Delivering a baby has unlimited emotions. Happiness, joy, sadness, fatigue, and pains are the emotions you are facing at the same time. Sleepiness nights and your physical and mental condition make you stressed. If the feelings of being stressed and tension remain for a long time and disturb your daily activities, then you are experiencing postpartum depression (PPD). In this article, we will discuss how to deal with postpartum depression. The symptoms of PPD start after few days of delivery and continue for six months. It is important to notice that postpartum depression and baby blues both are different. Baby blues is a normal thing and every mother faces it. As the routine is set with the newborn baby, baby blues disappear, but the postpartum depression remains for a long time until it is treated.
“Approximately 1 in 7 women in the United States experience postpartum depression. It has severe effects on the baby and mother. 1 in 5 women keep quiet about PPD symptoms and therefore remain untreated that is a serious threat to both child and mother”.
Contents
Difference Between Baby Blues And Postpartum Depression:
There is a big difference between baby blues and postpartum depression. Baby blues is a normal state and most mothers experience it in the early days of delivery, whereas postpartum depression is a mental illness and it needs Psychological help.
Baby Blues:
You just deliver a baby, then congratulations but besides it, you are facing problems with your newborn baby. You are trying to cope with your baby particularly if you are a new mom. Baby crying, feeding him, changing pampers, sore breasts, sleep deprivation as well as other responsibilities of a home makes you tired and annoying. For many mothers, a new baby brings a lot of challenges her. It is a normal state everyone got tired after some hectic work. Baby blues no need of psychological help and symptoms disappear with time.
About 80% of women experience baby blues in their early weeks of pregnancy. Fortunately, women cover successfully with baby blues as their routine set with a newborn.
Postpartum Depression:
Having a baby is a source of happiness as well as a very stressful phase of every woman’s life. No doubt you have prepared everything before the baby’s birth and mentally ready for this stressful event, but having new responsibilities, sleep deprivation, lack of time management, and other things make new moms stressed and emotionally disturbed. Daily routine disturb and new mom unable to take care his newborn and herself. At the start, PPD looks like same as baby blues, but as time passage, the symptoms become severe and remain for a long time.
Symptoms Of Postpartum Depression
- You may feel sad, distressed, and even cry a lot without any reason.
- You may feel tired and exhausted, but unable to sleep.
- Maybe you sleep a lot or experience insomnia.
- You can stop eating or you start starvation without reason.
- Suddenly changing mood swings.
- You may experience pains and aches in your body without any reason.
- Memory loss; forget things and events.
- You may Feel out of control.
- Unable to concentrate and can’t make decisions.
- You feel no attachment and disconnected from your child.
- You avoid meeting other people.
- May Sometimes experience suicidal thought
- You run away from responsibilities.
- You can’t control your emotions and negative thoughts.
It is the responsibility of the family member to look at the symptoms of PPD and then immediately take the mother to Psychologists.
How To Differentiate Between Postpartum Depression and Baby Blues:
There are two main indicators to identify the difference between baby blues and PPD.
The severity of Symptoms:
Usually, symptoms of baby blues do not affect your quality of life. You are experiencing symptoms but at the same time, you are coping and fulfill your responsibilities. In PPD you are unable to live your routine life. Anxiety and stress are the main factors that you don’t like anything. You feel no happiness and joy even with your newborn. Postpartum depression needs immediate psychological help.
Time Duration:
if these symptoms remain unsolved after two weeks of delivery, then it leads to postpartum depression. Symptoms of postpartum depression continue for six months or a year after delivery whereas the symptoms of baby blues vanish slowly after two weeks and you can lead a normal life.
Are you looking for anxiety and depression management? Our psychologist can help you to fight these illnesses.
How to Deal with Postpartum Depression
These are the things you can do to cope with postpartum depression. These tips will help you in coping with your PPD.
Exercise Yoga and Meditation:
First of all, you have to take time for yourself and exercise for half an hour. Exercise works as an antidepressant for women with PPD. Whenever you find free time, try yoga or meditation. It will help you in mental peace and low down your stress. It is very difficult for a new mom to spare time for herself, but 10 minutes also enough for this task.
Healthy Diet:
Eating healthy will not cure PPd but it helps you get strong and healthy. A well-balanced and nutritious diet will make you feel better and keep your body active. For this purpose, try a weekly diet plan and what you can eat at weekends. In this regard, you can also take help from a nutritionist.
Seek Support From Other Family Members:
You may feel hectic with your newborn’s chores and other household responsibilities, or you have older kids also. You feel stressed all the time in thinking about how you can handle all these things alone. Never try to do it yourself, take help from your partner, mother-in-law or can arrange a babysitter. Your partner has to understand his responsibilities and should help you.
Taking Rest Is Very Important
Taking rest and sleeping for Six hours is very important. It is evident that mothers cant sleep with newborns for a long time, but you can take a small nap of sleep. Taking rest for some time is very compulsory for mothers to relax their body and mind. You can take help from your partner or other family members for sleeping. They can look after your baby when you are sleeping if you are a breastfeeding mother then it is advised to pumping milk, so your partner can feed your baby while you are sleeping.
Do not ignore your
First of all, don’t ignore yourself; if you are healthy then you can take care of your child and your house properly. So give yourself full attention. Take multivitamins, eat healthily, dress in a good way, go for your face and body treatments. It is very important to give attention to yourself; if you ignore yourself then you will ruin yourself. You have to come back on track and look after yourself as you do it before your delivery.
Avoid Isolation:
Sharing your thoughts and talking with others relieve stress. To avoid isolation and always remain in the company of people. Share your feelings with other change your mood and you feel relaxed. The level of depression decreases when you regularly speak about your inner thoughts.
Outdoor Activities:
Don’t bound yourself at home after you have a baby. You should go shopping, meet your friends and attend parties. These will help you release your depression and feel relaxed. Going out of the house changes your mind sometimes and you see life from another perspective. Changing place switch your mood to the positive side. So it is very helpful in treating postpartum depression.
Seek Medical Help:
When you feel your symptoms growing over time. Then it is advised to visit a psychotherapist for help. Your therapist will help you deal with postpartum depression with psychotherapies and antidepressants. Discuss all your feelings and concerns with your therapist for better treatment. After few sessions, you will feel a positive change in your mental state.
Conclusion:
It is nobody’s fault to experience postpartum depression. PPD is a medical condition and anybody can victim of it. It is treatable and with psychotherapies and the support of family members, many women recover within six months. It is the responsibility of the partner and family member to take care new member and stand with her in this critical phase of life.