Motherhood is an incredible journey. It is a journey that brings joy and exhaustion to each mother as she navigates the new world of motherhood. Unfortunately, this is not every mother’s experience. Some mothers face a difficult time often brought by postpartum depression. It is hard to care for a newborn, care for multiple children, hold a job, or maintain a household when a mother suffers from postpartum depression.

We must also factor in the scarcity of resources for new moms after her baby is born and the pressure moms feel to be that super mom who can do everything on her own. Often, when a mother is diagnosed with postpartum depression, she is put on medication immediately. If that medication does not work, medical professionals change doses or change medications. These medications often take weeks to settle in, leaving mothers in a state of numbness or just not feeling well at all.

It is important to note that this is not a dig at medication, but we must ask ourselves if we are overmedicating mothers suffering from postpartum depression.

A Massachusetts mother is currently under arrest for killing two of her children, injuring her third who died days later from his injuries, and later attempting to commit suicide. This happened while her husband went on a quick trip to CVS and to pick up their takeout. According to Boston.com:

[Defense attorney Kevin J. Reddington] told [The Boston Globe] that between last October and January, [Lindsay] Clancy was prescribed 13 different psychiatric medications, including zolpidem (sold under the brand name Ambien); clonazepam (sold under the brand name Klonopin); diazepam (sold under the brand name Valium); fluoxetine (sold under the brand name Prozac); lamotrigine (sold under the brand name Lamictil); lorazepam (sold under the brand name Ativan); mirtazapine (sold under the brand name Remeron); quetiapine fumarate (sold under the brand name Seroquel); sertaline (sold under the brand name Zoloft); and trazodone, hydroxyzine, amitriptyline, and buspirone.

Clancy is described as a loving mother and wife by her husband. He is described as being a proactive husband and ensuring that his wife was seeking medical attention. Postpartum depression doesn’t only affect mothers after having children, it can often develop months or years later. It can also worsen or get better over time.

It doesn’t take a medical professional to wonder if prescribing a mother struggling with postpartum depression 13 medications was overkill. Our current medical culture seems to highly value medication over alternative or natural approaches. It’s common to go to the doctor and leave with a prescription in hand. Should this be our experience with medical professionals?

Whether a mother is expecting her first baby or 5th, it is important to support her family. Cooking a meal or doing light cleaning is a godsend to a mother and her family. Remember, a mother will not ask you for help, but you can offer your help anyway. She will be grateful, and she will remember that meal you cooked for her.