Recognizing postpartum depression, mental problems that are more severe than the baby blues & bull; hello healthy

Becoming a new parent is not an easy process. Not infrequently, mothers can experience postpartum depression (postpartum depression) in the early postnatal period.

So that it doesn't drag on until it interferes with breastfeeding and caring for your newborn, find out how to cope with it and other information, let's!

What is postpartum depression?

Postpartum depression or postpartum depression is a mental health problem after childbirth that affects the behavior and physical health of the mother.

Although giving birth can bring happiness, it can also cause something you didn't expect afterward, such as depression.

Feeling nervous and a little anxious is normal for mothers to experience before giving birth, especially if this is your first time.

Sometimes, the happiness of a postpartum mother may coincide with sadness, which can lead to rapid mood swings.

The mother may feel restless, anxious, sad, irritable and have difficulty taking care of the baby during the puerperium.

This is normal because your body has just gone through hormonal changes that have an effect on your mood (mood).

If the complaints that the mother experiences occur with mild symptoms and in a short time, it is likely that the mother is experiencing the baby blues.

Meanwhile, if the symptoms do not improve after about two weeks or even months, the mother can be said to be experiencing postpartum depression.

Postpartum depression orpostpartum depression is a mental problem with more severe symptoms than the baby blues.

However, symptoms postpartum depression still milder than postpartum psychosis.

What are the common signs of postpartum depression?

Similar to the baby blues and postpartum psychosis, postpartum depression also has a variety of symptoms.

If the postpartum baby blues is not handled properly, it can turn into postpartum depression.

In general, the signs and symptoms of postpartum depression are similar to the baby blues.

It's just a symptom postpartum depression usually more intense and lasts longer.

This certainly interferes with your routine in caring for babies and other daily activities.

Symptoms postpartum depression usually appears in the first few weeks after delivery and lasts up to 6 months after delivery.

Various symptoms of postpartum depression orpostpartum depression is as follows:

Depression or serious mood swings
Trouble caring for the baby
Loss of appetite
Insomnia
Often cry suddenly
Feeling very tired
Lack of enthusiasm or interest in activities you normally enjoy
Very irritable
Don't feel like a good mother
Ability to think clearly, concentrate, or make decisions
Severe restlessness
Easy to panic
Trying to hurt yourself or your baby
Feeling worthless and hopeless

If you experience the following symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor. Postpartum depression is not something that can be ignored.

These symptoms can appear after childbirth or several months later.

Mothers may experience these symptoms during the treatment period after normal delivery or after cesarean section.

Mothers undergoing normal delivery can undergo perineal wound care, while mothers who have a cesarean section undergo treatment for a SC (caesarean) wound.

Postpartum rage is part of postpartum depression

Sometimes, postpartum postpartum symptoms can also be shown through emotional outburst which is often called postpartum rage..

Postpartum rage is actually part of a series of symptoms of postpartum depression.

Mothers who are experiencing postpartum rage can provoke their emotions from small things.

Often times, this symptom strikes when a baby who has been put to sleep suddenly wakes up again in the middle of the night.

This occurs as a form of frustration for the mother, who sleeps less.

Not always related to babies, trivial problems such as a husband forgetting to turn off the bathroom lights or washing dishes that have piled up in the kitchen also often triggers anger.

At times, this emotion is followed by disturbing thoughts such as hurting the baby or people around him to vent anger.

Postpartum rage generally comes out of control. Mothers who go through this don't understand why they can feel so angry.

What causes postpartum depression?

Launching from the Office on Women's Health page, postpartum depression can be caused by hormonal changes in the mother's body.

During pregnancy, the levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone in the mother's body are very high.

Furthermore, within 24 hours after delivery, hormone levels can drop back quickly to normal levels like before pregnancy.

The sudden drop in hormones is thought to be the cause of postpartum depression in mothers after childbirth.

In fact, these hormonal changes are similar to the ups and downs of hormones before menstruation.

It is just,postpartum depressioninvolves hormonal changes in much more rapid and extreme levels.

What are the risk factors for postpartum depression?

Every new mother is at risk for postpartum depression, either after giving birth to her first child or having given birth before.

Various factors can increase the risk of experiencing the motherpostpartum depressionis as follows:

Have a bipolar psychiatric problem
Have experienced depression during pregnancy or at other times
Have had postpartum depression in a previous pregnancy
Have had a stressful event in recent times, such as complications of pregnancy or complications of childbirth
Babies have health problems or special needs
Having twins
Having problems breastfeeding
Have a family member who has had depression
Pregnancy is unwanted

How is postpartum depression diagnosed?

A doctor or psychologist can diagnose what you may have postpartum depression by inviting you to talk.

You can convey your feelings, thoughts, or whatever you're feeling.

This aims to distinguish whether what you are experiencing, including the symptoms of the baby blues or postpartum depression.

Doctors or psychologists can also ask you to do other tests to confirm your actual condition.

How do you deal with postpartum depression?

The treatment and length of time to recover from postpartum depression varies for each mother depending on the severity of the depression experienced.

Following are the treatments for mothers who experience postpartum depression:

1. Consult an expert

In addition to seeing a doctor, you can also consult a psychiatrist or psychologist.

Therapy given by experts is expected to help overcome postpartum depression that you are experiencing.

Afterward, you may feel better, be able to do activities as before, and face the condition with positive thoughts.

2. Take antidepressants

Your doctor may recommend antidepressants to treat postpartum depression.

No need to worry if you are breastfeeding because your doctor will consider the benefits and potential risks of these antidepressant drugs.

With proper treatment, it is hoped that the symptoms of postpartum depression will get better until you are completely recovered to normal.

3. Ask for help from others

You can get help from other people to deal with postpartum depression, but it's best to stay active and have a strong intention to get through this dark time.

Without the motivation to "heal" from yourself, it may be difficult to overcome this problem.

If your symptoms get worse and you feel you can't handle them on your own, seek professional help from a therapist or psychologist immediately.

Also ask your spouse or other family members to help care for the baby while you are recovering.

The role of the father helps mothers with postpartum depression

It turns out that not only mothers, fathers can also experience postpartum depression.

According to the Mayo Clinic, fathers can feel sad, anxious, have trouble sleeping, and decrease their appetite, just like the symptoms that mothers experience.

If you have this, both mother and father should strengthen each other so that the condition can recover and smoothly care for the baby.

Meanwhile, for fathers whose wives are experiencing postpartum depression, here are some things that can be done:

1. Listen to your wife's complaints

One of the roles of fathers in helping mothers through postpartum depression is to start listening to their complaints.

Apart from listening to her complaints, you can also show great concern for your mother.

By always being there and trying to understand what mom was going through, they may feel safe and supported by their loved ones.

Make sure you are always there for your wife at all times, such as accompanying her to consult a doctor if possible.

2. Help complete homework

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.

This is so that mothers can rest in peace and their workload becomes lighter.

3. Help take care of the baby

Newborn babies certainly need more attention, especially from both parents.

As a standby father in helping mothers with postpartum depression, try to take turns caring for and taking care of the baby.

You can change the baby's diaper, bathe the baby, to bathe 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 take care of 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.