This is NPR's life kit. I'm Ritu Chataji, a health correspondent with NPR.

If you're pregnant or you've just given birth, it's supposed to be one of the happiest times

in your life, especially now with all the Instagram and Facebook photos of happy moms posing with

their happy babies. But for many women, that's not how it goes. There was this myth that women

couldn't possibly be depressed during pregnancy. There was such a happy time.

That's Dr. Jennifer Payne. She's a psychiatrist and directs the Women's Moved Disorder Center

at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. And the reality is a lot of women's struggle

with depression and anxiety during pregnancy as well as during the postpartum time period.

About one in seven women experienced this. And yet, we don't talk about it much.

For 36-year-old Meghan Reddick, it kicked him shortly after she gave birth to her son last

me. I would force myself to see people and smile and say, yeah, I'm, you know, everything's

great. And then the second I had a chance where I wasn't holding him, I could go to my room and cry.

And I probably couldn't count how many hours a day I cried.

Sorry, this is harder to do than it's than you think it is.

This is NPR's Life Kit. We're talking about anxiety and depression during pregnancy and postpartum.

I cover mental health for NPR and over the past year, I've been doing a lot of reporting on this

topic. In this episode, we'll tell you how to identify symptoms, find treatment and give you

useful tips on how to manage your mood and well-being during this time. And this isn't just for

pregnant women and new moms. It's for spouses, parents, siblings, close friends as well.

Because chances are you will be the first person to realise that your spouse or daughter or friend

is struggling and you can help refine treatment.

We heard from over 300 women who wrote to us about their experience with anxiety and depression

...