Postnatal Depression
Postnatal depression is a depressive illness, which occurs after having a baby. It is very common for women following childbirth to experience a period of low mood. It can be particularly upsetting when you have so looked forward to having your baby through the months of pregnancy. You may feel low, unhappy and wretched for much or all of the time. You can also feel bad at particular times of the day, like mornings or evenings.
There is no one cause for postnatal depression, but various different possibilities have been put forward to explain why new mothers become depressed in this way. Most women feel depressed and weep for few days after they have a baby. All women, after giving birth to their babies, have some bad days when they feel really down due to tiredness, being constantly on call, not being able to keep their homes as well as they did, losing their old lifestyle and so on.
These are the symptoms of postnatal depression:
- Feeling physically very ill and having some symptoms that are unusual for you such as chest pains, breathing problems, headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, many minor illnesses and stomach upsets.
- Constantly worrying about the health of yourself and your baby, other children or family and friends.
- Obsessive thoughts or repetitive, chanting thoughts or voices can cause postnatal depression.
- Thinking that you or your family member will harm your child either accidentally or deliberately.
- Having worries about daily using objects such as knives, stairs, play equipment, even your car or bus are dangerous and could harm your child yourself or your family.
- A feeling of numbness and lack of emotion also extend to a lack of feeling for your baby.
- Getting difficulty to sleep or waking up in a fear or feeling ill either in the night or early in the morning.
Support from your family and friends can help you to recover from depression. It is advisable to talk with your close friends and family to explain how you feel rather than bottling up your feelings. An antidepressant drug is generally prescribed for women with postnatal depression, particularly if the depression is severe. Symptoms like low mood, poor sleep, poor concentration, irritability, etc, are often reduced with an antidepressant. This can allow you to function normally, and increase your ability to cope better with your new baby. Usually these medicines do not work straight away. It takes some time for example 2 to 4 weeks before their effect builds up fully.
Support and help from a health visitor can also help you to overcome this depression. Try to tell your health visitor if you feel depressed, as they may be able to talk things through with you. Take advice of your doctor to reduce postnatal depression. Postnatal depression is treatable if given the right treatment, support and time. Everyone does not have the same symptoms, although if a woman is feeling low for an extended period of time she should consult her doctor to take his suggestion.