How to Help your Wife to Deal with Postpartum Depression In English - 1600 in words
What is depression ?
It is a type of mental illness, which affects our feelings, thoughts and behavior. It can make you feel a lot of emotions at once and change our behavior. Sometimes altered physical activity can also harm others. A depressed person may also experience back pain, joint pain, various types of digestive problems, sleeplessness, etc. It can be seen in any age group. We will discuss about postpartum depression here.
What is postpartum depression - postpartum depression
A mental disorder in which a woman is affected after childbirth is called postpartum depression or postpartum depression. It can also be called depression in a new mother. A new mother can usually feel anxiety and sadness and it becomes difficult for her to cope with her day to day activities. She is unable to take care of herself as well as the child.
It is a type of depression commonly felt after pregnancy and when it lasts for a long time it is named as postpartum depression. About 50 to 60% of women suffer from this type of depression.
What to do/How to Deal with Postpartum Depression
It can be treated in two ways, one is natural remedies and the other is medicinal. During pregnancy, doctors usually prefer natural things to treat any disease, as medicine can affect the baby. Although there are many medicines which do not have any side effects but still it is up to you which method you would prefer to choose.
- natural remedies
Natural remedies should not be given preference in very severe conditions. As we know that a new mother can face the above symptoms, so we should increase the intake of certain food items so that we can keep the mother safe after the birth of the baby. Because we all know that prevention is better than cure.
Certain natural remedies, such as the amino acids tryptophan and tyrosine, vitamins C and D3, and zinc, have been shown to prevent depression. But you must consult your doctor.
- Folic acid
Folic acid levels are found to be low in patients with depression. It is a kind of medicine for depression. Eating food rich in folic acid is beneficial for the baby as well as the mother. Folic acid prevents anemia. You can ask your doctor about the amount of folic acid you should consume because your body's needs are different from others during pregnancy and your doctor knows better what your needs are.
- natural supplements
Some of the therapies practiced include omega-3 fatty acids, folic acid, S-adenosyl, 1-methionine, St. John's wort therapy, light therapy (sunshine), exercise, and some psychotherapeutic treatments are among the most effective methods for postpartum depression.
This archaic method of healing originated in Asia. It also helps in fighting depression during pregnancy. Often doctors give some medicines during pregnancy, which have a side-effect on the newborn. Therefore, it would be best to use natural methods, in which acupressure is the safest.
Massage is a very good pain reliever; It is good for prenatal and postnatal depression. It lowers the stress hormone 'cortisol' and increases hormones like serotonin and dopamine. Massage is good if the depression is not hyper.
Yoga is a health booster and everyone should follow it. It maintains inner peace and reduces all kinds of stress, keeps you fresh and inculcates a positive attitude in you. By doing yoga, the body usually increases the supply of oxygen to our brain and this leads to a new mind and keeps you away from any kind of mental imbalance.
You can take anti-depression medicines as prescribed by your doctor. Antidepressants are not harmful to children, so you can take them and other therapy may be provided if necessary.
Various therapies are available for the treatment of postpartum depression:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CBT
This therapy helps the mother to recognize her negative thoughts, habits and behavior and change accordingly. This is talk therapy.
- Interpersonal Therapy , IPT
This therapy deals with personal connection. Generally, people are not very aware of such behavioral changes because postpartum depression affects relationships. This is also a kind of talk therapy.
some other solutions
- Get enough sleep as sleep acts as a tonic in depression.
- Practice some exercise as they are good for health.
- Be with positive people.
- Try to have a good diet in the very early stages of pregnancy and include food rich in folic acid, vitamin C and D in your diet to prevent postpartum depression.
Learn more about post-partum depression
Various forms of post-partum depression
There are generally three forms of postpartum depression,
- Baby Blues
- Postpartum or postnatal depression
- Purpuric Psychosis
Each differ, depending on its type and treatment. It is a non-psychotic form of depression that mostly deals with childbirth difficulties. It is a serious health problem, which not only affects the mother but also her family and her marital relationship. If left untreated at this time and left untreated, it can last for a very long time and the child may face many emotional and behavioral changes.
