Postnatal Depression: a Challenging Phase for New Mothers - Essay Example

?Post Natal Depression – a challenging Phase for the new mothers You have just had a new baby and yet you feel like it is the end of your life. This could be the mindset in some mothers, after giving birth to their precious babies. This condition is otherwise known as Post-natal depression. A woman named Cathy Patrick from Manchester UK, shared how she had a terrible post-natal depression after the birth of her first child, and was so fed up that she decided she would never have another baby. When we talk about the “post natal depression, it is also a kind of depressive illness which mainly affects the new mothers and nearly 10 to 15 out of every 100 mothers are affected (“Post Natal Depression”). If one has a close watch on these mothers, they will exhibit roller coaster of emotions leading to extreme mood swings. In a way, the symptoms of post natal depression could be similar to other mental other depression. Early Signs In most of the cases, the mothers are usually unsure of what is happening and they may not know what needs to be done to solve the problem. Literally they will be cornered. They are often filled with mixed emotions with the joy of the new born and at the same time dissatisfaction with their body conditions and other mental pressures. A common thing that will be visible most of the affected new mothers is the lack of sleep. Some of the other symptoms include low self esteem, negative thoughts, irritability, poor concentration and difficulty in making crucial decisions, loss of appetite, etc. Failure in identifying the post natal depression can cause devastating effects on both the mother and the child. Like any other depression, the post natal depression can also be cured and the patients need not panic because of their condition, as the only step they have to take is identify the symptoms early and get treated immediately. What are the factors that could lead to Post natal depression? Physical changes “New mothers are experiencing biological, physical, emotional and social changes. It is likely that postnatal depression is caused by a combination of these things.” (“The Causes for Postnatal Depression”). From the above sentence one can clearly understand that the main causes of the Post natal depression is based on the Physical changes, emotional changes and social changes a mother will undergo after the delivery of her child. Many friends of mine, who were recent mothers, revealed that they felt worn out and was tired all the time, after the delivery. This is one of the major physical changes and it can be described in the form of the exhaustions and the post operative pain, if the expectant mother had a caesarian delivery. Also the mother’s appetite may be affected due to improper intake of food and as a result they may become physically worn-out. They feel less confident and also less attractive because of the changes in the body conditions and become less inclined to look after themselves. As new mothers will be naturally fat due to pregnancy, they will think that their beauty has all gone, and their husbands will not like them. Emotional Changes The next aspect that could cause this Post-natal depression is the strong emotional changes, which may occur in the mothers’ minds. They may not experience the same positive feelings, which they might have had or expected during the pregnancy, after they had delivered their babies. “Adapting to parenthood is daunting.” (“Better health Channel”). As per the statement the new mothers need to fulfill the constant demands of the child which is a highly tiresome process. On the other hand, the tiredness caused due to the delivery pain can also bring about depression and therefore they will not be overwhelmed with their babies. Social Changes The other vital contributing factor for the post natal depression is the social changes, when will be undergone by the mother. It seems that even the whole society could act as a ‘villain’ against the mother. That is, the arrival of the new baby might cause an upheaval in her mind, when she thinks that the new born might impede her from actively continuing her social life. Also the new born may impose pressure on the husband-wife relationship as they may not find enough time to be together as a couple. Problems in the marital status or relationships can also be one of the causes for the Post natal depression. Yes, this happens in most of the cases where the mothers could not find leisure time to spend with their life partners, instead fully focusing on their babies. Another social related change is the isolation which may be felt by the mothers, if they do not have other members in the family especially their mothers to help them in taking care of the baby. Hormonal Changes The hormonal changes in the body can also be considered as one of the major reasons for the post natal depression. “Some research has shown that post natal depression is caused by a sudden drop in estrogen and progesterone after birth.” (Coleman 2012). It a known fact that during pregnancy there is a considerable increase in the hormone levels of the woman, but after giving birth to the child their hormone levels