The role of the father in maternal postpartum depression

Mood swings and postpartum depression (postpartum) can indeed affect all family members, including fathers. Here are some tips on the role of fathers in helping mothers through postpartum depression.

The role of the father helps mothers who experience postpartum depression

For mothers who have just given birth, especially for their first child, of course, they will face new challenges. In addition to having babies who need to be cared for, many mothers experience sleep deprivation and they feel pain in their breasts while breastfeeding.

What's more, fluctuating hormone levels can cause depression associated with pregnancy and postpartum. This form of depression, known as postpartum depression, is quite common and can start any time during a baby's first year.

Postpartum depression is different from baby blues because symptoms such as sadness, hopelessness, and feelings of guilt persist for weeks. If the fathers know this is happening to the mother, it is better to be a role in helping through the period of postpartum depression through the following things.

1. Listening to the complaints

One of the roles of fathers in helping mothers through postpartum depression is to start listening to their complaints. You see, postpartum depression usually causes feelings of guilt, feelings of loneliness, sadness, and mothers think they are not good mothers.

In fact, not a few of them always feel anxious and angry after giving birth. As the father, you can help them by not ignoring these symptoms of postpartum depression.

Apart from listening to her complaints, you can also show your mother that this self will always be there for her. By always being there and trying to understand what mom was going through, they may feel safe and supported by their loved ones.

One thing to remember for dads is that you don't always have to be the one looking for the way out. Try to start educating yourself by reading about postpartum depression. Then, stay with the mother at all times, such as accompanying her to consult a doctor if possible.

2. Not comparing

If dads want to help mothers get through postpartum depression well, try to choose their words when they speak. One of them is not comparing the experiences of other people or relatives who may already have children with the mother.

Reporting from Psychology Today, there are several sayings that need to be avoided when trying to help a mother deal with depression, such as:

He needed to immediately solve the problem on his own
the mother should feel happy because she has a child
all new mothers feel the same way
set him up to do something to make them better

Most mothers who experience postpartum depression feel they are not good mothers or are no better than other parents. Comparing their situation with others or insisting on hurrying through the problem itself adds to the mother's guilt.

3. Help complete household affairs

In addition to being by their side and choosing their words when they speak, dads can help mothers get through postpartum depression by completing homework.

You may have offered to help the mother before, but they refused because they didn't want to be burdened by other people. If this happens to you, try to help solve household matters without being asked, such as:

cook breakfast or dinner
help watch the baby for a few hours so that the mother can rest
help answer phone calls
lighten the pile of dirty clothes by washing them yourself

These are just one of the many household chores that fathers can do to help mothers get through postpartum depression. This is so that mothers can rest in peace and their workload becomes lighter.

4. Supports his decision

Mothers who experience postpartum depression usually feel alone, so that the role of the father and those closest to them is always needed to support them. Especially when they are looking for treatment.

While the mother is undergoing treatment, the doctor may suggest several types of treatment, such as taking medication. As a good husband, you are expected to be able to support his decision to seek professional help to overcome postpartum depression.

In addition, it is not uncommon during such difficult times that mothers decide to stop breastfeeding. If this happens in your home life, try to discuss it with him and make sure he feels supported. Don't forget not to compare what they decide with other people doing.

5. Dealing with mother's emotions well

One of the symptoms of postpartum depression is that mothers may often become irritable and emotional. The key to dealing with these situations is to be patient and don't leave them in that state.

Dealing with mothers who experience this problem can actually be done well through the following tips:

make sure the mother eats regularly so that her mood improves
listen to what the mother feels and reduce conflict
keep communication open and don't move away from it
take a break if mom is in an emotional state you can't bear
ask the mother how you can help

6. Help take care of the baby

Source: Baby Center

Newborn babies certainly need more attention, especially from both parents. As fathers who are ready to help mothers with postpartum depression, they also need to help with the baby.

Starting from changing diapers, bathing the baby, to bathing him when the mother is busy dealing with her own problems. That way, the baby can be taken care of properly and the mother is not too drained of energy and emotion because of confusion to handle everything alone.

The role of the father in helping the mother deal with postpartum depression is very important because it can make a big difference in her recovery process. This is because the recovery process may take longer and you have to be willing to go through this together.