Stages of Postpartum Depression 

Dec 04, 2022 News

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– Options for treatment 

Kaieteur News – According to several medical journals, Postpartum Depression (PPD) is often defined as a serious mental illness that involves the brain and affects a person’s behaviour and physical health. A mother might feel unconnected to her baby, as if she is not the baby’s mother, or might not love or care for the baby. These feelings can be mild to severe.

In Guyana, this condition is not often diagnosed or treated, but it can be very serious and has dangerous and even deadly consequences for those affected.

There are various stages of the condition.

This newspaper wishes to shed light on PPD, especially in light of some recent occurrences.

Baby Blues

Most new moms experience postpartum “baby blues” after childbirth, which commonly include mood swings, crying spells, anxiety, and difficulty sleeping.

Baby blues usually begin within the first two to three days after delivery and may last for up to two weeks.

Symptoms of baby blues — which last only a few days to a week or two after your baby is born — may include: mood swings, anxiety, sadness, irritability, feeling overwhelmed, crying, reduced concentration, appetite problems, and trouble sleeping.

Postpartum depression may be mistaken for baby blues at first — but the symptoms are more intense and last longer. These may eventually interfere with your ability to care for your baby and handle other daily tasks.

Postpartum depression

While the birth of a baby can start a variety of powerful emotions, from excitement and joy to fear and anxiety, it can also result in depression.

Some new moms experience a more severe, long-lasting form of depression known as postpartum depression. Sometimes it’s called peripartum depression because it can start during pregnancy and continue after childbirth. Rarely, an extreme mood disorder called postpartum psychosis may also develop after childbirth.

Postpartum depression symptoms may include: depressed mood or severe mood swings, crying spells, difficulty bonding with your baby, withdrawing from family and friends, loss of appetite or eating more than usual, insomnia, overwhelming tiredness or loss of energy, less interest and pleasure in activities you once enjoyed, intense irritability and anger, fear that you’re not a good mother, hopelessness, reduced ability to think clearly, inability to concentrate or make decisions, restlessness, severe anxiety, and panic attacks, thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, recurring thoughts of death or suicide.

If left untreated, postpartum depression may last for many months or longer, and can become dangerous to the person affected and others in their immediate environment.

Postpartum psychosis

This is a rare condition that usually develops within the first week after delivery — the symptoms are severe. Symptoms may include feeling confused and lost, having obsessive thoughts about your baby, hallucinating, and having delusions.

Symptoms of postpartum psychosis included having issues sleeping, having too much energy, feeling upset, feeling paranoid, and making attempts to harm yourself or your baby.

Treatment

Treatment and help are available for mothers suffering from postpartum depression or postpartum psychosis. A doctor can help choose the best treatment regimen, which may include: Counseling/Talk Therapy: This treatment involves talking one-on-one with a mental health professional (a counselor, therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, or social worker).

There are two types of counseling shown to be particularly effective in treating postpartum depression. They are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which helps people recognize and change their negative thoughts and behaviors; and Interpersonal therapy (IPT), which helps people understand and work through problematic personal relationships.

Medication is also an option in treating postpartum depression. There are different types of medicines for postpartum depression. All of them must be prescribed by a doctor. Antidepressant medications act on the brain’s chemicals that are involved in mood regulation. Many antidepressants take a few weeks to be most effective. While these medications are generally considered safe to use during breastfeeding, a woman should speak with her healthcare provider about the risks and benefits to both herself and her baby.

Without treatment, postpartum depression can last for months or years. In addition to affecting the mother’s health, it can interfere with her ability to connect with and care for her baby and may cause the baby to develop problems with sleeping, eating, and behaviour as he or she grows.

Family members and friends may be the first to recognize symptoms of postpartum depression in a new mother. It is important to be able to identify the signs of postpartum depression early. They can encourage her to speak with a health care provider, offer emotional support, and assist with daily tasks such as caring for the baby or the home.

It is important for women to understand that Postpartum Depression is a common occurrence and experiencing depressive symptoms after giving birth does not make you an “unfit” or “bad” mother.

Childbirth is a difficult and exhausting process. A female goes through a lot of hormonal, physical, emotional, and psychological changes throughout pregnancy. Tremendous changes occur in the mother’s familial and interpersonal world during and after pregnancy. Postpartum depression is a real mental health issue that requires careful, wholesome, and professional medical interventions, to ensure patients can make a full recovery and go on to enjoy caring for their children and live a normal life. 

 

 

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