Pregnant mothers go through a rollercoaster of emotions. Their mood swings and feelings are already making them feel a lot of things.
On top of that, once the baby is delivered the body undergoes innumerable changes changing the brain chemistry too. Do you feel sad and frustrated all the time? Do you not like holding or baby? Do you feel like you’re not capable of caring and handling your baby? If these thoughts constantly bug your head, visit Best Psychiatrist in Patna, Dr. Vivek Pratap Singh.
When a woman is pregnant, there is a great level of fluctuation of hormones in the body.
Due to another human being growing in the body, the body adjusts according to the needs of the woman and the fetus. Due to this, there is an increase in release of certain hormones.
Once the baby is delivered, the body tries to conform to the pre-baby body. This leads to a lot of changes within the body. All of these changes affect the woman a lot. They deal with mood changes, various feelings of anxiety, guilt, or excitement sometimes.
Postpartum
Before diving into postpartum depression, let’s discuss what postpartum means? Postpartum is defined as the period after one has delivered the baby.
It is the phase after the childbirth typically lasting for six weeks. That brings us to our next question: what are the three types of postpartum?
The postpartum period can be divided into three stages
Acute phase: it is the first phase 6-12 hours after the childbirth. This is a very critical period for both the mother and the baby and they are under constant supervision. The mothers are at the risk of bleeding and hemorrhage and fatal complications.
Subacute phase: this period lasts for two to six weeks and there;s risk of various vascular disorders, especially for women with c-section.
The discharge called lochia will slowly stop and from red turns to brown and then to yellow eventually stopping later on. A lot of women are found out to have some kind of health issue during this phase.
Delayed phase: it's the final phase lasting for around six months. This period, the muscles and tissues go back to their pre-baby state. Recovery from childbirth ensues and the mothers report to start feeling better and have a set routine around the baby.
Postpartum depression:
A baby can be a life-altering experience. The parents are on the moon regarding their baby but a mother typically goes through a lot of emotions after childbirth.
For mothers, its an overwhelming experience with the associated worries of fear, and doubt about the baby’s care.
If a woman experiences feelings of sadness ongoing for a long time, frequent crying episodes, and not able to focus on the baby’s well-being, they might be suffering from postpartum depression.
There various types of postpartum depression are
Postpartum blues:
After giving birth, if a woman is having crying bouts and won’t know what to explain about the reason, feelings of sadness for the first two weeks, then they are experiencing postpartum blues.
It is very common among at least 75% of women after delivery. It resolves without any intervention in two weeks without treatment.
Postpartum depression:
Postpartum depression is a more serious condition than postpartum blue considering the severity of symptoms. The women may experience alternating highs and lows with feelings of hopelessness and guilt about not being able to care for the baby.
The symptoms may begin from the first week or after a month and last several months. The symptoms can be controlled by medications. Seeing a therapist during such times can be effective too.
Postpartum psychosis:
It is the grave form of postpartum depression and requires emergent medical attention. The symptoms can be severe ranging from feelings of anxiety and agitation to delusional thoughts, hallucinations.
The patient may get hyperactive and experience mania-like symptoms. The mothers would likely have to get hospitalized and would need medications.
In these cases, the chances of suicide risk and harm to the baby increases. Although it is a rare condition, watch out for the symptoms.
What are the main causes of postpartum?
Researchers have found some association with the fluctuating hormone levels in a pregnant woman as the major cause of postpartum depression.
As the estrogen level declines rapidly after delivery, the woman undergoes psychological and chemical changes to the body.
These factors negatively influence the mental health of a woman. Other social and environmental factors also play a role. For example,
Family history of depression or postpartum depression
Interrelationship issues or conflicts
Being a single parent
Medical complications during pregnancy like low birth weight or premature delivery
Young age
If the baby has developmental disability or needs special care
History of postpartum blues in previous pregnancy
First time being pregnant
No financial or social support
underlying mental health conditions
Unwanted pregnancy
The above mentioned causes affect the woman a great deal. They develop intense feelings of confusion and agitation about them being in this uncalled situation.
What are the signs of postpartum depression?
Postpartum depression can have a varied range of signs and symptoms. If a woman is experiencing
Anxiety
Frequent crying episodes
Panic attacks
Confusion
Aggressive behavior
Sudden mood swings
Excessive worrying
Sleep abnormalities
Change in eating habits
Trouble focusing
If a woman is experiencing symptoms like
Trouble taking care of baby
Suicidal thoughts and ideation
Thoughts regarding harming the baby
Immediately inform the healthcare provider and seek urgent care because these symptoms are an indication of a severe form of condition.
A woman might not feel like even tending to the baby when they are crying due to increased feelings of detachment from her child. The feelings are involuntary, and the woman can’t do anything to control them.
Although, once the symptoms start appearing, the woman can seek therapy and medications to not let the condition affect their life.
How do you heal postpartum?
Healing from postpartum depression can be a tedious task given the circumstances a woman is in. The treatment and recovery time can depend upon the cause of the condition.
The cause can be an underactive thyroid during pregnancy. Treating thyroidism might help with the symptoms of depression.
Cognitive behavioral therapy for the mothers suffering with baby blues can be effective. Sometimes, the bottled up feelings need to be released and that can make your heart light with feeling better about oneself.
They can share their feelings of being worthless and not being responsible enough for the baby. These uncontrollable feelings most of the time need validation from someone and that can help them recover. Through therapy, one might be able to better cope up with problems.
How do i calm down my postpartum depression?
Medications such as antidepressants are a great help for relieving symptoms of depression. If the patient has postpartum psychosis, the healthcare provider might hospitalize the mother, or give antipsychotics, mood stabilizers to better control the thoughts and condition.
If the baby is at risk of harm from the mother, they should be careful about not letting the mother alone with the baby. If it does not respond to medication, electroconvulsive therapy might be used.
Although, due to the risk of medications interfering with breastfeeding some others might ask, how can I heal postpartum naturally?
To answer the questions, there are some ways by which the postpartum depression symptoms can get better naturally.
Go for regular walks.
Try resting the body as much as possible
Accept the support from family and friends
Try taking care of yourself by focusing on sleep and eating schedule
Don’t consume alcohol or any kind of drugs to cope up with the symptoms
Share whatever feelings you are feeling with your partner
Eat nutritious food and snacks. This will help your body feel better and it receive the required amount of vitamins and minerals
What is the 40-day rule after birth?
This is a tradition practiced in a lot of Asian regions. During the first 40 days after birth a woman stays at her parent’s house where she can get loads of care and attention a woman needs after the tiresome past days.
She can get enough sleep and rest and doesn’t have to work or worry about anything. A woman can feel the most comfort at her mother’s house.
She can get body massages to tone her and the baby’s body. To eat healthy and look after yourself is quite important in the first few days.
Postpartum depression is a no joke. You might undergo a lot of physical and mental changes. It affects your body in a way that you won’t be able to control your feelings. If you or you know someone who is suffering from this, visit the Best NeuroPsychiatrist in Patna, Dr. Vivek Pratap Singh.