Motherhood is a wonderful feeling but it comes with its own mix of emotions. The most severe emotion that a parent goes through is depression. Post partum depression is a type of mental disorder that can happen at the time of childbirth or after childbirth and can affect both parents. Both the parents go through a rush of emotions like excitement, joy, fear and anxiety.
Due to post partum depression, new mothers can feel anxiety, mood swings, crying spells, and sleep deprivation.
Causes
There are two types of changes that parents go through after having a child.
Physical change
Mothers especially feel a drop in their hormones e.g progesterone and estrogens. These sudden hormonal changes may bring severe emotions of joy, fear and anxiety.
Mental change
After giving birth to a baby, parents find it difficult to handle the different needs of the baby. When the baby is awake, extra care has to be provided to fulfill his needs. The constant sleep deprivation may give you burnout and you feel depressed.
Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of post partum depression may range from mild to severe which is why some expectant mothers seek therapy to prepare their minds for the upcoming overwhelming feelings.
- Mood swings
- Tiredness
- Anxiety
- Sadness
- Eating disorder
- Sleep deprivation
- Withdrawal from closed friends and family
- Detachment with the baby
- Intense irritability
The severity of these symptoms may take a toll on you and you may be unable to care for your baby. A condition called postpartum psychosis occurs in the first week of delivery. In this condition, mothers feel paranoia, confusion, sleep disturbance, thoughts of self-harm, agitation and irritability.
Fathers may also go through postpartum depression
Just because mothers are the ones to give birth, it does not mean that fathers cannot feel anything at the time of childbirth. They feel the same signs and symptoms as the mother. Fathers who already face depression due to financial instability, loss of job or difficulty in relationships, they are the ones who are at higher risk. Try talking to a healthcare professional if you feel anxiety and depression.
Prevention
You can prevent the worst scenario of depression by going through a depression screening questionnaire prepared by the doctor. Your doctor can look for any symptoms based on the answers provided.
Diagnosis and treatment
Some parents feel embarrassed talking to a professional for help but it is better to make an appointment with your GP and discuss the symptoms and treatment. If the symptoms are getting worse or you are unable to execute daily tasks then you must immediately call your doctor. Following treatments can be suggested by the doctor.
Antidepressants
Your doctor may prescribe you some anti-depressants to cope with your feelings of depression. You can a get coupon link for anti-depressants from the website of Pricepro pharmacy which sells medicines at discounted prices.
Psychotherapy
You can seek the help of a psychotherapist by discussing the problems so that he may provide solutions to tackle those problems.
