dad dying (still ) of terminal liver cancer and she no
longer the centre of attention . .where is her village?
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36. 6 - Modern ‘best’ birthing
 At hospital – continual offering of epidural (‘before it is too late’) even though
she was working well with her body – hence ended up lying on her back, no
options
 Meant there was 3 minutes between being found to be fully dilated and baby
out (Ventouse)
 Ripped back to anus/fourth degree tear
 On antibiotics to prevent infection (Messes up human microbiome)
 Had thus – pain (Endone, anti inflammatories etc – she forgot it would all go
through his body via milk)
 Eventually back in hospital fro surgical removal of impacted faeces!!!
 None of this needed to happen – birthing is not setting us up to NOT be a
bonded mum
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38. Magic oral helpers
 Fat, minerals, chicken soup & herbs
 Vit B complex a little often
 Magnesium (no Calcium) esp topical all day
(see entire presentation on Stuck Liver Qi/Stuck Liver
Blood correlation with Mag deficiency on www.sharpen-
up-your-results.com
Eat/encapsulate placenta
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39. Baby will thank you
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40. FIND OUT MORE
 www.sharpen-up-your-results.com - recent conference
presentations and loads on cupping navel esp in pregnancy
 New Pregnancy App – HeatherSays
 Navigation guide through all my research findings – available to all
Use Heather’s decades of hands on healing experience – [patients
ad practitioners alike).
 Click to articles/selection of patient’s eBooks to explain more via
www.HeatherSays.com
For those who want to know how to help themselves www.simple-
natural-solutions.com