Understanding Postpartum Depression

What is Postpartum Depression?

Postpartum depression, acronym'd as PPD, is a series of changes that occur in some women after delivering a child. These changes are a complex mix that takes place physically, emotionally and behaviourally, it is linked to chemical, social and psychological changes that happen when a woman is having a baby.

The term can be summarized as a series of changes that many new mothers experience. It is a form of major depression that occurs within the first four weeks after delivery.

Not only the duration between the time of delivery and the onset of the depression is needed when diagnosing postpartum depression, but the severity of the depression is also very important.

Postpartum Depression and Baby Blue

PPD and baby blues are closely related. While PPD is a mental health disorder that affects some women after the birth of a child, baby blues are temporary and usually last for two weeks after childbirth. Baby blues just is short-lived, and it goes away all by itself. Baby blues is a mild depression and mood swing common in new mothers.

The sudden change in hormones after delivery, coupled with fatigue, sleep deprivation, stress and isolation are the major causes of baby blues. A new mom may feel overwhelmed, sometimes tearful and emotionally fragile after the delivery.

The feeling of baby blues is totally normal, but close attention should be paid to a new mom if the symptoms don't go after a few weeks, if it gets worse after a few weeks, then it has most likely graduated to Postpartum depression. Well, the good news is, PPD, if quickly discovered, can be treated with medications and counselling.

How Does PostPartum Depression Occur

It is essential to know and have a knowledge of how postpartum depression occurs as it might help those experiencing it to accept it and go for the treatment, in order to heal fast. Life literally changes when a new baby arrives. Knowing how best to handle the situation would be of great help in early motherhood.

There is no singular cause for postpartum depression but there are certain things that pregnant women should know clearly. It is also very important to understand the signs that come with postpartum depression.

Having a baby is extremely stressful, and it doesn't matter how much you're expected to carry your baby or how much you love the idea of having babies. When you think of the physical changes that take place in your body form as a woman after birth, it can overwhelm and be frustrating.

These include fat being stored up in the stomach, drastic change in sleep routine, the thought of having to shuffle between being a wife and a mother, lack of time for oneself and additional responsibilities.

Summarily, having to care for a newborn is stressful and can take a toll on new moms. Little wonder a lot of new moms feel like they are on an emotional rollercoaster because they mostly feel overwhelmed and anxious about their ability to care for their baby.

When Does Postpartum Depressions Start?

"Post" as we know means after, this type of depression occurs after childbirth. The chemical and physical changes come to play at this stage too.

The chemical changes most of the time has to do with the change in oestrogen level that is associated with a body changed by pregnancy and birth. The chemical changes involve a rapid drop in hormones after delivery.

During pregnancy, the levels of oestrogen and progesterone and the female reproductive hormones increase ten times and about three days after delivery. The levels of these hormones drop back to what they were before pregnancy.

These rapid hormonal changes along with the changes in blood pressure and immune system functioning that new mother's experience trigger postpartum depression. To add to these chemical changes, the social and psychological changes of having a baby create an increased risk of depression.

Physical changes have to do with physical pain from the delivery and also the difficulty of losing the weight added during pregnancy. This leaves the lady insecure about her physical and sexual attractiveness. Besides the apparent changes in the mom's body, a new mom experiences major life changes with a new life to take care of.

What Are The Signs Of Postpartum Depression?

The symptoms of postpartum depression may be difficult to detect, as they parade themselves as natural symptoms a mother has after childbirth. The one thing to look out for is the duration of these symptoms. If they keep recurring after two weeks of birth, I will strongly advise that the new mom sees a doctor for proper diagnosis.

The symptoms include sleep deprivation, loss of appetite, severe fatigue, lower libido withdrawal from people and frequent mood swings. Moms who have underlying or records of depression may have more severe symptoms after childbirth and these may include:

Being uninterested in your baby, a feeling of not bonding with your child, depressed mood, severe anger or crankiness, loss of pleasure, feeling of helplessness, hopelessness and worthlessness, thoughts of death or suicide, thoughts of hurting someone else and trouble concentrating or deciding.

Who Experiences Postpartum Depression?

Since we are talking about childbirth, one should naturally know that women are the ones who experience postpartum depression, they are the ones who go through the chemical, physical, emotional and mental changes that come with having a baby.

According to research, about one out of every ten of women will develop severe and longer-lasting depression after delivery and about one out of one thousand women develop a more serious condition called Postpartum Psychosis.

One more thing to note is, fathers are not immune to this depression. Research shows that about one in ten new fathers get depressed during the year the child is born, so this is not totally about women, men also undergo postpartum depression.

Some new dads find it difficult to successfully transit from a one-on-one relationship with the mother to a family of three or four, with twins. And this often graduates to feelings of guilt at the desire for attention when the mother's attention is on the new baby.

Lack of sleep also adds to a new dad's stress. Because of these things, a new dad may experience postpartum depression. It is advised that he should also seek help immediately after he notices signs of PPD.

How To Deal With Postpartum Depression

A new mom going through PPD should seek counsel from older women or should go for counselling with a trained doctor who will tell her what to do and what not to do and how to come out of her present condition.

The help of a spouse helps during this period, the man should affirm his wife and let her know she's not going through the depression phase alone, he should always be available as much as he can, the new mom also should be deliberate in feeding and resting.

I should also let you know that postpartum depression can be very dangerous for new moms if it's untreated. It is advised that new moms should seek professional help when symptoms persist beyond two weeks.