Friday Feature: Can Dads Get Postpartum Depression?

Many new moms are a little blue after giving birth -- not blue, the color, but blue the mood. In addition, somewhere between 10 and 15 per cent of women suffer symptoms that go beyond short-term sadness, and struggle with postpartum depression and/or anxiety. When you think of everything a new mom's body has gone through, and then add sleep deprivation to the mix, this all makes sense.

But how about dads? Can they develop postpartum depression?

According to a new study, they can. Not only that, they can also struggle with depression prenatally as well.

I don't think that's what people have in mind when they talk about sharing parenting responsibilities equally.

Why am I reading this stuff? Because I'm about to teach it in my child development class.

Why am I sharing it? Because doing so might help just one new parent figure out she -- or he -- is not alone, and put her -- or him -- on the road to recapturing the joy that really can exist in those exhausting, exhilarating early days.