Most
of the time, the emotions experienced after childbirth include excitement, joy,
fear and anxiety. On some occasions,
women will experience the “baby blues” which can insist of mood swings and
crying spells. On a rare occasion, this
can be a more serious condition known as postpartum depression, a form of
depression. This will occur in 10-15% of
all new mothers.
How
do you know if you’re experiencing merely the baby blues or the more serious
postpartum depression? Here are
differences in symptoms according to the Mayo Clinic.
Baby Blues: Mood swings, anxiety, sadness, irritability, crying, decreased concentration
and trouble sleeping
Postpartum Depression: (symptoms may start out the same as the baby
blues but then may increase) Loss of appetite, insomnia, intense irritability
and anger, overwhelming fatigue, loss of interest in sexual intimacy, lack of
joy in life, severe mood swings, feeling of shame, guilt or inadequacy, difficulty
bonding with baby, withdrawl from friends and family, thoughts of harming self
or baby
If
left untreated, postpartum depression can last for months or even years.
Postpartum
depression can be caused by physical, emotional, or lifestyle factors such as a
drop in hormones, lack of sleep, exhaustion, or difficulty breastfeeding.
If
your symptoms don’t fade after two weeks, get worse, make it hard for you to
care for your baby, make it hard to complete everyday tasks or you have
thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, then you should set up an
appointment to speak with your provider and get help.
The Gospel Perspective
Sources:
U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. (2008). Prevalence of self-reported postpartum depressive
symptoms --- 17 states, 2004--2005 (57(14);361-366). Retrieved from website:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5714a1.htm
Mayo Clinic
Staff. (2012, September 11). Postpartum depression. Retrieved from
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/postpartum-depression/DS00546/DSECTION=symptoms
Pictures: http://yoganjourneytolife.blogspot.com/2013/09/reviewing-over-my-history-with-my-mom.html
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