What is Postpartum Depression?
Understanding Postpartum Depression – (PPD)
What is postpartum depression?
Well, most of the books on pregnancy will tell you what you should expect during childbirth and give you as comprehensive an understanding of the process as possible.
While we are all very excited about the new arrival into our family and buying things, getting the nursery ready, and in general just preparing for a new chapter, we are happily unaware of the reality that follows childbirth and no book really prepares you for it.
One of the realities that strike after delivery is the “baby blues”. While we are all very happy with our new baby, there is a niggling feeling at the back of our minds as we don’t really feel “blissfully happy” as described by the many people that we have met or the books that we have read.
Baby blues leave you feeling teary, moody, sad, overwhelmed, and hopeless, leave you with little or no sleep, and make bonding with the baby difficult.
As if coping with the baby was not hard enough, you have to cope with these despairing feelings that challenge your maternal instincts.
While baby blues normally go away after a few days or a few weeks, PPD generally lasts for months.
So, what is postpartum depression you ask? PPD is that part of post pregnancy that we should be most prepared for but are the least informed about.
Some of the Symptoms that Signal Postpartum Depression are:
- extreme sadness, hopelessness, anxiety
- lack of sleep, lack of interest in everyday life
- lack of concentration
- depressive eating leading to weight gain or the opposite
- lack of interest in your baby
- lack of interest in your own life
- difficulty in anger management
- frequent bouts of crying and feeling tearful at most times
While a lot of women deal with PPD by themselves, what they do not realize is what postpartum depression is doing to them.
The fear of being judged as a bad mother or simply displaying your vulnerability keeps us from seeking help to help ease the situation.
What we must remember is that PPD is the culmination of all the changes that are constantly taking place in our lives after a baby is born.
Right from the hormones that are on overdrive when we are pregnant coming back to normal within a span of 24 hours, to coping with constant crying, lack of sleep, lifestyle adjustments, pressure of household chores, stress of role allocation, fear of not being the perfect mother and generally feeling overwhelmed with all the changes lead to this condition.
The fact is that this is your life and you have to come around to dealing with it. In your state of depression you are not only missing out on enjoying your baby but are also affecting the people around you.
It can be difficult for your spouse and older children (if you have any) to constantly deal with a person who is constantly moody, cranky and teary and refuses to get help.
Take support from your family and friends and get your life in order. Look out for support groups that will help you cope with PPD through talk therapy or get a doctor to prescribe some medication.
Its a serious illness that involves the brain. With depression, sad, anxious, or empty feelings don’t go away and interfere with day-to-day life and routines and these feelings can be mild to severe.
PPD in Men – Dr. Courtenay’s interview with Mark Curtis
Related What Is Postpartum Depression Articles:
What is PPD?
Tom Cruise and Brooke Shields are currently engaging in a word war against each other because of a type of depression, called postpartum depression.
Understanding PPD?
PPD is a state of depression that women experience after the birth of a child. It is a mixture of raging hormones and an overwhelming sense of responsibility.
PPD, What is it?
Postpartum Depression is a form of depression which can affect women once they birth to their babies.
