Women who are the most at risk for postpartum depression are those who fit any of the following: They have a history of depression or substance abuse, a family history of mental illness, have little or no support from family and friends, have anxiety, have had problems with previous pregnancy or birth, have marital or financial problems, or are of a young age.

In addition, studies have shown that in the United States, African American women have a significantly greater probability of experiencing postpartum depression, even when other factors such as age, income, education, marital status, and the baby’s health were screened out. Nobody knows exactly why, but the theory is that there is racial tension in the United States that contributes to this.

Additionally, women from other minority groups, including lesbians and bisexuals, also had a higher risk. It could be that the general social conservatism and xenophobia of United States culture is leading to all non-White people who do not embrace American Evangelical Christianity to feel that they are not welcome, and thus their children would not be welcome as well. It is, after all, naturally more stressful to try to raise a family in a nation that is home to the Ku Klux Klan, if you’re one of the people it doesn’t like.

Throughout the whole world, there has also been a high co-relation between a woman’s chances of experiencing postpartum depression and her social class; the women in lower social classes with fewer support resources had greater depression.

Now, as for the symptoms, any of these are signs of postpartum depression, although some of them can occur during pregnancy as well: sadness, hopelessness, low self-esteem, sleep and eating irregularities, rejecting comfort, low energy, feelings of emptiness or worthlessness, being easily frustrated, and social withdrawal.

It is thought that all of the symptoms and aspects tie together into concern for the well-being of the family one is creating, both for oneself and the offspring. However, there are strong chemical factors are work as well. Hormonal changes have a strong role to play in postpartum depression, with a high risk for it if the mother also suffers from a severe case of premenstrual syndrome.

In further consideration of the hormonal factors, studies were conducted on women who had a history of postpartum depression. Upon being treated with a hormone treatment which merely simulated pregnancy, the women began exhibiting several signs of postpartum depression, even when they weren’t actually pregnant! This tells us that there may in fact be two different types of postpartum depression - one with a social or situational cause, and one with a biological cause.

As always, we must stress that this is not a doctor’s opinion. If you think you or someone you know may be suffering from postpartum depression, you should seek the advice of a doctor instead of relying on a web page.

Share This

Postpartum depression results from the act of giving birth to a child. Nearly 10% of all women experience postpartum depression. Realize experiencing this kind of depression does not indicate any facet of the woman’s mothering abilities it is a mere physiological state of being. A multitude of physical and psychological stress pose threats to a woman’s body during childbirth and can play a major role in developing the postpartum illness.

After childbirth, many women experience short-term, mild depression states. Women do not normally need treatment, just time. Postpartum depression occurs anytime within a year of giving birth. This kind of depression poses serious risks to a woman’s mental health. The mother needs to seek out treatment to prevent further damage to her mental state. The worst and most rare of all postpartum aspects manifest as postpartum psychosis, also known as, puerperal psychosis. A mother poses serious risks of causing harm to herself or the baby.

Symptoms of postpartum depression include irritability, restlessness, anxiety, and loss of energy or motivation. Mother’s with this disorder feel ashamed and starts to isolate them selves with feelings of guilt. Most believe childbirth should be the happiest point of time in their lives and wind up confused when nothing but sadness looms their head. She begins to withdraw from friends and family by feeling hopeless and overwhelmed. She loses interest in previously joyful activities. Further degradation occurs in memory capabilities, difficulties making decisions and a variety of physical manifests. Physical ailments include headaches, abnormal heart rate, hyperventilation and chest pains. The mother may lose the ability to sleep well or keep a balanced diet.

Postpartum depression does not affect the mother alone. The child’s emotional needs may go uncalled to when the mother is trying to deal with her own stressful emotions. This could send the feelings of shame and worthlessness on a path to becoming two fold. The mother will think she must not be a good parent and by waning confidence, strengthens the depression’s hold. The baby will begin to show signs of distress because it’s emotional and other needs are not being met properly.

