Be kind to yourself and believe the nine steps to recovery. If you are feeling blue the first few days (or more) after delivering your baby, you just might be suffering from postnatal depression. The symptoms are easy to spot most of the time, to name a few: physical exhaustion, always feeling not in the mood, losing interest in sex, low appetite, insomnia and worrying in distress most of the time. The fact is, the more you feel the depression settling in your being, the more you resent it, or you feel guilty because does not having a baby mean being extremely happy about your new role as a mother?
It does not encourage you when you talk to other new moms, because they all seem so ecstatic about their transition from being a pregnant woman to mother. Before you are utterly discouraged for good, be kind to yourself and do not put yourself under too much pressure!
Here are the nine steps to recovery from the anxiety you feel:
First things first, believe in recovery -convince yourself you will get better with time. It is completely normal to feel the way you do, so do not panic!
Secondly, make sure that you eat bananas and tomatoes and other foods high in potassium to make sure that you are preventing feeling even more weary than you already do (potassium also lowers the risk of any other diseases).
Thirdly, rest as much as you can. You cannot attend to your baby's needs if you are feeling stressed inside and out.
Fourth, maintain a proper diet. Make sure that you will still eat healthy because you will still need to breastfeed your baby.
Fifth, get gentle exercise. Exercise for the sake of keeping your cardiopulmonary system fit, and avoid burning yourself out with exercise because it will only add to your stress, which leads to the sixth step: avoid major stress. If it is in your control, surround yourself with things that make you feel better.
Seventh step is to try not to work unduly -you have to keep it in mind that it is okay to get all the rest you need. It is emphasized again for the eighth step: be kind to yourself!
Finally, talk about your feelings. Do not be embarrassed or feel guilty of your predicament. Getting your feelings out in the open with someone you really trust will be therapeutic for you.
Giving birth is not all pretty flowers and rainbows, so really, remember the eighth step again and again: be kind to yourself. It is okay to accept all the help you can get. In order to advance to your new life as a mother, you have to take care of yourself first so you can take care of your baby!
Remember, people can and do make recoveries from depression and go on to lead their best lives imaginable. Seek help.
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