About Postpartum Stress
A woman goes through numerous changes during pregnancy and post-delivery. These changes are not just limited to her body but also her mind. Postpartum stress is not uncommon, and it is only too normal for a woman to feel baby blues and mood swings after delivering a child.
However, if the sadness continues for a little too long, there are chances that the woman is suffering from postpartum stress or depression.
Typically, there can be a list of causes for postpartum stress, which can be, hormonal changes, inadequate rest right after delivery, post-partum stress, prolonged sleep deprivation, obstetrical complications, chemical changes in the body that trigger too many mood swings, or premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
The symptoms in this regard that can help track if a woman is suffering from postpartum stress include, indescribable anxiety, loss of appetite or overeating, unexplained instances of sadness, inability to bond with the newborn, insomnia, becoming detached from normal day to day life, feeling a fear of harming herself or her baby, or cognitive dysfunctions. While it is not uncommon to suffer from postpartum depression.
There are only some women who fall in this sphere, because of any one of multiple reasons, including conditions like having less social or familial support, detachment towards the idea of pregnancy itself in the first place, exposure to drug abuse or alcohol, experiencing heavy stress during or right after pregnancy, psychological turbulences in life, or any other medical complications during or after pregnancy.
It is crucial that a woman is treated well for her postpartum depression since leaving it untreated can cause further damage to their present and the future, as well as her baby’s.
Not addressing the issue now will only make the depression last for a longer time, which can be years, making it all the more rigid to be cured. If the mother is not able to bond with her baby, the baby is likely to suffer not just physically but also psychologically in the future to come.
The best options to choose from while treating postpartum stress or depression are counseling, proper medications, having the right social circle to help the patient cope with her stress, and the last option being hospitalization, which is only meant for acute cases.