Pregnancy involves a cocktail of hormonal changes and pose as the prime reason mother’s experience postpartum depression. Throughout the pregnancy the mother undergoes a vide variety of chemical changes. Unfortunately, multiple accounts of hormonal changes can set off an imbalance. Postpartum treatment focuses on restoring balance lost during pregnancy.

Some women find herbal remedies very helpful in dealing with postpartum symptoms. Mother’s report chaste berry tree and black cohosh to provide relief in irritability, night sweats, irregular heart beats, headaches, depression and anxiety episodes. Chamomile tea or Valerian root extract promotes sleep and helps reduce anxiety levels. Combination vitamins and supplemental minerals, enzymes, amino acids and herbal extracts provide great benefits towards relieving many symptoms included in postpartum depression. Natural supplements do not come with the serious side effects prescription medication often presents.

Fortunately, expecting mothers need not feel anxious about possibly developing postpartum depression. No woman should hold them selves responsible for a disease out of their control. Doctors know how hard the disorder can be for a mothering parent and her baby. Treatments provide the baby’s emotional care and mother’s restoration of mental health. Do not delay if you are worried about acquiring postpartum depression, assistance can help you realize the joyful wonders of parenting.

Share This

There is no doubt that the introduction of a baby into your life, no matter how loved and wanted, can cause a lot of emotional and physical stress if you are not prepared.

In our western culture, support for new mothers can be lacking because relatives often live far away and our friends may not be our immediate neighbours. Also, when your friends and family are with you, you may find that their expectations about how you should be feeling are not necessarily the same as yours. Alternatively, your feelings may not be as intense as you expect them to be immediately after birth and for some women, it can take some time before the feelings of love for the new baby develops.

For many women the pregnancy may have been a difficult one and the baby may not have been planned. Many things can influence the way that you initially feel about your new baby. These emotional stresses combined with a less than optimal level of nutrition and the obvious hormone changes that you will be experiencing post birth with perhaps a poor sleep pattern due to the babies demands can lead to post natal depression, and it is very common.

There are ways to both prevent and treat depressive thinking effectively without resorting to drugs.

So what are the symptoms of post natal depression?

Well it is no different from the symptoms of general depression, these can include:

• A lack of motivation

• Vivid dreaming

• Waking early feeling exhausted (this may be a normal part of early life with your baby of course, especially if he or she is not a good sleeper)

• A lack of pleasure in usually pleasurable activities

• Anxiety

• Black and white thinking (everything bad happens to me, everything good to others etc)

• Negative introspection and worrying

• Excessive guilt

• A loss of appetite

• Lethargy

• Reducing pleasurable activities

• A loss of libido

So how can you help prevent post natal depression?

The first thing to state is that most women don’t actually get full depression but they tend to classify feeling weepy and a bit low as depression. This is quite normal and will pass after a few weeks so don’t get too concerned if you do have mood swings or if you don’t feel your usual self. It is probably due to the hormones changes that occur after birth as your body begins returning to normal, and remember you have been sharing your body with your baby for nine months and many women express a feeling akin to grief at this parting. So this is normal and will pass.

If you are concerned or you have suffered from depression in the past and want be prepared what can you do?

Well the good news is that relaxation and can be very effective at de-conditioning the emotional arousal that happens during depression. So planning time to practice active relaxation and using the techniques on the Second Nature Birth Programme will certainly be beneficial and will help you to prepare mentally for the birth.
Practicing the techniques will make it easier to relax after the birth and will be a powerful aid to de-stressing. We are far more able to cope with stress if we have a tool or method to help us relax.

Keep up some form of physical exercise. For example, if you are practicing yoga, do not give it up after birth. Go for long walks with your baby as soon as you feel comfortable enough and strong enough to do so. This would usually be at least three weeks after the birth and longer if you have had a caesarean. (consult your midwife for advice if you are unsure)

Join a local support network prior to the birth of your baby. A mother and toddlers group may offer exactly the support and shared experience that you need after the birth and a group like the National Childbirth Trust in the UK would be ideal.

Nutrition.

