a link between PPD, Colic and Omega 3; kidney/liver not up to par? (long)

[heatherma]

A little of my story:

Married for almost 11 yrs, 2 ds now almost 6 and almost 4. Had PPD with both, much worse with 2nd. Homebirths, no vaccines, healthy eating, nursing, you know, all the good stuff. Wanting to maybe try for a 3rd or more, but terrified to ever be in that dark place again and can't do that to my hubby/family.  On a quest to get some answers so maybe it would be possible to ttc again.

A little Find on Omega 3's:

An older mom of ten mentioned to me that each baby takes omega fatty acids from your brain, and then you become more and more depleted (which would explain why my midwife said that it usually just gets worse with each one) and this affects moods, other important things; and that when she started taking cod liver oil and borage oil together (to get complete omega's not just 3)  it helped PMS to almost vanish and she never had PPD symptoms again (did this for 6 out of the 10 pregnancies).  Curious to try this out, I took the max recommended doses on the bottles of oils daily and noticed feeling more relaxed and not anxious very quickly. That first month, my serious cramps, tense feelings, mood swings and bloating was non-existent. After that I took it only the week or so before I would experience usual PMS, and that seemed to be almost enough, only the occasional mild cramp or maybe one moody day instead of a whole week.  Convinced now I severely lack these Omega Fatty Acids.

A link between colic and ppd?

went to a mothering conference a few weeks ago, got to talking with a mom having her 7th (how is it I get to talk to amazing ladies of large families for this stuff? weird!)  She has been seeing a nutritionalist type dr (but not a naturopath) whose theory is that when a mom's kidney and liver is not functioning up to par, and then becomes pregnant, the mother's body actually draws from the baby's kidney's and liver (this sounded a little weird, but I know it can happen with calcium from teeth, so maybe) then after birth the baby's system is not functioning well thus the "colic" and digestion pain and constant screaming or inconsolable crying (which would explain why my ds colic would seem to get better when I took a lot of probiotics and mixed probiotics onto his bits of bananas when older).  The colic symptoms would then make the ppd worse for the mother who is now not only depleted in kidney's etc. but hormones spikes/drops postpartum and with nursing would be exasperated by lack of sleep from an inconsolable baby.

Has ANYONE else tried sensible liver cleanse (supplement, tea, certain foods) and taking Omega-3 in conjunction, and found help for colicky babies or ppd?  This is making a lot of sense to me, but so hard to find articles/research on the links to the real causes. Thanks for any replies in advance!

[mommaklo]

I used to work in a health food store, so some of this info is not new to me. The liver/kidney connection is however. I Take omega 3s, not borage, just fish and flax, I make sure to take some every day almost (sometimes I forget) and I take an average of 4 fish oil or at least a T of flax oil. Also, Im sure my liver isnt up to par, I used to drink, take tylenol, etc, and I have done liver cleanses in the past, but while pregnant I took dandelion which is supportive and cleansing to the liver and now I take it too, as in traditional chinese medicine, the liver is connected with anger and I have had alot of that since having my son 11 mos ago for a number of reasons (many external, not involving me, ds, or dh) and every time I get really frustrated with ds bed times or lack of them, on days hes super fussy, etc or if I just get annoyed with dh, I try to take it as a tea. I dont do anything stronger (tincture, capsules) because i dont want to cleanse TOO much into my milk.

Ds has been fussy since birth. I dont know if this is because of colic or not, many people want to call it that, but it hasnt seemed to have to do with digestion. I have looked into colic, and have found that it has to do with digestion, but is now getting a broad definition as in I read a mom say "so colic is when my baby is screaming and a dr doesnt know why?!" So I guess it depends on what you are referring to as colic. The only thing I could notice even close was he spit up alot. When he was 6 mos I cut out dairy and that stopped. I later learned that he has some food sensitivities and I have cut out more foods and it has seemed to help a little bit, but as he grows up, I am realizing its just kinda who he is. I am taking him to a chiropractor this week to see if he needs an adjustment, but I have not noticed a difference between any of these things. I also have mild ppd, more pp anxiety. And while I know omegas help this (an old co worker was like "anxiety? Why arent you taking fish oil?" me: "Um, I am!" But I have been taking fish oil for years and did lots all through pregnancy too. I do kinda believe the liver/kidney thing, but who knows.  I would guess that you will find relief for ppd from liver cleansing and fish oil, maybe not for colic, but if your asking in reference to ttc, I would get your liver in tip top shape first and take copious amounts of omegas pre conception so your body is ready and take more fish oil and gentle liver support while pregnant (like dandelion tea, thats what Ive read is the safest.) Also, in reference to the baby taking omegas from the mom, my sisters friend who has had 4 kids and who is not into supps at all, or natural healing, etc told her her teeth and memory get worse with each kid. My sister is like "aaaaahhh! Helllllooooo!" but shes just not open it. So I definitely believe that. Hope any of this is helpful. Also, side note, I dont believe that my ppd is just me, or my hormones. I have alot of external stuff going on: crazy in laws, moved to a new location, crazy sleep deprivation (yea, still) that I believe are contributing to it. So does my counselor.