Overcoming Postpartum Depression in New Moms
Thesis Statement Giving birth is undoubtedly one of the most significant moments in a woman’s life. Therefore, feeling a little bit depressed or overwhelmed by it is entirely normal. After all, giving birth to a new life isn’t easy. Not only is it an emotional experience but painful as well.
Because of all this stress and ongoing bodily changes, mom-to-be experiences a lot of pressure both before and after giving birth. This phase is generally known as postpartum depression. So, in today’s article, we’re going to talk in detail about it and talk about different ways in which you can treat it. Let’s get started!
Parenthood invokes various feelings, like joy, excitement, and anxiety. Mom’s baby blues are pretty common, but not postpartum depression, a long-lasting, severe condition that is often overlooked.
A type of depression that follows the birth of a baby is postpartum depression. Around 1 in 7 women is affected by this. Having a baby is a life-changing period followed by emotions, sadness, anxiety, and worthlessness, even in the worst case of mothers having violent thoughts towards babies themselves. It’s a psychological disorder that can be treated with the help of medication and counseling.
Symptoms
It usually starts within a week of delivery and can develop up to 6 months which includes trouble having a good bond with your baby, difficulty in sleeping, and difficulty in making decisions and thinking. The most important way to diagnose it is to visit a doctor.
Cause and Risk Factors of Postpartum Depression
There’s no specific reason why mothers develop it. However, some factors trigger it, and that include:
Hormonal Change
After the birth of a baby, a drop in estrogen and progesterone is experienced, and the body experiences fatigue and depression. All these hormonal changes trigger postpartum depression.
Physical Changes
Giving birth to a child can cause many physical changes in your body. It becomes challenging to lose weight, and you become insecure about your body.
Change in Dietary Habits
Post-birth women find it hard to resume their normal diet. As a result, they face deficiencies that further elevate their mood swings. In such cases, taking supplements like the best turmeric supplement can be quite helpful. Not only does turmeric contain essential anti-oxidants that help lower stress and boost mood, but these supplements also contain vital minerals and vitamins.
Types of Postpartum Depression
You can experience postpartum depression in three different ways.
Baby blues or the postpartum blues
During this women experience a lot of anxiety and depression. A woman will cry for hours without any reason. This is the least severe form of postpartum depression and commonly occurs in the first few weeks of delivery; recovery without medication is also possible. If you have your partner and family support, you can easily overcome it.
Postpartum depression
This condition is much more severe than baby blues, and you will experience fatigue and irritation, anxiety, and feeling of guilt. Symptoms appear from mild to intense and may appear within a week of delivery or a year. Antidepressants are pretty effective in this case.
Postpartum psychosis
It is a highly severe form and requires an emergency condition but the condition is rare; it affects 1 person in 1000 after delivery. Insomnia, mania, and hallucinations are some of the symptoms that people suffering from depression experience. They may also share suicidal thoughts. Hospitalization and medication are common forms of treatment for depression. You can learn more about psychotic breakdown symptoms to help you look out for you loved ones better.
How to Deal with PPD
The following tips will help you overcome postpartum depression.
Build a secure bond with your baby
You require an Emotional bonding between a child and parents to develop a secure bond. This type of bonding will help him manage his feelings, strengthen their development, etc.
Skin to skin contact
Skin-to-skin contact relaxes both the mother and the baby, and this will help to develop a good bond between a child and parent. By doing this, the child and mother will be able to get prolonged periods of sleep, decrease anxiety, and help you to feel better.
Smile
Your baby’s smile is one thing that can keep a mother happy. When you say your child is sending you a reflex by smiling, areas of her brain associated with the brain lightened up. Hold your child 8-12 inches from your face and smile at him. He’ll smile back in a much better way.
Sing
Regardless of how bad your voice is, singing for your child is the best way to keep their attention. It will not only help you to get attention from your baby but will also help you to get away from depression and all the negative thoughts.
Take care of yourself
Taking good care of yourself is one of the ways to get rid of depression. You can go to have sunshine, pamper yourself, do yoga, watch your favorite show, and take a bubble bath with some scented candles. or apple a turmeric mask to refresh your skin; after all, cleansing is one of the several turmeric benefits that you can enjoy.
Build a support network
In order to survive, humans must interact with each other in order to survive. People who are in your surroundings affect your lifestyle a lot. The presence of friends and family who motivate and support you helps you get rid of depression quickly. Loneliness always had a connection with heart diseases, high blood pressure, sleep issues, and diminishing immunity.
Take proper medication
Along with having a good lifestyle and other things, you should never miss your medicine. Experts find that a class of antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are effective in treating postpartum depression.
The Take Away
Postpartum depression has become a severe problem in recent years. Therefore, if you observe that you or a loved one is feeling too exhausted, sad, or depressed post-delivery, you must immediately seek professional care. The sooner you seek treatment, the better.
