Postpartum depression is more than just the “baby blues.” Many women feel overwhelmed, tearful, or moody in the days or weeks after giving birth, but postpartum depression is a more serious condition that can last for months. If you feel hopeless or filled with fear, therapy may help.
Postpartum depression is more than just the “baby blues.” Many women feel overwhelmed, tearful, or moody in the days or weeks after giving birth, but postpartum depression is a more serious condition that can last for months. If you feel hopeless or filled with fear, therapy may help.
What is it?
Pregnancy, labor, and the birth of a new baby bring about major physical, mental, and lifestyle changes that can rock your world. While this adjustment can be difficult for many, postpartum depression (PPD) is a mental illness that occurs after a child is born. Postpartum depression may also be called perinatal depression, which includes the period during pregnancy and after birth.
Postpartum depression is common, affecting up to one in eight women. People with postpartum depression experience depressive symptoms such as sadness, emptiness, or withdrawal for more than two weeks. These feelings may be common as you adjust to a new life with children or an expanding family. However, if sadness or anxiety prevents you from taking care of yourself or your baby, or you have difficulty functioning or completing daily tasks, you may be suffering from postpartum depression.
This usually occurs within a few weeks of birth. However, postpartum depression may also become apparent later. Some people develop postpartum depression within a year of birth.
Type
There are three main types of postpartum depression:
Postpartum depression
No matter how much you love your baby, no matter how excited you are about his or her arrival, 50 to 85 percent of women will experience postpartum depression. The “baby blues” usually appear within a few days of birth, which coincides with the time babies typically go home from the hospital. These feelings of depression, anxiety, or anger usually last one to two weeks and then gradually go away.
Postpartum depression
When symptoms of depression or anxiety persist for more than two weeks, you can think of postpartum depression as one step further than postpartum blues. This is considered a serious condition and can be treated with psychotherapy or medication.
Postpartum psychosis
Psychosis is a severe form of postpartum depression, affecting one to two out of every 1,000 postpartum women. This mental illness poses a risk to mothers and children as women report hearing voices, hallucinations, and desires to harm themselves or their children. This is a medical emergency.
Symptom
Not everyone with postpartum depression feels the same way. But it’s important to know that if you’ve recently had a baby and feel like at least some of the following symptoms of postpartum depression apply to you, you shouldn’t feel shame or guilt, and this doesn’t put you at risk for “.” “Bad Mom”. Because there are many people with similar problems. We can help, but first you should find out if any symptoms on this list apply to you:
- Unhappy.
- Feeling down or depressed.
- Cries often.
- Angrier than usual.
- Retreat.
- You worry about your ability to care for your baby.
- Changes in appetite.
- Not being able to enjoy the activities you once loved.
- fatigue.
- Changes in energy levels, from being unable to sit still to extremely slow movements.
- Guilt.
- Having trouble thinking.
- Feeling worthless.
- Lack of interest in the baby.
- The feeling of separation from your baby.
- Worry that you will harm yourself or your baby.
- Fear and worry.
Reason
hormonal changes
One of the main factors in postpartum depression is the sudden fluctuations in hormone levels after birth. Although levels of hormones such as estrogen and progesterone rise during pregnancy, they fall back to pre-pregnancy levels within hours of birth. This severe change may trigger depression.
other medical conditions
Thyroid function is important for your mood, energy levels, appetite, and more. Childbirth can affect your thyroid levels and cause symptoms of depression.
lifestyle factors
The stress of having a baby and the sudden changes in your life, routine and relationship with your partner can have a profound impact on your mental health. Lack of sleep is a common thing to do with a newborn in the house, and it can also have a big impact on your mood.
birth story
While women with healthy pregnancies and births can still develop PPD, the condition can also occur following birth injuries, complications, or when the baby has to be in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) after birth.
In addition, there are some risk factors that may increase the risk of postpartum depression:
- Experiencing a stressful life event (e.g., death of a loved one, moving, job loss)
- Lack of social support.
- accidental pregnancy.
- Marital problems.
- Have a personal or family history of depression.
- Difficulty getting pregnant.
- Multiple births.
- There are pregnancy complications.
- Going through painful childbirth.
Diagnosis
The first step in diagnosis is to talk to your doctor right away. During your postpartum visit, and perhaps during your baby’s first checkup, your gynecologist or pediatrician may ask you to fill out a screening form to check for postpartum depression. The screening questionnaire, called the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, consists of 10 questions about your mood, anxiety and enjoyment of typical activities.
However, if you feel like you’re in trouble, your symptoms persist for more than two weeks, or you’re having trouble going about your daily routine, you should seek help from a trusted doctor rather than waiting for your doctor to ask how you’re doing. At your appointment, your doctor will discuss your feelings with you and may order further tests to check for underlying conditions that may be affecting your mood, such as thyroid disease.
Treat
There are different ways to treat postpartum depression. Talking with your doctor can help you determine a treatment plan that’s right for you, which may include:
drug
Prescription antidepressants such as SSRIs or SNRIs are used to balance neurotransmitters in the brain, which are chemicals that play a role in mood regulation. If you are breastfeeding, small amounts of these medicines may pass into breast milk. Your doctor can recommend breastfeeding while taking antidepressants.
talk therapy
Not only can contacting a counselor help discuss your feelings, but a psychologist can also provide you with helpful strategies to help you cope with grief and anxiety and suggest lifestyle habits that can improve your mood. Talk therapy can be done individually or through a support group.
Prevention
Understanding the risk factors for postpartum depression (especially if you have a personal or family history of depression) can help you prepare and organize the support and resources you may need during your postpartum journey.
Even if a history of depression does not mean you will suffer from postpartum depression, you can make plans before delivery, such as: B. If you have already been in contact with a counselor, arrange for help from a relative to develop a treatment plan or Conduct regular inspections.
Additionally, during pregnancy and the postpartum period, it is important to prioritize your needs, such as exercise, sleep, and daily hygiene time. This can be difficult if you have children to look after, but your partner, friends and family can help provide you with support and opportunities to look after yourself. Staying connected with loved ones can also have a positive impact on your mental health.