Postpartum depression: how to be, if you can not enjoy maternity
Educational Program Health / / December 19, 2019
What is postpartum depression and where does it come
Postpartum depression - is a mental disorder that is 10-15% of women after childbirth or pregnancy, birth of a child is not finished.
What causes postpartum depression, no one knows exactly. We have not yet established the reasons just depression, unaware that it is a condition that is associated with a number of factors: predisposition, hormonal balance, personality type, personal experience, injuries.
Pregnancy and childbirth - the events that alter hormone balance, affecting the health and often cause psychological trauma, ie, reinforce all the reasons for which an depression. But it is even in healthy and wealthy women, and relatively light after childbirth.
Postpartum depression is more common in women who have:
- It has been mental disorders before pregnancy.
- No relatives of people who can help take care of a child, or simply support.
- Tense relations with a partner.
- There was something unpleasant, even unrelated to pregnancy and childbirth.
By the way, postpartum depression even men sufferPostnatal depression. But less likely than women: only 1 in 25 fathers experiencing similar symptoms.
When there is and how many runs postpartum depression
In the first two weeks after birth it is completely normal to feel weak, be in a bad mood and often cry. If about 14 days it passes, then on postpartum depression early to say. Postpartum depression lasts longer, it may take several months. If it is not treated, it can become a longer postpartum, depression and simply because of its birth will be separated for months and years.
Postpartum depression does not necessarily begin in the hospital or after discharge; it can occur within a year after birth.
No matter how much longer a woman has children. Depression can occur after the first birth, and after any subsequent.
How do you know that it is depression
The symptoms of postpartum depression are similar to the symptoms of normal:
- Constant bad mood, sadness, irritability, mood swings.
- Reduced working capacity, lack energy.
- Lose interest in favorite business and the world around them.
- There are problems with sleep: and drowsiness are considered, and insomnia.
- Lost or incredibly enhanced appetite.
- I do not want to communicate with people.
- It becomes difficult to concentrate, keep the attention.
- Appear frightening thought. For example, on how to harm themselves or the child.
- It becomes difficult, almost impossible to care for the child.
These symptoms rarely come one by one. They can appear one after the other and grow gradually, so postpartum depression often do not notice.
In addition, depression is often not given to recognize the public system. By default, a woman should enjoy the new status of the mother, to feel unearthly happiness and dissolve in warm care about kids. Emotions woman in depression does not fit into this picture. As a result, to the already complex state added to a sense of guilt for the fact that it is "wrong mother" and "can not cope".
In addition, often the surrounding does not support a woman. Quite the contrary: is accused that she was not pleased, and complain when obliged to shine with happiness. This can greatly aggravate depression and increase its symptoms.
How to treat postpartum depression
Firstly, we must understand that depression can get to any mother, regardless of how the past generations, and how things are going after them. It is the same disease as flu or hypertension, it only affects the nervous system. And it should be treated.
Woman certainly not to blame for the fact that she had postpartum depression.
So no need to be embarrassed and hide disturbing thoughts and symptoms. They need to share with relatives and doctors in time to recover.
Secondly, if there is reason to suspect depression, you need as quickly as possible to ask for help. Moreover, professional help, that is, psychotherapists. Used to treat depression:
- Psychotherapeutic methods. Contrary to popular myth, it is not just talk about the trauma and emotion. This working method, in which patients learn to cope with the complex emotional states.
- Special medicines, and this is not only anti-depressants. Appoint them can only be a doctor, because an independent attempt to find a cure can only exacerbate symptoms.
- Diet. It's not about losing weight, but about proper nutrition. On how a person eats, and depends on his mental condition.
- Physical exercise. Sports - one of the most stable and effective methods that help to cope with mental illness, especially depression. Most likely, this is due to hormones: sport helps develop the "right" hormones for good mood.
Third, engage in prevention.
How to prevent postpartum depression
It is clear that the trigger postpartum depression - these are the families, without which it is difficult to do, if you want to have a baby. There are no effective methods for preventing depression after childbirth, you can only reduce the risk factors.
For example, one study foundPostpartum depression: questions and answersThat epidural anesthesia during childbirth reduces the risk of depression.
In principle, it is logical: the pain and the memories of it are unlikely to lift the mood.
Also, it turned out that depression is associated with chest pain due to feeding: many women on the nipple cracks, breasts may become inflamed due to the stagnation of milk. Sometimes you have to give up feeding. All of these cases are associated with an increased risk of depressionPain during breastfeeding and postpartum depression. However, it is unclear exactly how: whether because of depression problem starts with feeding, whether due to difficulties developing depression.
Postpartum depression occurs in part because of overwork and fatiguepostpartum depression (Remember that this is not the only reason). Do not get tired, taking care of a small child, it is impossible. But you can imagine help:
- Enlist the help of family and friends.
- Despite the difficulties in caring for the child, try to relax and do not forget about yourself correctly and fully fed, play sports.
- Seek help, including professional, if you feel that there are no forces.
- Use gadgets and tools that make it easier for child care.
- Communicate with other mothers (especially those who have experienced depression), to know that you are not alone.
- Remember that nobody is perfect, and does not aspire to the ideal image of the mother of the diaper commercials.
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