I have a client who is experiencing severe postpartum depression for
the second time around. The first time, with complications from her
first child's sleep disorder, she ended up on Zoloft when the daughter
was about 18 months old.

She now has an 11-week-old and is having problems again. She is having
thoughts of just getting up and leaving, and sometimes even suicidal
thoughts. Her doctor has just prescribed Zoloft, but she is hesitant
to take it since the 1995 edition of Dr. Hale's book says "Use extreme
caution with this medication during lactation." She is very concerned
since her son is 100% exclusively breastfed.

I seem to recall other nursing mothers taking this medication. Dr.
Hale, do you have any recommendations for her? In my opinion, she's
reaching the point where she cannot be an effective parent without
taking something. Please help! She's also a personal friend, so I'm
trying to offer as much emotional support as I can.

Thanks,
Amy
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Amy Shelton, La Leche League Leader
Area Leader's Letter Editor for LLL of AL/MS/LA
A Mother's Love--breast pump rental station
     http://iquest.com/~ashelton/index.html
La Leche League of Huntsville
     http://iquest.com/~ashelton/homepage.html
Huntsville, AL
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