What is Postpartum depression?

Women who have a child are blessed enough to experience their new journey! During this time, you might see some depressive episodes waving around you which can be difficult to handle at times. Such depressive episodes you face during your pregnancy or after childbirth is known as peripartum depression or postpartum depression. 

According to the researchers, Postpartum depression is faced by almost 1 out of 7 women in India. It won't be wrong that the pregnancy period and the after-delivery time are extremely delicate for women. 

The article written below is going to create full awareness about Postpartum depression. Once you understand it, you can be in a better state to handle such situations ahead in your future. 

What is Postpartum depression?

Postpartum depression is a condition where a woman goes through various mood swings, depressive episodes, anger issues, and sadness. It happens during pregnancy at 9 months or after giving birth to a baby. Women generally ignore this feeling, they think it's natural to feel sad and go through it all by themselves without getting anybody to know about this. It even makes the situation worse than ever. It leads to terrible changes in your eating schedules, sleeping schedules, and daily activities as well. You need to note that this ongoing anxiety and stress if left untreated during the given time can lead to serious risks for the mother as well as the child. 

What are the obvious symptoms of Postpartum depression?

There are several obvious symptoms of Postpartum depression that you should keep in mind. You will sense it if you are a new mother. Moreover, if you are her spouse, the caretaker, or a family member then you can see the following symptoms that are leading to Postpartum depression. 

• Impression of having high-level sadness

• You see yourself in a depressed mood 90% of the times

• You are now least interested to perform the activities that you once admired doing 

• Loss and drastic changes in your appetite

• You struggle with sleeping or else you are always sleeping to avoid problems 

• You feel like you are left with no stamina or energy at all

• You sudden experience the rise in fatigue

• The symptoms like hand shivering or hand-wringing, unable to make eye contact with the person you talking to, least interested in meeting your relatives, etc increase with this kind of depression and suddenly you start speaking very slowly and is finding difficulty in socializing with others 

• You fumble a lot while speaking and is shy all the time 

• You think that you are worthless for all 

• You are always sorry or guilty for your actions

• Your concentration power is diminishing day by day  

• You are overthinking every situation and feel difficult to make the right decisions

• You have a pathetic thought of opting for the easier way to handle this depression I.e.  committing suicide 

• Your emotions don't seem to have a break. You are always crying and emotional waves are hitting you hard

• You even feel like not taking care of the baby and end up losing your interest in giving him the right upbringing. 

• You have very scary thoughts about the baby 

• You often end up thinking that you are not sufficient enough to take care of your child because you are a bad mother

• You fear doing violent actions or destructive activities that might harm yourself, others, or the baby itself

Don't mistake yourself by taking the above signs lightly. As soon as you find them, go and get a checkup from the professional. It will be highly helpful for you as a mother, and for the overall nutrition of the newly born child. 

Are you at risk of Postpartum depression?

Risk of having Postpartum depression can be defined by at what stage of your life you are currently at. For the mothers who have just conceived having a child of not more than 1 month is at more risk of developing Postpartum depression. According to the researchers, sex hormonal changes can also lead to unseen mood swings that further give rise to Postpartum depression. Apart from this, the gestational carrier or the surrogates are also at a high risk of suffering from Postpartum depression. Moreover, the risk of multiple mood disorders is higher in these women. Also, if women have a prehistory of depression, where somebody in her family line has experienced the same, then it increases her risk of Postpartum depression even more. Apart from this, Postpartum depression can also be manifested in reality if you generally are living a stressful life due to family friends, etc. 

What is the correct time to reach the professional?

Talking about the right time to see a doctor is a vague question to ask. Being a woman, ask yourself - if you find severe changes in you where you are struggling hard to control your emotions, you should go ahead and seek professional help as soon as possible. Moreover, if you are a spouse or a family member, then you need to keep track of her hormonal changes and accordingly take her to the doctor. Anger, mood swings, isolation, sudden crying, and feeling off every time is a big time to see the doctor and start the treatment sessions. You can go for talk therapy which we call psychotherapy or doctors will recommend antidepressants medications to deal with Postpartum depression. 

Key Takeaways 

Postpartum depression is a serious issue. It needs to be handled with care and respect. Mothers go through a lot of pain during their pregnancy and while giving birth. She needs pampering, understanding, and full compassion. Mood swings are common during Postpartum depression so it is the responsibility of spouses and her family members to make sure that she is not being yelled at or left alone. The physical burden of pregnancy leads to a mental burden that she only can realize in depth. Understand her emotions and let her know that you are there for her. 

References 

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/postpartum-depression/what-is-postpartum-depression