“Mother”, one title, thousand emotions. Giving birth to a child is one of the biggest blessings for a woman. Needing a lot of care and attention the 9 months pregnancy period, is like a roller coaster ride with a lot of mood swings and various cravings for food.
The zenith of being a mother is indescribable, holding ababy for the first time can bloom mixed emotions of happiness and excitement. From a wife to a mother, a woman status changes in a blink of an eye,who thinks of every possible way to be a good parent.
Not an easy task, a new mother has to face a lot of challenges getting used to her new life. Sleep deprivation, breast pain while feeding and managing your home along with the baby can be frustrating.
But what about the deep emotional pain that comes after child birth? No, it is not the “Baby Blues” that vanish after a week or two, here we are talking about “Postpartum Depression”. Depression? After being a mother… not possible? This question must be crossing in everyone’s mind right now, right?
Most of the people are unaware of “Postpartum Depression”. This is a severe form of clinical depression related to pregnancy and child birth.
Postpartum depression is the depression a woman suffers from after delivering a baby. It can start anytime during baby’s first year but usually a woman starts feeling its effect during the first 3 weeks of giving birth. It occurs because of the major hormonal changes that your body goes through during pregnancy and childbirth. Sometimes it can be caused by other factors such as:
- Miscarriage or stillbirth
- Previous history of clinical depression, bipolar disorder or postpartum depression
- Lack of support from family or friends
- Having a sick or colicky baby (that is, a baby who cries a lot despite being healthy)
If you have it you may feel helpless, hopeless and guilty because you may not feel like loving or making a bond with your child. But, how can a mother feels like this? Is she heartless or is she mad? Such type of questions can make a woman more depressed that leads her to be quiet in front of people. Consulting a psychiatrist is stamped as shameful in the society, now what a woman should do?
Postpartum depression is common among women of Pakistan, with pervasiveness rate ranging from 28 percent to 63 percent, placing it among the highest in Asia. But how to detect this?
SYMPTOMS:
Signs and symptoms of postpartum depression include:
- Extreme mood swings
- Lack of feelings of attachment with your new-born
- Social withdrawal
- Severe anxiety and panic
- Excessive irritability
- Feeling overwhelmed, worthless or guilty
- Excessive crying
- Reduced concentration
- Reduced or increased appetite
- Excessive sleepiness, or inability to sleep (known as insomnia)
- Difficulty in concentration
- Suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming your baby.
WHAT TO DO?
Every problem needs a solution, if you are facing any of the symptoms BE OPENabout it. Share it with your husband and family. Do not be afraid, you are not mad, postpartum depression is common among people around the world. Do not be ashamed and seek help immediately, consult a doctor or your gynecologist as soon as possible. Overcome this depression and do not bring a pause in loving your child.
Let’s aware the world and if you have dealt with postpartum depression write #IAmNotAfraidin the comments down below.