Following the birth of their child, many parents suffer from postnatal depression.
Within a year of giving birth, it affects more than 1 in 10 women, and although it affects fathers and partners less frequently, it can still happen to them.
If you suspect that you may be depressed, it’s crucial to get help right away because your symptoms could last for months or worsen and have a big impact on you, your child, and your family.
Most women achieve full recovery with the proper assistance, which may include self-help techniques and therapy.
Symptoms :
The “baby blues,” which commonly last for no more than two weeks following childbirth, are experienced by many women and are described as feeling a little depressed, tearful, or anxious.
Postnatal depression may be present if your symptoms persist longer than a year after giving birth or if they manifest later.
There are several indicators that you or someone you know may be depressed.
- an ongoing sense of melancholy and depression
- unhappiness and a decline in interest in the world at large
- being perpetually exhausted and lacking energy
- Daytime sleepiness and difficulty falling asleep at night
- trouble forming a bond with your child
- avoiding social interaction
- difficulties with focus and decision-making
- dreadful ideas, like worrying that you might harm your child,
- loss of interest in your surroundings and a decline in your enjoyment of once-pleasurable activities
- a sense of helplessness when it comes to raising your child
- difficulties with focus and decision-making
- appetite loss or gain (comfort eating)
- having a very agitated or apathetic attitude (you “can’t be bothered”)
- thoughts of self-blame, despair, and guilt
- a hard time bonding with your child, feeling uninterested in them, and not enjoying being in their presence
- Thoughts that can be frightful, such as those that involve harming your baby, are incredibly rare to be carried out.
- thinking about suicideand self-harm
Due to its gradual development, postnatal depression often goes undiagnosed in women.
Spotting the signs in others:
Some parents may avoid talking to family and friends about how they are feeling out of fear that they will be judged for not coping or not seeming happy. Postnatal depression can develop gradually and can be difficult to recognize.
The following are warning signs of new parents that spouses, relatives, and friends should watch out for:
- often sobbing without apparent cause
- establishing a bond with their infant is difficult, and they only care for them out of obligation. They also don’t want to play with them.
- avoiding social interaction
- constantly complaining and declaring their lack of hope
- failing to take care of oneself, such as by skipping a shower or a change of clothes
- losing all sense of time, i.e., not knowing if 10 or 2 hours have passed
- they stop being funny
- Despite assurances, parents worry about their infant constantly.
causes :
Although its exact cause is unknown, a number of factors have been linked to postnatal depression, such as:
- having experienced earlier in life mental health issues, especially depression
- previous pregnancy-related mental health issues
- lacking supportive close family or friends
- a strained partnership
- recent difficult life occurrences, like a bereavement
- experiencing the “baby blues”
A life-changing event like having a baby can sometimes cause depression, even if you don’t experience any of these symptoms.
Being a new parent can be challenging and exhausting, and it frequently takes time to adjust.
prevention
Despite the fact that there have been numerous studies into postnatal depression prevention, there is no proof that there is anything you can specifically do to prevent the condition developing aside from leading as healthy a lifestyle as you can.
Tell your GP or mental health team if you’re pregnant or considering becoming pregnant, however, so they can provide you with the necessary monitoring and treatment, if necessary, if you have a history of depression or mental health issues, or if there is a family history of mental health issues following childbirth.
Your doctor should set up regular checkups for you during the first few weeks after giving birth if you experienced mental health issues while pregnant.
Homoeopathic medicine:
SepiaSleeplessness is a major issue, which leads to fatigue and the vicious cycle of sleep deprivation and feelings of inadequacy. It is primarily used for the woman who comes to the doctor in floods of tears, completely resigned to the fact that she is unable to care for or hold her baby. She believes she hates the baby and her partner, can see no way out of her problems, and despairs of recovery.
LycopodiumPatients who show signs of low self-esteem, crying when sympathy is shown, and feelings of hopelessness and despair may find relief from this treatment.
Like Sepia, Lycopodium patients often feel better in the evening but do not experience the improvement that exercise and love of dancing usually bring. Women who are helped by this remedy may also have a history of irritable bowel type symptoms at some point in the past.
IgnatiaSimilar to Lycopodium, Ignatia is a plant-based remedy that is suggested when a mother experiences a range of emotional issues, including mood swings, impulsiveness, and symptoms that can vary widely and be contradictory.
She finds herself falling short of the high standards that she has set herself, which then causes feelings of guilt to arise, which then leads to depression. The woman may also have had unrealistic or romanticized ideas about childbirth and what raising a small baby would entail.
In an effort to maintain a false sense of normalcy, patients frequently try to conceal their symptoms. Typically, only those who are very close to the mother will be aware of the emotional turmoil she is going through. Patients do this out of fear that their child may be taken away from them if they show that they are not coping as well as they think they should.
However, showing sympathy, acknowledging the desperation the mother is feeling, and suggesting she seek help can all be very effective forms of therapy.
PulsatillaSimilar to Sepia, patients who may benefit from Pulsatilla will be tearful and cry when describing how they feel; however, sympathy makes them feel better, and they frequently say that crying helps, whereas Sepia patients typically weep without the feeling of any relief from their symptoms. Women who may benefit from Pulsatilla tend to be of a softer personality than those being helped by Sepia, a drug that is more commonly used to treat PND symptoms.
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