Overview
Postpartum Depression is a feeling of sadness, anxiety, or despair that usually observed in women after childbirth. As it is a completely new experience for them, women will have mixed emotions such as happy and sad. It is quite become a normal problem in women, and they tend to develop after childbirth.
Women experience the symptoms of postpartum depression due to the birth of a baby and the symptoms include
- Mood swings
- Insomnia
- Anxiety
- Crying spells
The main difference between the baby blues and the postpartum depression is their duration. The symptoms of baby blues can last long up to four to few weeks and on the other hand, the symptoms of postpartum depression can last up to a year or longer. People often assume baby blues as postpartum depression, but your physician may decide your condition based on the severeness of your condition.
Women with a history of depression or bipolar disorder may have higher chances of experiencing postpartum depression. Also, if anyone of the family members is diagnosed with postpartum depression in the past, there are chances that anyone in their family may become the victim of postpartum depression.
Hopelessness, overwhelmed, thoughts of committing suicide or hurting your baby, feeling sad for no reason, unable to take care of your baby, worrying, overly anxious, loss of appetite, unable to concentrate on the things, difficulty in making decisions, getting angry for no reason, unable to find pleasure in your favorite hobbies, and experiencing headaches, muscle pains, and stomach aches are the signs and symptoms of postpartum depression. Men also experience postpartum depression, and it has been observed in a study that men are less likely to report their condition to their doctors, and twenty-five percent of fathers experiencing depression in the first year.
Postpartum depression is considered a serious mental illness that has the capability of involving your brain and has a lot of impact on your behavior and physical health. It is not good for your health to experience feelings such as sad, empty, and flat. This will make the women who are suffering from depression to emotionally unconnected to their baby.
Following are the various ways to deal with postpartum depression
Emotional Bonding
In order to get rid of the symptoms of postpartum depression, we would advise you to build a secure bond with your baby. This will make your relationship with the child memorable and it will continue for the rest of your life. In order to develop a secure bond, you need to automatically respond to your baby problems or your child’s needs like playing with them, soothing them, and picking them up.
People who are suffering from this type of condition may find it difficult to build a healthy relationship with their child. It is not an easy task for you to take care of yourself when you are suffering from postpartum depression. It has been observed in research that five thousand six hundred children out of fourteen thousand children lacked a strong emotional relationship with their parents or guardians. It will lead to problems such as
- Behavioral
- Educational problems
Some parents will express their love for their children the moment they see them and, it will be difficult for other people. Don’t feel sad or guilty if you are not maintaining a healthy relationship with your babies. Having a close relationship or contact with your baby’s release oxytocin which is a chemical released from your body when you are feeling happy.
Take care of Yourself
To prevent the problem, you need to start taking care of yourself. We would advise you to get as much sleep as you can while your baby is sleeping. Making small changes in your lifestyle may result in improving your mood and health. These feelings contribute to feeling good about yourself.
Consume Omega-3 Foods
Maintaining a diet that includes omega-3 fatty acids may reduce your chances of getting diagnosed with postpartum depression. Mackerel, salmon, cod liver oil, herring, oysters, sardines, anchovies, caviar, flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, and soybeans are the foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids. If you consume the foods during pregnancy, it will result in reducing your chances of getting diagnosed with postpartum depression and consuming these foods considered as the best alternative treatment for this condition.
Sleep
In order to take good care of your baby, you need to be awake. We would advise you to sleep when your baby taking a nap. Taking a nap is a big challenge for any mother and it has been observed in a study that the women who are suffering from this condition take longer to fall asleep and it will result in sleep for less time. your condition may become severe if you don’t manage to sleep well and it contributes to depression.
When someone is offering help to look after your baby, don’t hesitate to take their help. Don’t give your baby to strangers, and if the people who are offering you help should be your friends and your relatives.
Exposing to Sunlight
Your body needs exposure to sunlight and fresh air and it will dramatically improve your mood. Take your baby with you while going outside is the best therapy you can give to yourself and your baby. Aim to get outside for at least ten to fifteen minutes per day.
Physical Activity
It has been observed in a study that engaging in physical activity will help you to fight with postpartum depression. Doing exercises has a lot of benefits and it has the capability of lowering your chances of getting diagnosed with postpartum depression. Doing exercises during the phase of postpartum depression is the best way to gain psychological well-being and it can ease the symptoms of this condition. Exercises can offer you the following benefits in the postpartum period such as
- Strengthen your abdominal muscles
- Gives you relief from stress
- Promotes better sleep
- Increase your energy levels
We would advise you to start with the gentle exercises after giving birth to your baby and never forget to take your doctor’s advice while making this condition. The best way to start an exercise is by walking and also you can push your stroller at the same time. In order to get the best results, we would advise you to do exercise for at least ten to fifteen minutes.
If you are not fond of doing physical exercises, you can try anything new that is interesting to you. you can try to dance, spinning, Pilates, or yoga. If you want you can take your baby with you for the classes. If you don’t like to gong to the gym, then hire a personal trainer for you or enroll for an online fitness program. Doing at your home may bring you more comfort than performing the same physical activities in the gym.
Build a Support Network
All humans love to have interacted with other people. Meeting new people and having positive interactions may be a good sign to start your day. It will also give you relief from stress and other difficulties in your life. Spending time alone and feeling lonely is not a good sign for a new parent and due to this reason, we would advise you to talk with your loved ones, friends and interact with people daily. Loneliness can be contributing to other factors such as
- High blood pressure
- Increase your risk of heart disease
- Getting difficulty in sleeping
- Diminished immunity
In order to overcome the above problems, we would advise you to have positive social interactions and get emotional support from other people or other mothers. It has been observed in a study that loneliness can lead to making you become introvert, and separate you from other people.
Psychotherapy
If you don’t observe any improvements in your personality even after trying lifestyle changes, and self-help, then we would advise you to try psychotherapy. It is also called talk therapy. The main objective of this therapy is to find the best suitable solution for your problem. You should discuss your problems and feelings, and after this therapy, you are able to set goals for yourself that are manageable, and also you will come to know about how to react to the situations promptly.
Medications
A physician may recommend medications to the people who are suffering from postpartum depression. Antidepressants are the first choice of medications to your physician if your condition is severe. When other methods have failed to ease the symptoms of your problem, then your physician may advise you to take antidepressant drugs.
Tremors, dry mouth, anxiety, nausea, decreased sex drive, dizziness, constipation, headaches, diarrhea, perspiration, getting difficulty in sleeping, exhaustiveness, restlessness, and sudden changes in your weight are the common side effects of using antidepressants. We would advise you to be patient as antidepressants take some time to work and don’t stop taking antidepressants in the middle of your course as it may increase your side effects.
References
- https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-treatment-post-partum-depression
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2922346/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3865701/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2597421/
Sirisha B