Mindspa
Question: I didn’t cry or stay in bed all day after my baby was born, in fact I couldn’t settle down. I just felt nothing inside. I couldn’t get back to myself. I don’t know why this is happening .please help!
Answer:
Women are particularly vulnerable to depression after giving birth, when hormonal and physical changes. The sudden new responsibility of caring for a newborn could be physically and mentally overwhelming. Many new mothers experience a brief episode of mild mood changes known as the “baby blues.” These symptoms usually dissipate by the 10th day. Postpartum depression or commonly named as PPD lasts much longer than 10 days, and can go on for months following child birth. Postpartum depression is a mood disorder that
can affect women shortly before or soon after childbirth, but commonly begins within a month after delivery. This under-recognised and under-treated disorder can affect any woman of childbearing age. Acute PPD is a much more serious condition that requires active treatment and emotional support for the new mother. Some studies suggest that women who experience PPD often have had prior depressive episodes. Many women don’t know that postpartum depression is only one in a wider spectrum of perinatal mental illnesses. (The word “perinatal,” by the way, means during pregnancy and after birth, so perinatal mental illnesses are those that happen any time during pregnancy or the first year postpartum.) Not everyone experiences the deep sadness and disconnection of postpartum depression. So it’s completely ok for you to feel so and no need to worry about it . Just speak to your doctor or psychologist They will be able to help you out with this if you feel it’s overwhelming.
By Sindhu Nandakumar
Consulting Psychotherapist
www.sindhunandakumar.com