Remember your diet is as important if you are breast feeding as it is when you are pregnant. The following is especially pertinent to maintaining mental health through diet:

a. Supplement vitamins and minerals during pregnancy, particularly calcium, magnesium and zinc.

b. Eat a lot of oily fish, herring mackerel, sardines salmon and tuna are all good.

c. Supplement omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.

d. Eat a lot of raw fruit and vegetables (organic if possible) and seeds.

e. Make up this mixture and use on breakfast cereal and in soups, one tablespoon a day. Make up equal quantities of sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and then three times the amount of flax (linseeds) together in a blender. Grind them until they are granulated and store the mixture in the fridge.

f. If you are constipated you may wish to use a few more flax seeds during the day separately as these will aid the digestion.

What else can you do?

Talk to your partner. Friends and family and discuss any concerns that you have before they arise. Do not wait for issues to sort themselves out as they have a habit of hanging around.

Plan for the birth. This may seem obvious, but what we mean are the less obvious aspects like:

Find out who among your family and friends will be willing to baby sit or offer you support you in other way. Knowing this will be very reassuring.

When you cook, double the quantities. This means that you will only need to cook half the time.

Talk to other mums and learn from them about what they did to cope with a new baby.

Book your nursery place well in advance if you are planning a return to work. If you are not then you will want to plan intellectual stimulation when you are at home with your baby especially if you have had a challenging career.

Treating post natal depression.

Most post natal depression disappears after a few weeks or months, but you will want to avoid unnecessary suffering, so seek help early. As psychotherapists, we see people with depression every day and know how effectively to help. So seeing a brief solution focused therapist may be the answer for you. Visit our site www.naturalchildbirth.co.uk
for more information.

Steve Griffiths DHyp Psych GHR HA. HB Prac. Steve is a brief solution focused psychotherapist working in Brighton and Hove Article © 2005 Sussex Natural Childbirth. All rights reserved
Brought to you by www.naturalchildbirth.co.uk http://www.naturalchildbirth.co.uk http://www.hovehypnotherapy.co.uk

Share This

But what is postpartum depression really? We’ve heard about it often enough, yet are we really sure that we know enough about it for us to actually understand this illness in order for us to help ourselves as well as others? Being pregnant should really be a source of joy for everyone, especially the mother to be, who for nine months, will actually have living being grow from inside of her. Unfortunately, there is another side to this joyous occasion, being pregnant means that you and your body will have to get used to some adjustments for you to have a safe pregnancy. Smoking, alcohol, strenuous activities as well as stress should be avoided at all cost. A healthy baby means having a healthy mother as well. But given that you have been able to successfully avoided all these bad habits for your baby to be, childbirth is a whole different thing, as much as we may try to avoid it, there are still some unfortunate cases wherein the mother’s as well as the baby’s life might be in danger.

But there’s actually more, postpartum depression actually happens after childbirth. Although it’s quite common and a lot of women have learned to how to deal with it as well as successfully treat it (like Brooke Shields), it is still quite avoidable. Postpartum depression is actually a lot like depression, but only new moms are the possible victims of this illness. There are actually a lot possible reasons why postpartum depression occurs:

Childbirth as we all know is not as easy as pie, actual physical stress from giving birth is one of the main reasons why postpartum depression occurs. Next postpartum depression trigger is massive changes is hormonal levels. A lot of moms-to-be who were hesitant about bearing a child are also more susceptible to postpartum depression, those who are not ready to be a mother yet are more easily to get depressed as opposed to happy and excited moms-to-be.

When postpartum depression happens, it really is best to go to the doctor immediately. Aside from obviously having ill-effects for the new mother, postpartum depression can prove to be harmful to the child as well. New mothers who are suffering from postpartum depression may be harboring ill feelings toward their children. Their are actually some cases of murder wherein postpartum depression has been cited as the reason. Mothers who suffer from postpartum depression may blame their child for their weight gain, thus feeling like they’ve become less attractive and unloved. It is really best to consult a reputable cognitive behavior therapist to take care of your postpartum woes, your therapist may prescribe medications to help cure postpartum depression as well as therapy sessions to help relieve whatever pent emotions that you may have.

