Have you ever heard of the postpartum depression? After these nine months of extreme intensity, emotional ambivalence, sentimental roller coaster… BOOM! Overnight you look in the mirror and you no longer hug your belly. Now the photo has changed. It’s different. The mirror reflection shows you holding your baby in your arms. How you longed for this moment! This moment is so sweet, so magical, so special.
But for a moment you stop to think and you notice that deep inside you there is some sadness.“Sadness? In this wonderful moment? I shouldn’t feel like this! If this is supposed to be the most wonderful thing in the world and the best thing that’s going to happen to me in my life!”You also feel an ounce of guilt when you are aware of these negative feelings.“What’s wrong with me? Is it normal to feel sad after giving birth?”Keep reading, we are going to give you the answers to your questions.
Emotional roller coaster after childbirth
Surely you have read and heard a thousand stories about the joy, excitement and enthusiasm of motherhood. And in fact, everything you know about it is totally true. But as the saying goes very well“All that glitters is not gold.”
After birthare triggeredthousands of emotions that housefrom the most absolute happiness to the most intense fear and melancholyespecially in new mothers. In fact That melancholy is more common than you might think. occurring during the first days after the birth of your baby and lasting a couple of weeks. Here you can read more about fear in pregnancy. When this low mood occurs more severely and for a longer period of time, we speak of perinatal depression, which includes depression that begins during pregnancy (prenatal depression) or after childbirth (postpartum depression).
Symptoms of postpartum depression
Is postpartum blues the same as postpartum depression?
Absolutely… NO. The feelings that we mentioned in the previous section arecommon especially during the first two weeks after childbirth, disappearing without the need for treatment . These mild changes in mood are known as“baby blues” either “maternity blues”and they enter into the most absolute normality.
How can you not feel tired after this tremendous life change? Up to 80% of women suffer from this phenomenon! In this case, don’t worry, it is something temporary that will happen when you least expect it.
Howeverwhen these symptoms are delayed over time(for a month or more after giving birth),increase in intensity and even interfere with activities of daily living, we call it postpartum depression.. These are extreme and disabling feelings that around 15% of women suffer from and that can affect their own self-care and even the care of their baby.
How does postpartum depression affect a couple?
If you have read previous articles you already know how pregnancy affects your partner. But… can you also suffer from postpartum depression? The answer is affirmative, being more likely in first-time, young parents with a history of depression . Your partner may also feel overwhelmed, disoriented and with a billion doubts about his change of role.. Hence you both must be patient and act as a team basing your relationship on basic pillars such as communication, support and affection. Here you can read more about sexual health and sexuality in pregnancy.
Causes of postpartum depression
Postnatal depression can affect any mother regardless of age, culture or race. Despiteis not known exactlywhat is the cause of postpartum depression,there aremultiple factors to take into account.
Physical changes
In the postpartummaybe you sitless attractivedue to weight gain and especially the infinite physical changes of pregnancy. Maybe where you once felt life growing, you now see stretch marks and a few extra pounds. And maybe you feelguilty for having these thoughts! Don’t worry, you are not the only one who has wanted to recover her figure after pregnancy. Give yourself time.
Hormonal changes
During pregnancy there was an increase in hormones such as progesterone, serotonin, prolactin and estrogens. After childbirth, sudden descent which can make you feel more tired and discouraged until they stabilize again. Here you can read more about pain in childbirth.
Environmental, psychosocial and emotional changes
Being aware of your baby 24 hours a day, 7 days a week is somethingstressful that interferes with your sleep and rest since it represents aincrease in your daily demands. And how do we feel when we don’t rest the right way? Exhaustion, lack of time, worries about raising the baby… greatly alter your well-being.Added to all this is theassimilation of the role of motherwhich can cause changes in social and work relationships. And of course the“myths about motherhood”those you face when you discover that in many cases there is a great distance between expectations and reality.
Other risk factors
What to do if you feel like this?
If you have come this far and have felt reflected in these lines, please, don’t let it go.Pay attention to your emotional health in pregnancy It is as important as alleviating physical pain.Talk to your midwife or your baby’s pediatrician about how you feel so that they can provide you with the necessary help at this time.
Thepsychotherapy, more specifically the cognitive behavioral therapy , can teach you think and use correct thought patterns while helping you manage your emotions and feelings.
Lean on your partner, family and friends to help you overcome the obstacles along the way. Talking about how you feel and asking for help with both baby care and daily tasks will allow you to rest and take some time to take care of yourself. Perform physical exercise, take care of yourself nutrition in pregnancy and after childbirthand be patient. Remember thatyou are not alone.
At SingularMom we want to help you! The path to motherhood and motherhood itself is a fabulous yet complicated experience that requires information and demystification to know how to manage this important life change.
We are a multidisciplinary team whose main objective is to accompany you during pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and raising your baby, resolving all your doubts and questions. Welcome to the family!
