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Research has also proved that this psychological condition is more than just baby blues, instead it is a real illness that could affect a mother’s physiological and psychological functioning.

This illness could range from minor down days to severe, debilitating depression. If you are feeling some of its signs and symptoms, you need to pay attention to your symptoms and research what some of the best treatments that are available so you can overcome it as soon as possible.

What causes postpartum depression?

Even though all the possible causes of postpartum depression have not been outlined yet, some clinical studies were able to pinpoint some of its probable causes. These events could make some women more susceptible to this illness than other women.

Hormonal changes are probably the number one reason why mothers experience this psychological illness. Due to rapid hormonal changes while giving birth, women could become more sensitive to those changes and get depressed.

Research also shows that mothers with postpartum depression experience tremendous drops in their thyroid hormone levels. This leads to postnatal hyperthyroidism, which could contribute to a mother’s susceptibility to postpartum depression.

Lastly, women who do fail to meet their expectations after giving birth also experience this illness. Depression occurs when they start feeling frustrated about the added stress of taking care of a baby, lack of sleep, and changes in the family.

What are its symptoms?

The baby blues are easy to detect as long as mothers and their partners are familiar with its signs and symptoms. Some of its common symptoms include drastic changes in the mother’s appetite and sleeping patterns, feeling irritable and angry for no logical reason, decreased libido, and even fatigue. Its most obvious symptom is when a mother starts feeling guilty and sad after giving birth for no apparent reason.

 
How is it treated?

Postpartum depression is treated in a wide variety of ways. However, most physicians usually consider counselling as the most effective treatment for baby blues. By regularly speaking to a therapist and sharing their struggles as new mothers, women could find it easier to cope with postpartum depression.

Some medications are also used for this type of depression. Antidepressants can help bring the brain’s chemicals back to normal levels and help mothers overcome postpartum depression for good.

Not every woman will experience the baby blues after giving birth. In addition, a woman who has had postpartum depression with one baby won’t necessarily have the same experience with the next pregnancy. The good thing about this type of depression is it is treatable and you will get better, but you need to get help if it gets out of control. Don’t let the baby blues ruin your happiness of your new baby.

Postpartum depression can exhibit different signs in different women. Almost 80% of mothers can experience what are called “baby blues” or postpartum blues, but this condition is mild and lasts only a few days or weeks after you have given birth.

If you are experiencing “baby blues“, you may cry for long periods of time, without any apparent reason. You may also feel particularly anxious or sad.

However, postpartum depression is different. PPD is much more severe than baby blues, and needs treatment; if you do not get treatment and you are suffering from postpartum depression, it could be dangerous both to you and your baby.

If you are suffering from postpartum depression, you could actually be feeling “high”, or you could experience extreme low moods. You can suffer from extreme feelings of helplessness or fatigue. Oftentimes, postpartum depression is treated with psychotherapy in antidepressants, and these treatments are very effective.

However, if you do not treat your PPD, you can go on to suffer from postpartum psychosis; this is a severe form of postpartum depression and will need immediate medical attention. Postpartum psychosis is extremely rare, but if you have it, you can hallucinate, feel extremely paranoid, and be delusional. You could risk harming yourself or your baby, and may even go on to commit suicide.

If you are a new mother and you experience any of the following symptoms, you should seek immediate help, especially if symptoms are persistent.

These include:

• Feeling extremely anxious
• Having extreme mood swings
• Having extended bouts of crying
• Having no ability to concentrate
• Being overly irritable or sad
•  Feeling shame, guilt or inadequacy persistently
• Having memory problems
• Having difficulty bonding with your baby
• Withdrawing from friends and family
• Feeling overly angry, for no apparent reason
• Having trouble sleeping
• Having urges to harm yourself or your baby, and even thoughts of suicide

If you are feeling any of these symptoms yourself, or if you see them in a loved one, it is very important to seek mental attention immediately. There are indeed hormonal factors that can contribute to depression, and these are unique to women, especially pregnant women or new mothers, so it is very important to identify any stress triggers as well.

Among the causes of PPD may be that in addition to the hormonal swings, and after giving birth, extreme fatigue and the overwhelming responsibility a new baby brings can cause significant anxiety and stress.

Many new moms may feel the need to be the “perfect mom”.

Some signs are indeed easy to see, but others may not be; for example, there may be a history of depression, birth-related difficulties, hormone swings caused by giving birth, financial problems, inadequate support from family or friends, immaturity (especially if the mother or parents of the new child are particularly young), or even drug and substance abuse.

These signs cannot be ignored and should be addressed immediately.

Some mothers may indeed show signs of having “baby blues” in the beginning, but they may persist and become more severe overtime.

If the new mother experiences urges whereby she wants to harm herself and/or her child, or if she loses interest in things that used to engage her, these are things that should be noticed either by the new mother in question or by friends and family.

Treatment for postpartum depression is necessary, and it should be started as quickly as possible. If you are just experiencing normal “baby blues”, for example, you should get over this in a couple of weeks. If you continue to experience depression, however, consider the fact that you or the new mother you are observing may have postpartum depression, and seek treatment immediately.

How does your mental well-being during pregnancy affect delivery, recovery, and your newborn? A growing tide of prenatal-care practitioners are including well-beingness advice and counseling as part of their preventive care for pregnant women in an effort to stem postpartum complications, including depression. Not only does this help keep post-delivery healthcare costs down, but pre-delivery planning and realistic expectations help new moms cope with the joys and challenges of parenthood.

In the past decade, we’ve increasingly heard the term “Postpartum Depression” as a condition affecting some new mothers, and many medical professionals, including the American Medical Association (AMA), recognize this phenomenon as a valid condition warranting therapy often in the form of psychotropic medications. Is this really the safest route for new mothers to take?