Feel Happier, Get Back Your Passion for Life and Boost Your Energy Levels 100% by Conquering Stress, Depression and Anxiety in Only 90 Days - Many Clients Report Noticeable Results in Just SEVEN DAYS…Visit http://www.scienceofbreath.be/depressionhelp.html for details.

Share This

Actually start by hauling your depressed ass into the hospital and get yourself diagnosed by a reputable psychiatrist, one that’ll actually help you with your depression concerns, answer all the possible questions that you may have when it comes to depression as well as provide you with the best available to depression treatment that’ll make you give yourself some good-old, yet extremly effective depression help. All it needs is the right attitude. You can then think about looking for a support group.

After actually being honest with yourself when it comes to actually being a patient who is suffering from depression, quit turning youself into a victim and find out from these various types of depression the one that you’re suffering from: Manic or Bipolar depression - characterized by sudden and extreme changes in one’s mood wherein one minute he or she is in an elevated state of euphoria while the next minute (day or week) he or she is feeling to be in a personal hell, Postpartum depression - characterized by a prolonged sadness and a feeling of emptiness by a new mother wherein physical stress during child birth, an uncertain sense of responsibility towards the new born baby can be just some of the possible factors why some new mother go through this, Dysthimia - characterized by a slight similarity with depression, although this time, it’s been proven to be a lot less severe, but of course with any case, should be treated immediately. Look around for support groups - there you will find out more..

Cyclothemia - characterized by a slight similarity with Manic or Bipolar depression wherein the individual suffering from this mental illness may occasionally suffer from severe changes in one’s moods, Seasonal Affective Disorder - characterized by falling in a rut only during specific seasons (i.e. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall) studies however, prove that more people actually fall in to a rut more during the Winter and Fall seasons and lastly, Mood swings, wherein a person’s mood may shift from happy to sad to angry in just a short time. But in spite of how scary or how daunting a task is the road towards a sound mental health is, depression help abounds and is just up to you if you’re willing to take in some of that depression help, may it be from your family, friends, support group and mainly starting from yourself, there really is a lot of depression help to go around.

The old adage, slowly but surely greatly applies in trying to treat depression, as the patient continues taking the prescribed medicines for his/her depression treatment, as well as the corresponding therapy sessions with the cognitive behavior therapist, a patient being treated from depression needs all the support and depression help that he or she can get.

While being treated for depression, the patient as well as his or her family and other loved ones are advised to make realistic goals concerning depression wherein, to not assume that their depression can be easily treated in a snap. If you haven’t already done so, find a support group. Depression help begins with trying to understand the patient’s situation and continue on being patient as well as always extending your help because depression help is never easy nor is the depression treatment itself, which is why both patients and loved ones need to help each other out through every step of the way. Never set goals that are high above your reach, give yourself some depression help by not being too hard on yourself, believe that you are good and strong enough to achieve your goals but only one step at a time.

About the Author

Feel Happier, Get Back Your Passion for Life and Boost Your Energy Levels 100% by Conquering Stress, Depression and Anxiety in Only 90 Days - Many Clients Report Noticeable Results in Just SEVEN DAYS…Visit http://www.scienceofbreath.be/depressionhelp.html for details.

Share This

Postpartum blues can last anywhere from a few days to a few months and can begin anywhere from right after the birth until a year after your baby is born. While it’s an exciting time, taking care of a newborn can be overwhelming and all encompassing. It can change your life quite drastically. Mourning the temporary loss of your free time, your hobbies, your time with your husband and most importantly your sleep is only natural. You may also feel sad that they aren’t pregnant anymore. You may miss that precious feeling of having your baby inside of you and feeling it’s familiar kicks and turns.

Postpartum blues is different from postpartum depression or postpartum psychosis. If you are feeling any violent feelings, obsessive thoughts, delusions or hallucinations, you should call your OB/GYN and they can help you out.

Some ways you can help keep those baby blues away are:

Shower Everyday.

It’s an easy tendency to want to stay in bed all day without showering or dressing after waking up every two hours to feed your crying newborn. Staying in your pajamas all day without showering or doing your hair is not going to help beat those postpartum baby blues. Make a point to get your morning shower in. Put your baby’s bouncy chair, swing or car seat (whichever baby is happiest in) in the bathroom with you while you shower. Use peppermint soap or put drops of eucalyptus oil in the corners of your shower to help wake you up and energize you.

