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Know more about Postpartum Depression – Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment!

Mood disorders go hand in hand with pregnancy, but sometimes it gets severe.  In the first pregnancy, you will have sleepless nights for months, and a drastic change in the eating pattern too. And when you speak this all to your family, they will give you the term baby blues! But wait, that’s not the right catch.

So, If you are going through extreme sadness, anxiety, irritation, and it becomes difficult for you to handle your baby. Then you are going through postnatal depression, also termed as postpartum depression. Almost 15% of women face postpartum depression, and yet it is avoided by others. 

There are significant reasons behind postpartum depression, but before that, it is essential to understand whether you are facing it or not?

What are the main postpartum depression symptoms? 

Getting fatigued or feeling moody is normal after pregnancy for some period because you haven’t got a good sleep lately. But if it goes beyond that, then you should check the symptoms of postpartum depression:

An extensive feeling of sadness: You always feel sad over little things; it might be as simple as your baby crying because he/she is hungry. You cry a lot, and you don’t understand the reason why and what is bothering you.

Exhaustion: You feel completely exhausted at any hour of the day. But even after feeling tired, you are not able to sleep.

Unexplained aches: You will experience body aches or headaches throughout the day, and sometimes it becomes unbearable. You will get ill even after taking the utmost care of your body.

Mood swings: Either you will cry a lot, or you will feel irritated. You have constant mood swings that affect your family members and partner too. Sometimes, you will eat a lot, and on either part, you don’t feel like having a portion of food.

A feeling of disconnection: Even after so much of happiness around, you will feel disconnected from everyone. You get anxious, and you keep yourself isolated.

Intrusive thoughts: In severe cases, you will have suicidal thoughts, and you may end up hurting your kid or your own self. 

Apart from all these, you will feel that you are not the right mother, you will have concentration problems and difficulty in remembering things.  

What is the treatment for postpartum depression?

If you have noticed any of the above symptoms within you, then it’s the high time to go for postpartum depression treatment. Your family may disagree with you at first, but let them know that it is affecting you badly. 

The treatment for postpartum depression is majorly done in two ways by medication or through psychotherapy. And to get the most effective results within a quick time, go for both the methods. 

Therapy for postpartum depression:

If you are choosing to go for therapy, then make sure that you tell every little detail to your counselor. Therapies are beneficial because the mental health counselor will understand you and will give you the right mental health care

You will get rid of your destructive thoughts through regular counseling. Also, your mental health counselor will do behavioral therapy to see the efficiency in results.

Medication for postpartum depression:

There are a lot of antidepressants provided by doctors to give you direct results. Usually, when you go for medication, the medics look for chemicals that can boost your mood and can make you happy. 

And in most of the cases, the patient gets side effects because of antidepressants. Hence, it is suggested to go for therapy instead of medication. There are many reasons behind this, and the major of all is breastfeeding. Some tablets may cause harm to your kid as you are feeding them. So always stay on a safer side and keep your doctor informed. 

If you are still confused to choose the right treatment for postpartum depression, then you can do self-care! Make sure that you are not overloading yourself with lots of responsibilities. Always try to be happy with your family, and visit happy places. Get some balanced diet and avoid junk for a short period. Don’t forget to do regular meditation or exercise to maintain estrogen levels.

What are the causes behind postpartum depression?

There are various factors behind depression; you can’t blame a situation. As a young mother, you will get triggered by the physical changes in your body or sudden emotional busters. Although we have seen some common physical and emotional factors behind postpartum depression, they are: 

  • Lack of sleep
  • Alcohol or drug consumption while pregnancy
  • Improper diet
  • Earlier medical conditions
  • Low thyroid hormone level
  • Financial stress
  • Depression or anxiety
  • Lack of support from the loved ones 

You will also get affected if one of your family members is going through depression. Sometimes, women can experience postpartum depression through genes. The significant cause we found were related to hormonal changes in the body while pregnant. The estrogen and progesterone levels are higher than usual, which can cause stress or depression.

Get help with your postpartum depression because this is important!
The stigma of mental health during pregnancy leads to avoidance of a severe problem like postpartum depression. If you ignore it even after looking at the symptoms, you may affect both your physical and mental health!

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