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (February 12, 2002), approximately 1 out of 10 new mothers feels depressed, some seriously, and some have related symptoms within 6 months of childbirth, including sadness, tearfulness, irritability, or mood swings, known as “baby blues”. When these symptoms become more severe, such as emotional numbness or apathy, withdrawal from family or friends, intense worry or concern about the baby or lack thereof, fears of harming oneself or baby, it’s time to be proactive for the safety and welfare of both mother and baby.

“The jury’s still out on the safety of postpartum anti-depressant medications and I wouldn’t risk my baby on it”,

concedes Kay Krueger, founder of Peaceful Arrivals, an organization established to offer aid and counseling to pregnant women and new mothers.

“In fact, a growing number of health care professionals are turning to a more pragmatic approach in treating new mothers with postpartum depression.”

Kay agrees that the condition is real, but offers safe and practical solutions rather than a strict regime of antidepressant medication to combat the problems associated with postpartum depression. According to the Centers for Disease Control at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 70% of new moms choose to breast feed their newborns, raising a valid argument against passing these anti-depressant medications to their babies via breast milk, especially when long-term effects are unknown.

Kay suggests,

“Above all, you want to keep the environment peaceful and secure for the newborn; and much of this begins with the prenatal environment. An agitated mom often means an agitated baby, and thus, the cycle continues. The irritations feed off of each other.”

Indeed, developing data suggests that the mother’s positive mental outlook during pregnancy can contribute greatly to her success in delivery, her postpartum wellness, and to the contentedness of her baby, which is why extra care and precaution should always be given to pregnant women in order to prevent injury or mental duress to her or her baby.

Many mothers also find themselves unprepared for the demands of a newborn, even if she already has children. “The more help you can solicit for at least the first few months, the better”, advises Kay. “I remind women over and over again that it will become easier, you will get a good night’s sleep again.” In the meantime, Kay recommends budgeting for and utilizing meal service professionals, grocery delivery, cleaning and laundry services, carpools and after-school activities for school-age children, and if affordable, at-home chiropractic or massage services for the over-stressed mother. “Showering and dressing every day are vital to a new mother’s self esteem and should be encouraged and supported”, adds Kay.

“Also, don’t hesitate to accept help from friends or relatives, even if it’s to allow the mother to take a much needed nap. Just as tired or sleepy children can begin to ‘swirl’, so can the mother of a newborn, leaving her feeling a bit overwhelmed.”

Sleep and nutrition are a huge factor in a new mother’s wellness. A recent study authored by Signe Karen Dørheim, MD, PhD, a psychiatrist at Stavanger University Hospital in Stavanger, Norway, concluded that poor sleep is linked to postpartum depression independently of other risk factors including poor partner relationship, history of depression, depression during pregnancy, and stressful life events. The aspects of sleep most strongly associated with depression were sleep disturbances and subjective sleep quality. These finding come as no surprise to Kay; she and her staff report the number one complaint of postpartum women is tiredness and confusion due to lack of sleep.

“We all seem to forget how important the basic needs are,” reminds Kay. “This is especially true for new mothers learning to balance the demands of their infants with their own personal needs. New mothers are especially vulnerable to sleep and nutritional deficiencies on top of their already erratic hormonal adjustments. I remind new mothers to eat adequate amounts of high quality foods, continue taking their pre-natal supplements, especially the B complex vitamins (with their doctor’s approval, of course), and cope as best they can with the sleep interruptions until their babies begin to sleep for longer stretches.”

In fact, for many women, just knowing that their negative feelings are temporary and often part of the postpartum transition makes dealing with their emotions much more manageable. Many new mothers mistakenly assume that this is what the rest of their lives will be about. Fortunately, that’s rarely the case, and reassurances that these symptoms will improve over time go a long way in helping a new mom see that sleep and normalcy will return to her life. More tips from Kay: Keep your attention out, that is, avoid introversion. Meet with friends once a week for a little “grown-up” time. Go for a walk with the stroller being sure to look out as far as you can see and notice something new; or a take a drive in the car – babies love both of these activities, too. Getting some fresh air and expanding your space can do wonders when your world starts feeling too small.

“And, for goodness sakes, don’t try to compete with other mothers or live up to an arbitrary expectation! This is a special time for you and your baby – do everything you can to enjoy it!”

Stress is a normal response of the body when a person encounters a situation where anxiety and worries may result from the situation. This is considered normal until it reaches two weeks. However, when the condition persists for more than two weeks, the condition should be investigated if a simple stress has elevated to a depression. How do we recognize manage depression when it is discovered?

The symptoms of stress and depression are almost similar. The patient has feelings of moodiness, weight problems, headaches and sleeping problems when he is stress. However, when the condition is called depression, the focus of the condition is having the feelings of helplessness, low self-esteem or self-worth, self-loathing or self-guilt, loss of energy and the motivation to continue with his daily activities. Suicidal thoughts are a symptom of severe depression and should be taken seriously.

Rates of depression in women are twice as high as they are in men. This is due in part to hormonal factors. Before we are able to know how to manage depression, we should first understand the different types of depression.

Depression is extreme sadness and a recurring disorder. Some types of depression can be seasonal or can happen only during a specific period of time. Some of these are SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder and postpartum depression. SAD or commonly known as winter blues happens when sunlight is limited. This can be remedied with light therapy. On the other hand, postpartum depression is experienced by women who had just given birth. This condition often stays longer from weeks to months. Other types of depression are atypical depression and dysthymia, or dysthymic disorder is a mild depression that lasts for at least two years, sometimes called the double depression.

Depression can be treated with effective counseling so as to know the cause and how to manage depression. However, there are instances where counseling might not be enough so as the need for medication is suggested to speed up recovery.