- Baby blues: This usually lasts for 3 to 4 days and the mother may feel her mood swings for a few hours every day after delivery. Baby blues doesn't require any serious treatment. Its common symptoms are like - anxiety, more or less loss of appetite, lack of sleep etc.
- Postpartum Depression: Postpartum depression can last for weeks or months after childbirth, or sometimes for a whole year. If it persists for a long time, it requires treatment. It is considered one of the most common complications of postpartum. In research, it has been found that 14-18 year old mothers have a higher postpartum risk. Feelings of guilt, anxiety, hunger, fatigue, poor memory, etc., are the major symptoms along with a sense of emotional responsibility. It is not classified as a disease; It is a type of mood disorder.
- Postpartum psychosis: Also called purpuric psychosis, it appears within 2 weeks of birth and sometimes it can last for a week or sometimes a month and in that case it should be treated by a doctor becomes necessary.
What are the main causes of postpartum depression ?
There are various physical and emotional causes responsible for postpartum depression. The levels of reproductive hormones like progesterone and estrogen in women increase rapidly after childbirth and are also responsible for mood swings. Sometimes new moms don't get enough rest, due to which they can also suffer from postpartum depression. It can also be called chronic depression, because if left untreated, it can last up to 12 months.
What are the symptoms of postpartum depression ?
Some of the common symptoms of postpartum depression are –
- Thinking of harming yourself or your child.
- Getting away from fun activities.
- Increased or decreased appetite.
- Willingness to be alone and away from family and friends.
- Feeling difficult to form an attachment with your child.
- Feeling very restless or anxious.
- Feeling very disappointed and sad at times.
- Facing headache, abdominal pain and muscle problems.
- Feeling difficult to remember or make a decision.
- Feeling tired all the time.
- Thinking most of the time.
- Feeling like crying all the time.
- Sudden mood swings.
- Having thoughts of suicide.
- To be upset or disappointed.
- Having insomnia or hypersomnia every day.
- Getting angry over talk
- Disinterest in any work
- Feeling tired all the time.
- Can't sleep even after lying in bed for hours.
Side effects of untreated postpartum depression
Postpartum depression can affect your entire family and cause many problems.
- For the baby: Children of mothers with postpartum depression may face various problems as they may face various emotional and behavioral changes, your baby, who has just come into this world. Because of your changing behavior, he can be the most troubled. They may have difficulty sleeping, as well as delays in learning a language and learning new activities.
- For the mother: If it is not treated in time, it can persist for more than six months and can sometimes lead to other disorders. Even after treatment, symptoms of postpartum depression can be observed in some cases.
- For the family: A depressed, depressed mother can cause some emotional damage to the child as well as the father, causing the entire family to suffer.
What is the main difference between baby-blue and postpartum depression ?
Commonly in the baby blues, a woman may feel tired and grumpy after delivery. When a new baby is born, it is normal to have feelings such as being worried about the baby, sometimes feeling irritable, insomnia, etc. Mother's thinking that, she can become a good mother or not. Thoughts like whether she will be able to take care of her child properly or not etc. keep troubling her. These feelings only last for a few days.
A mother in postpartum depression may feel sad, anxious, tired, sometimes irritable throughout the day, sometimes have suicidal thoughts, etc. All this acts as a gulf between him and his family. When a woman is not really happy with a child and does not feel attached to her child, then all such feelings can be termed as postpartum depression. It can last for more than 6 months if left untreated.
What not to do during postpartum depression ?
- Don't be alone or isolated Always be with family or friends.
- You should not stay in a dark room, your room should get proper sunlight. This leads to the flow of positive energy.
- Don't get discouraged about anything and try to control your anger, as it can harm your baby.
- Do not drink too much tea or coffee, as the presence of caffeine can make you sleepy and this is the time when you need sleep the most.
- Avoid alcohol, cigarettes etc.
- Do not skip your medicines or treatment as suggested by your doctors as it is a mental disorder, and it should be treated on time.
Depression can be easily cured by following a few steps and taking proper care. Sometimes we need a break from our everyday lives. If we take care of such things then we can easily get rid of depression. As we know that a woman can feel a lot of changes during her pregnancy, so it becomes the responsibility of her family especially her husband to make all possible efforts to keep her happy and stress-free. The support of husband and family can give strength to fight the biggest trouble.