Andre
Having a newborn can be stressful for women. No matter how enthusiastically you have been looking forward to holding your child on the way and how much you love your baby, sometimes your emotions and hormones can get the better of you.
Be rational and imagine all the sleep deprivation, lack of any time for you, and the burden of new responsibilities for life. No wonder a lot of new mothers may experience as if they are constantly on an emotional rollercoaster.
Frequent mood swings and mild bouts of depressions are the most common mental health issues new moms experience, and this has a name for it – “the baby blues.”
Postpartum Depression
Most women experience Postpartum Depression (PPD) symptoms in some way, shape, or form immediately after giving birth. It is a change in hormones after childbirth that triggers PPD. Of course, there are other associated stressors, such as distress of delivery, pains, isolation, fatigue, and sleep deprivation.
Being a new mom who has just given birth, you may feel overwhelmed, unusually welled up, and emotionally fragile. These symptoms typically appear within the first few days after childbirth. The symptoms peak for around a week or so, and gradually disappear by the second week postpartum.
Do not panic; the PPD is a normal phenomenon. However, if your symptoms are persistent and do not disappear in a couple of weeks or get worse, chances are you might have developed postpartum depression.
You Are Not the Only One
New parents may feel ashamed or guilty of not feeling happy all the time. In fact, they may experience bouts of anxiety, sadness, worries, and even emotional numbness. Trust me, there is nothing to feel ashamed of, and you are not the only one who feels that way.
It is absolutely ok to let your healthcare professional know how you are feeling and discuss how your moods are affecting you. Your healthcare provider will not think any less of you and will recommend ways to get you back your normal self.
Symptoms of Postpartum Depression
PPD can affect both new moms and dads in several ways. Some of the most common signs and symptoms are:
- Feeling emotionally trapped or overwhelmed
- Experiencing episodes of low moods lasting for more than a week or so.
- Feeling rejected
- Welling up or crying a lot
- Feeling guilt or shame
- Unexplained aches and pains such as headaches, stomach aches, back pains
- Blurred vision
- Loss of appetite
- Loss of libido
- Anxiety and panic attacks
- Fatigue
- Sleeping disorder
- Lack of interest in your newborn child
- Social distancing etc.
That said – postpartum depression and baby blues are two different things. Where baby blues affect new parents for a few days or a week, PPD is a form of a longer-term mental illness.
Most women with postpartum depression do not share how they feel with their partners, family member, and loved ones. However, if you can pick up on their symptoms of PPD, you must encourage them to seek medical assistance as soon as possible.
Neglected symptoms of postpartum depression may also result in thoughts about self-harming, harming your child, or even committing suicide. Neither an infant nor parents are reported of any harm in most cases; however, having such thoughts can be distressing and frightening.
What Causes Postpartum Depression?
There is a specific cause as to why some mothers develop PPD and others do not. Yet, there are numerous causes associated with this mental health issue.
Hormonal Causes
Women experience a massive drop in their progesterone and estrogen hormone levels after delivery. Their thyroid levels may also drop, leading to depression and fatigue. All these rapid hormonal fluctuations, along with changes in a mother’s immune system, blood pressure, and metabolism, may trigger PPD.
Physical Causes
Childbirth triggers several emotional and physical changes in new mothers. You experience extreme physical pain during delivery or may struggle with losing baby weight post-delivery. These events may leave you in distress or make you feel insecure about your physical appearance and sexual attractiveness.
Stress
The stress of taking care of your newborn baby may take its toll on you physically and psychologically. As a new mom, you may often experience sleep deprivation. Moreover, the weight of this huge responsibility may leave you anxious and overwhelmed about your ability to take care of your newborn baby.
What is Postpartum Psychosis?
Although rare, Postpartum psychosis is an extremely severe mental health disorder. It develops after childbirth and results in losing touch with your reality. There is a huge risk for infanticide or suicide associated with this mental illness. Thus, hospitalization is important for the safety of both the baby and the mother.
Postpartum psychosis can happen all of a sudden. It may take the first couple of weeks or develop as early as within 48 hours of giving birth. Some of the most common symptoms are:
- Confusions and disorientation
- Delusions and paranoia
- Hallucinations
- Suicidal actions or thoughts
- Extreme bouts of anger, anxiety, and agitation
- Bizarre behavior
- Refusal to sleep or eat
- Actions or thoughts of harming or killing the baby
How to Cope with Postpartum Depression?
First of all, if you doubt that you or your partner is suffering from PPD, you must seek immediate medical help for the safety of the mother, father, and the newborn baby. However, if the symptoms are not so severe, here are a few tips to follow along with medical assistance.
- Develop a secure emotional attachment with your newborn baby.
- Do not be shy to ask for help and support from your partner, family, friends, and medical health provider.
- Focus on self-care as well.
- Invest time in creating a bond with your partner.
Treatment for Postpartum Depression
Do not delude yourself into thinking that you can sail through postpartum depression on your own. You will definitely need both medical and psychological treatment. The quicker you get it, the better and sooner you will be able to care for and love your newborn baby.
Your professional health care provider and mental health expert will prescribe medication, therapy, or both as a course of relief from PPD. Antidepressants, counseling, and group therapy are all very efficient course of action to treat postpartum depression.
