Postpartum depression can affect anyone regardless of social status or wealth. The list of celebs who have had to gain control of this very real part of pregnancy and childbirth continues to grow. The latest celebrity to admit to having suffered from postpartum depression is singer Marie Osmond.

Reports published recently online revealed that in 1999 following the birth of her son Matthew she had the worst case of the baby blues ever. While admitting that she had baby blues in previous births, with Matthew it was bad and became more than just that. In an interview published online at the Daily Mail website, Osmond said, “Then one day, she snapped. I remember walking down the stairs and putting Matthew in the arms of the nanny. I can’t stay here, I told her. There is something wrong, really wrong with me. I have to leave until I figure it out.”

Thankfully, her husband and mother helped her seek treatment and she got better. Osmond said she was shocked to know her own mother had also had her own battle with the demon of postpartum depression.

Symptoms of Postpartum Depression

It is important to identify the symptoms of Postpartum depression so that help can be found before disaster strikes. Some of the most commons symptoms include:

• Thoughts of suicide

• Thoughts of harming the baby or even others

• Extreme anxiety

• Elevated levels of stress

• Change in sleep pattern

• Desire to stay in bed

• Loss of appetite

The feelings of Postpartum depression are far more elevated than those of baby blues which affects many new moms. If you or a loved one is pregnant, start learning about this potentially serious condition before the birth so as to be prepared.

Other Celebrities Who Battled Postpartum Depression

Another celebrity who has had to deal with the condition is Brooke Shields. She was lambasted by Tom Cruise for talking about using prescription medication to deal with postpartum depression. Shields went on to write a book which she hoped would help other women, Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression. Others include Gwyneth Paltrow, actress Gena Lee Nolin formerly of Baywatch who had the condition with all three of her children; Angelina Jolie, Courteney Cox-Arquette, Amanda Peet and Lisa Marie Presley.

One of the things I was most concerned with during my pregnancies was losing the weight I’d gained. When I was pregnant with my son I gained 36 pounds, despite my obstetrician’s scolding remarks. I walked during my pregnancy to keep in decent shape, but I still ended up near the high end of the recommended 25-35 lb weight gain for a healthy woman.

After my 7lb 4oz son was born I didn’t know what to expect since this was my first child. I am an athletic person and have played sports all my life so I felt like a prisoner for those 6 weeks of recovery when you are told not to do any exercising. I was convinced that the longer I waited, the harder it was going to be to lose the weight. It also didn’t help that at 8 weeks postpartum I had someone (a man, no less) tell me that if you don’t lose the weight in the first 6 weeks then it’s really hard to lose it at all. I know I looked at him as if he had two heads – you can’t even work out in those first 6 weeks! I thought, that’s just what I need to hear when I’m still trapped inside this unfamiliar, larger body, overwhelmed with a new baby, and deprived of sleep!

After the 6 weeks of recovery my husband and I started working out together. Being an athlete, I had always lifted weights for sports and knew that working out with weights would build muscle, tone my body, and increase my metabolism. I didn’t concentrate on scale numbers, but rather on getting my body back into shape and back to pre-pregnancy size. My workout consisted of lifting weights to strengthen, but mostly tone, my body, which meant using lower weight and doing high repetitions. I did this 3 times a week and also jogged 2-3 times a week for a cardio workout.

I found that this workout really helped me get back to my healthy pre-pregnancy weight quickly, but safely. I will mention that I was in my early 20s, so obviously that helped since my metabolism was still up there.

I took the same approach after my daughter’s birth. During that pregnancy I gained only 25 lbs so I had less to lose, but I still followed the same type of workout. This time I used a Pilates workout DVD instead of running and found that I loved it. It was great for toning and strengthening in combination with weight lifting. The DVD I found even had a section called Pilates Burn that got your heart rate up and burned extra calories.

No matter what type of workout you decide upon to help shed those pregnancy pounds, make sure it’s safe and suits your ability. In my experience, making time to exercise will make you feel better, so do it, despite being sleep deprived! Remember to stick with the workout and slowly but surely you’ll start to see your old self. And yes, the baby will eventually sleep through the night!

Any tips on losing pregnancy pounds are welcome in the comments section! Share with your fellow moms!