Get dressed and make yourself beautiful.

You just gave birth to a baby. You are an amazing woman and you deserve to look great. Put yourself in something comfortable, but something that you feel great in. You want to make sure that if the mailman or a friend stops by that you aren’t embarrassed to open the door. Also put on some earrings and some lipstick or maybe paint your nails red. While you certainly don’t have to go all out, make enough of an effort to where you feel good about yourself when you catch a glance of yourself in the mirror. Getting yourself ready for the day makes you feel like you are an important person with important things to do. And what could be more important than taking care of your precious newborn?

Go Outside and Walk.

Physical activity combined with a little sunshine is a great way to beat those postpartum baby blues. Set your newborn up in his new stroller and hit the road. It doesn’t have to be a long walk, even around the block will do. The point is to get some fresh air and exercise. You will be amazed by how much this will affect your mood in a positive way.

Take a nap.

Make sure to take the advice you’ve probably heard a thousand times: “When baby naps, so should mom.” Try and get in at least one nap a day, preferably two. Sufficient sleep will help stabilize your emotions considerably.

Write in a journal.

Many woman find great benefit from writing their thoughts and feelings down in a journal. Having an anonymous source to spill your emotions to can feel great. A journal can be your biggest confidant, and won’t judge you if you need to write things like, “Motherhood isn’t as great as I thought it would be,” or “no one understands why I cry every time that Johnson & Johnson commercial comes on.”

Meet with Friends.

Joining a new mother’s group can be amazingly advantageous. No one else is going to know what you are going through except for new moms who are going through it too. Ask your pediatrician or child birth teacher if there are any new mother’s groups where you live.

Communicate your feelings.

Make sure that those closest to you, like your husband and your parents, know how you are feeling. Have them read about postpartum blues and depression so that they can know how to make you feel better. Words of encouragement, helping around the house, and giving you some alone time can all help.

Make sure to eat well.

It’s easy to forget to eat all three meals when faced with the task of taking care of a newborn. Eating healthy foods regularly will help keep your blood sugar up and keep your moods more regulated. Ask friends to bring you lunch when they visit or order take out, if you aren’t up for preparing anything yourself.

Remember your main job is to care for yourself and your child.

Don’t let yourself get frustrated that you can’t do it all. The first couple of weeks after you give birth should be devoted to just keeping yourself and your baby healthy and happy. Now is the time to put a blind eye towards housework. Caring for and bonding with your newborn is one of the most precious times of your life.

Keep in mind, it’s perfectly okay to have a good cry once in a while and to feel sad, it’s natural at this time in your life, but console yourself with the fact that postpartum blues do go away with time. Until then, take good care of yourself. Don’t be afraid to pamper yourself and make yourself feel beautiful and loved. You deserve it.

Kendra Spencer is the creator of http://www.shoppingfortwo.com which offers shopping, health and baby advice for new and pregnant moms. Also, check out her line of pregnancy announcing t-shirts at http://www.shoppingfortwo.com.

Share This

While not serious, the baby blues can leave a new mother despondent, tired, and subject to emotional swings and loss of appetite. The effects of giving birth, hormone changes and the lifestyle changes of having a newborn (not sleeping, being indoors a lot, responsibilities of caring for a baby) can lead to a bout of the baby blues. Baby blues are usually short lived and go away without treatment.

What is of more concern are the less frequent cases where baby blues develop into something longer lived and more severe: postpartum depression.

While Brooke Shields (along with the help of Oprah Winfrey) has put a famous face on this dreadful disorder, thousands of women who face the pain and anxiety of postpartum depression fight a private battle of wills between their knowledge of what motherhood should be and their detached feelings, hopelessness and even suicide.

What causes postpartum (also known as postnatal) depression and what are the signs?

No precise cause has been found that causes a happy, healthy woman to loose her sense of self, desire and joy for life when she should be enjoying the experience of motherhood.

