Mind-Blowing Facts You should know about Postpartum Depression
There is life after the postpartum depression, you can thrive again.
Postpartum depression can steal the joy a newborn child brings into a family. Right from conception, the parents expectantly wait to have a glimpse of the newest member.
Mothers especially have a strong connection with the infant. The bond is so strong that it seems like nothing can break it easily. Nothing beats the period of expectancy! The new parents are always hopeful. Preparations are made; new items and baby clothes are bought before the arrival of the baby.
After the nine months elapse, a child is born and thereafter, the mother healing journey starts as she continues to nurse her baby. The joy can be cut short by the mother going through postpartum depression (PPD) also known as postnatal depression. It is kind of a mood disorder which is experienced after childbirth. PPD can deprive a mother a chance to bond with their child. It can affect even the male parent and the newborn child is neither an exception. This occurs between a week and to a month after childbirth.
An awful experience caused by postpartum depression
A year ago, a friend of mine conceived for a second time. This did not go well with her because of the bad experience she underwent after the birth of her firstborn. Hospitals were her second home. Nothing could erase the agony she went through, she was in fear, and anxieties crept in.
Tagging along the fears, anxieties, and worries to her second pregnancy was the worst mistake she did. The joy of cuddling her infant was ripped off by PPD. She alienated herself from the outside world and had nothing to do with the infant. She could not breastfeed either do a nappy change for her newborn child. It was that serious.
p>The worst scenario was when I visited her and she asked me if we’ve ever met before. I was shocked. She had lost her memory. It was sad.How would you react to this?
On this article, I will expound more on symptoms, causes, and treatment.
Symptoms associated with postpartum depression
There are varieties of symptoms to look out for to help you identify a new parent who is undergoing PPD. Some of the symptoms include extreme sadness, tiredness, anxiety, crying with no solid reason, irritability, and may change in their sleeping and feeding patterns.
Causes of PPD
It hasn’t been established on what causes PPD but it is believed that emotional and physical factors can trigger it. A change in hormones and lack of sleep may be part of the factors.<
Risk factors
Some of the risk factors that trigger PPD are earlier episodes of
Any woman who might conceive without having any plans of raising a child can get PPD. Unplanned pregnancy tags along with a number of misconceptions from the outside world which draws negative conclusions. People tend to think that women who get pregnant out of wedlock or while schooling are immoral human beings. Do people get to dig deeper to know what transpired? The least anyone can do is to judge.
Another life-changing experience that can lead to PPD is, not giving birth to a preferred infant’s gender. Did you know that gender preference is, has been an issue? A few who find contentment in any gender, find it weird on how on earth anyone can’t accept a certain gender in the family just because they did not get a boy or a girl.
Some of these issues need to be addressed to seal the gap of new emerging cases of postpartum depression.
Each diagnosis is special and is administered according to a person’s symptoms. There is a need for alarm if the symptoms exceed more than two weeks. After delivery, women tend to experience bouts of worry and unhappiness.
Support
It is advisable to offer psychosocial support to protect against PPD.
Treatment
Counseling and medications are types of treatment for PPD. Counseling goes a long way in helping patients deal with the risk factors and should not be denied a chance to visit a counselor.
One more thing: Exercising helps a lot in mild cases of depression.
Do men get affected by PPD?
PPD knows no bounds as men get affected too. Men who are new and those anticipating to become fathers are not spared either. These male parents most of the times never get the follow-ups to see if they are in any way be suffering from postpartum depression. They are considered the stronger sex hence no one to monitor their behavioral changes. Whether it’s a myth or a fact, men should equally get the attention if the society is willing to have a healthy parenting in all areas. Symptoms to look out for in men:
- Being angered easily with no apparent reason
- Delving into alcohol and drugs
- Suicidal thoughts
- Alienating themselves from family and friends
- Drawing away from hobbies, work or sex
- When any man frequently complain of any pains like headaches, dig deeper to know the contributing factor
- Frequent conflicts with people around them
- Fatigue
Let’s check out three factors that can create a leeway to depression in men:
- Financial difficulties
It goes without saying that no man can rejoice while broke. Any man who can’t provide for his family feels inadequate and this can trigger to depression. Being understood and given the support goes a long way in putting depression at bay.
- Sex deprivation
When a child is born into a family, the husband may be at the receiving end because all the attention is focused on the infant. While the wife is busy bonding with the child, the husbands’ marital rights are threatened and this leads to depression.
- Witnessing a stressful birthing experience
Nothing can be more traumatizing like watching helplessly at your wife giving birth. The labor pains can be shocking; the struggles, pains, and the agony a woman goes through while giving birth are unbearable.
It calls for courage to witness this. No matter how strong a man is, the witnessing can lead to depression.
Final thoughts
Nothing can beat counseling sessions to people with PPD and so is seeking treatment from a qualified practitioner.
The risk factors above should be addressed and discussed with the parents so as to live a healthy life. Give them the support they need to curb this menace and assure them they can thrive again. Let them also know the power that lies in being content with any gender.
