Postpartum Depression And Its Symptoms

Postpartum - postnatal depression

What should be a joyous and happy time for a new mother can turn into a battle of depression. Depression in new mothers tend to make them feel afraid, sad, anxious or angry after childbirth. This is a common symptom found in new mothers and in a mild form is known as Postpartum blues, although it is more commonly known to us as the "baby blues".

The symptoms of postpartum blues usually go away after a few days in most cases. It is said that around 10% of new mothers will experience the symptoms of postpartum blues for longer and in a more intense way. This is known as postpartum depression. It lasts longer than postpartum blues and is quite a bit more intense. It usually occurs within three months after childbirth or up to twelve months later. Often depressive mothers will require treatment or counseling to overcome postpartum depression as it is a serious condition.

Symptoms Of Postpartum Depression

New mothers might experience feelings of negativity towards their baby and lose interest in their son or daughter.
You might find yourself worrying that you are going to hurt your baby all the time.
Drastic or sudden weight and appetite changes.
Lack of motivation and loss of pleasure.
Sleep patterns change, some people might sleep more than usual, some might sleep less than usual.
Flirting with suicide, thoughts of suicide and the like.
Guilty feelings and feelings of worthlessness.

In the early stages of postpartum depression it can look like normal baby blues. They actually share many of the same symptoms, which are crying a lot, mood swings, insomnia, sadness and irritability. If you are suffering from postpartum depression theses symptoms will last much longer and if untreated they will only become worse. Anxiety is prominent in postpartum, if you are a sufferer you might worry about your baby's health in excess and become obsessive.

A new mother suffering from postpartum depression will usually start to show symptoms soon after childbirth. These symptoms will develop gradually in the new mother over a period of several months and will be hard to notice at first. Sometimes postpartum can develop suddenly as well and in some women the first symptoms can only appear months after they have given birth to their child. If a new mother has a depressive episode within five to eight months after childbirth, postpartum depression could be considered as a reason for the for it.