While many women suffer side effects from the temporary drain of estrogen hormones soon after birth the effect of this estrogen loss may go even further in women diagnosed with postpartum depression.

Other factors, such as financial stress, relationship and communication problems or a history of depression in the family may contribute to postpartum depression.

Identifying postpartum depression is crucial since it IS treatable. Often it will become the responsibility of the partner or other friends and family to watch new mothers for signs of depression. Postpartum depression can occur anytime after birth - even up to a year after.

The National Women’s Health Information center lists these signs to watch for in mothers who may be suffering more than the baby blues:

. Feeling restless or irritable

. Feeling sad, hopeless, and overwhelmed

. Crying a lot

. Having no energy or motivation

. Eating too little or too much

. Sleeping too little or too much

. Trouble focusing, remembering, or making decisions

. Feeling worthless and guilty

. Loss of interest or pleasure in activities

. Withdrawal from friends and family

Having headaches, chest pains, heart palpitations (the heart beating fast and feeling like it is skipping beats), or hyperventilation (fast and shallow breathing)

After pregnancy, signs of depression may also include being afraid of hurting the baby or oneself and not having any interest in the baby.

It is very important for mothers to have a strong support system in place since the demands of caring for an infant, especially when other children are present, can lead to stress and burnout. All most mothers need is loving care and someone to talk to. For those suffering with depression, it is even more crucial.

Author: Mickaël Kerenterff. For more information, please visit my website at http://www.DepressionBeatingSecretsRevealed.com where you can grab a free e-course about Depression Beating Secrets. You will discover How to Finally WIN the Never Ending War Against Depression and its Dangerous Threats… and Be Free for Life!

Share This

During your first days at home it may be wise to limit the amount of visitors that you welcome into your home because you’ll need a lot of time to recover from the birth process. Other than your immediate family and good friends you might want to ask other friends to wait a week or two before they descend on you with gifts and wanting to hold the new baby.

New mothers will want to pay attention to the way that they feel so that those “baby blues” don’t creep up and surprise you unexpectedly. It is normal to feel a bit out of sorts and sad for the first couple of weeks after giving birth. Your body is going through some major physical changes after the birth of your baby. Your hormones will be changing and you likely will be feeling a lack of sleep. It is important to remember that this is natural and to allow yourself a good amount of time to recover from this. If you find yourself feeling more and more depressed it is advised that you should discuss it with your doctor to see if you are suffering from “postpartum depression”. Symptoms of postpartum depression include:

· Overwhelming feelings of sadness and depression accompanied by crying.

· Having little or no energy.

· Feelings of guilt and worthlessness.

· Having no interest in your baby or being overly concerned and worried about your baby.

· Weight gain accompanied with overeating or Weight loss accompanied by not eating.

· Insomnia or oversleeping.

If you do have postpartum depression then there are a few ways that you can try to beat it:
· Try and get as much rest and relaxation as possible. When the baby is asleep use this quiet time to get some rest yourself.

· Be more understanding with yourself and do not put yourself under too much pressure to “get back to normal”. Ensure that your family is aware that you need help with housework and so on.

· Try to limit the time that you spend just alone – keep your mind and body relatively active (for example by taking short pleasant walks).

· Get professional help if the depression seems to be ongoing.

· Discuss with other mothers their experiences after birth. You may find that your friends and family members also went through the same issues as you.

During the first few days at home your family will be adjusting to the additional member of your family. If you have other children at home you may be dealing with feelings of jealousy as the new baby takes centre stage. Make sure that you include your other children in the day-to-day activities that are part of the new baby’s routine. Remember that you are trying to adjust to some huge changes in your life so allow yourself the understanding and care that you would give to family and friends in your situation.

Keziah Engineer is the author of the best selling ebook “THE BABY CARE BOOK” – a resource that teaches new parents absolutely everything they need to know about their newborn babies: http://www.global-ebooks.com/babybook.htm

Share This

In some women the levels of thyroid hormones decrease as well. This decrease in these hormones can lead to symptoms of depression too. Some of these symptoms include a depressed mood, a loss of interest in daily things, problems sleeping and fatigue, irritability and weight gain.