could come down to the normal level. Hence due to the rapid changes and imbalance in the hormone levels, post natal depression could be triggered. Through, the above line-up of factors, one can assume that the major contributors to post natal depression can be of both psychological and physiological factors. To deal with this serious problem, the patients can seek apt medication and considerable changes in their lifestyles so that they can overcome this depression effectively. Medically coping up with postnatal depression Another known fact is, during the pregnancy period, the expectant mother would have taken prenatal vitamins and other healthy food items. With craving at an all time peak, mothers would eat many tasty and healthy foods. The same should also be continued even after the child birth. This is mainly because intake of nutritious food can give the mother adequate physical strength to recover from the exhaustion associated with the delivery and importantly enable her to ‘nurse’ and take care of her baby. Another essential step that can be undertaken by the expectant mothers as well as the new mothers, to deal with this post natal depression would be educating themselves about the changes that will occur in their body before and after child birth. This could be done by reading various sources including books, internet, etc, coincidently; this article could also be useful source for the mothers. This will give them an idea on how to avoid this problem beforehand and also how to overcome it, when they show signs of it. Family and Friends could be the best medicine “It is often best to talk to close friends and family and explain how you feel rather than bottling up your feelings.”(“Postnatal depression”). It would be better for the new mothers to procure help from other family members (particularly husbands and mothers) and friends for taking care of the baby and also how to handle the stress and other physical complications. This can give the mother a sort of rest and time to relax. Also the mother can seek the assistance from the medical practitioners, health visitor or professional counselors etc., who can help her not only in handling this post natal depression, but also the other issues arising out it, including marital problems. The other psychological treatments would include the Cognitive-behavior therapy, interpersonal therapy, psychodynamic and psychotherapy (Braley). All the above mentioned therapies focus on the role of family members, friends, partners and other people, and how they can support the mothers in recovering from this depression. “Post-natal depression--or depression after the birth of a child—is a challenging condition to deal with since it usually takes the intervention of another person to actually step in and get help for the mother.” (Braley). Also I like to suggest that the new mothers should make it a point to have a healthy diet and regular exercises. Coming back to Cathy Patrick, she recovered from this depression by undergoing psychological therapies and by taking antidepressant drugs, in addition to exercises and other relaxation activities. The normal course of antidepressant drugs could be for six months, and in Cathy’s case, she felt a considerable improvement. Thus, apart from these treatments, as mentioned earlier, the mothers has to keep both their physical as well as mental health in optimum condition by consuming healthy foods and by relaxing through constructive avenues, with the support of the family and friends. Conclusion Giving birth to a child is one of the stressful experiences for any pregnant women, as it involves a lot of physical pain as well as mental pressure, which could sometimes lead to post natal depression. All the medical options that we have mentioned above can give relief to the sufferers, but I would like to insist a major point that the mothers have to imbibe, which is a very positive mindset. Mother’s first touches, lifting of the baby with love and care, lovable kisses are some of the pleasant moments for the mother, immediately after the child’s birth. So, I conclude by saying that the mothers should set aside all the worries, and should take care of her child with fullest love and care, so the child grows into a beautiful and healthy individual. This depression has to be ‘suppressed’. References: Braley, H. How to cope with Post-Natal Depression, [Online] Available at http://www.ehow.com/how_5101424_cope-postnatal-depression.html [Accessed April 5, 2012] Better health Channel. Post Natal Depression, [Online] Available at http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Postnataldepression[Accessed April 5, 2012] Coleman, N., 2012. What is the postnatal depression and what cause it? [Online] Available at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-148101/What-postnatal-depression- causes- it.html[Accessed April 5, 2012] “Postnatal Depression”, Patient.co.uk, [Online] Available at http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Depression-(Post-Natal).htm[Accessed April 5, 2012] “The causes of post natal Depression”, Post natal Depression, [Online] Available at. http://postnatal-depression.com/cure-postnatal-depression[Accessed April 5, 2012] Read More