Another factor that can lead to postpartum depression is genetics. This type of depression can be passed down from mother to daughter. There is also a correlation between postpartum depression and women who suffer from severe premenstrual syndrome.

Postpartum depression is also known as the baby blues and one in ten new mothers suffer from this to one degree or another. In addition to the drastic changes in hormone levels, the presence of a new baby in the house is also a major factor in postpartum depression. A new baby can be a major stress on a new mom and this can factor into becoming depressed. Some of these factors include:

Having less free time then before the baby was born and an inability to control the time needed to get things done. The baby demands all the mothers’ attention, leaving little time for herself.

Going through labor is extremely stressful and tiring for a new mom. A new mom does not have time to regain her strength post delivery because of the demands and needs of the new baby. Just getting a good nights sleep is nearly impossible with late night feedings and diaper changes.

Many new mothers question their own ability to be a good mom. They become overwhelmed with the care the new baby needs and start to worry that they aren’t providing the care their baby needs.

For new moms, postpartum depression can occur with a feeling that they are no longer who they used to be. Their old schedule and ways of doing things have been replaced by the needs of their new baby. They can also feel like they have to do it all and try to take care of the new baby while doing all the things they used to do. This can be very overwhelming because chances are the care of the new baby will not allow them to accomplish all that they think they should.

New moms can also become disconnected from their partner and family. They find that their time is limited and they just don’t have time to spend with the rest of their family.

For most women the “baby blues” will usually go away as their hormone levels get back to normal. But for some women the depression associated with a new baby does not go away and can steadily get worse. It is very important that women who experience any kind of depression after child birth talk to their doctor right away. Most cases of postpartum depression can be dealt with medication and some counseling.

Andrew Bicknell is a writer and owner of http://depression.worfdog.com. Visit his website for more information about postpartum depression and depression disorders.

Share This

Many people do not understand that postpartum depression is a physical disorder. It is not something that people can simply snap out of. A depressed mother can no more snap out of postpartum depression than you could snap out of the flu or bronchitis.

Although there is not a surefire cure for postpartum depression, there is a lot that you can do to make the new mom feel as comfortable as possible. Support and encouragement are invaluable. Encourage her to consider support groups. Social isolation will intensify postpartum depression. Remind her that the illness is only temporary and she will get better.

General fatigue is a common sign of postpartum depression, and is often accompanied by a lack of motivation, inability to concentrate, loss of memory, and lowered interest in sex and activities that were previously enjoyed. Assist mom with this by helping her to develop a to-do list or schedule of tasks. At this point in time, you may need to take on nearly all baby related tasks. You can even help out with breast feeding, especially for those late night snacks. Get out of bed and get the baby, bring him to the mother and help him to latch on and switch sides when he’s done with one. Throughout it all, mom can remain only semi-conscious, and will certainly thank you in the morning.

Postpartum depression can lead to tension and anxiety which can cause headaches, neck pain, and chest tightness. Mom may also start feeling panicked or worried all the time. There are many things that she can do to relieve this tension. Suggest walking, swimming, yoga and meditation, massage, or hot compresses on the neck and shoulders. If she develops insomnia, try a warm bath before bed, a sleeping mask or earplugs, or a light snack and warm milk to help her sleep.

A combination of the postpartum depression, tension, and insomnia can easily lead a mother into distorted thinking and cause her to become unreasonable. She may resent your attempt at helping her or get angry for no reason. Keep in mind that it is the changes in her body that are making her act that way. Try not to take her criticism personally. Even if she is being unreasonable, do not argue with her. Avoid blaming her attitude on her hormones if that makes her angry. Some women cannot stand the accusation that they are not in control of their emotions. If you begin feeling worried that you can’t handle what’s happening, do not hesitate to seek counseling for yourself. Support people often need help too.

Susan Tanner is a wife and mother of three. She is also the editor of pregnancy-guide.net. Pregnancy-Guide is an online community for mothers to find support and valuable information. Please visit Pregnancy-Guide for valuable pregnancy information.

Share This