Mothers expect to have feelings of happiness when a new baby is born but most mothers will have feeling of anxiety.You may well go through periods of feeling low emotionally and tearful this can be brief and manageable and more commonly known as the baby blues.
However some mums develop deeper and longer-term depression which is postnatal depression
So how common is postnatal depression?
Around 1 in every 10 women report postnatal depression after having a baby to there our GP , but the true figure is a lot higher
Postnatal Depression
What are the symptoms of PND?The symptoms of PND usually include one or more of the following:
- low mood for prolonged periods of time (a week or more),
- feeling irritable for a lot of the time,
- tearfulness,
- panic attacks or feeling trapped in your life,
- difficulty concentrating,
- lack of motivation,
- lack of interest in yourself and your new baby,
- feeling lonely,
- feeling guilty, rejected, or inadequate,
- feeling overwhelmed,
- feeling unable to cope,
- difficulty sleeping, and
- physical signs of tension, such as headaches, stomach pains , or blurred vision.
You may also feel constantly tired, have a lack of appetite, and a reduced sex drive. However, these symptoms normally affect most people for a while after childbirth and, on their own, may not mean that you are depressed.
PND can interfere with your day-to-day life. Some women feel unable to look after their baby, and others feel too anxious to leave the house or to keep in touch with friends. Many mothers do not recognise that they have PND, and do not talk to family and friends about how they are really feeling. So it is important for partners, family members, and friends to recognise the signs of PND at an early stage, and to seek professional health advice as soon as possible.
Some women who have PND get thoughts about harming their baby. This is quite common, affecting about half of all women with the condition. You may also have thoughts about harming, or killing, yourself. Thoughts like these do not mean that you are a bad or unfit mother, and it is very rare for either mother or baby to be harmed. However, it is vital that you see your GP if you have these or any other symptoms of PND. Treatment will benefit both your health and the healthy development of your baby, as well as your relationship with your partner, family and friends.
Self-help
We don't yet know enough about PND to prevent it in the first place, but certain principles make sense:
During pregnancy:
- DON'T try to be 'superwoman'. Try to do less and make sure that you don't get over-tired. If you are working, make sure you get regular meals and put your feet up in the lunch hour.
- DON'T move house (if you can help it!) while you are pregnant or until the baby is six months old.
- DO make friends with other women or couples who are expecting or have just had a baby; among other things, this could lead to baby-sitting arrangements.
- DO find someone you can talk to. If you don't have a close friend you can turn to, the National Childbirth Trust or MAMA - their local groups are very supportive both before and after childbirth.
- DO go to antenatal classes - and take your partner with you.
- DO keep in touch with your GP and your health visitor if you have suffered PND before. Any signs of PND can be recognised early.
After the baby has arrived:
- DO tell someone about how you feel. Many other women have gone through the same experience. If you don't feel you can talk to your family or friends, talk to your health visitor or GP. They will know that these feelings are common and will be able to help.
- DO take every opportunity to get your head down. See if you can cat-nap. Your partner can give the baby a bottle-feed at night. If you like, you can use your own expressed breast milk for this.
- DO eat well. Healthy foods like salads, fresh vegetables, fruit, fruit juices, milk and cereals are all nice, packed with vitamins and don't need much cooking.
- DO find time to have fun with your partner. Try to find a baby-sitter and get out together for a meal, a show or to see friends.
- DO let yourself and your partner be intimate if you can: at least kiss and cuddle, stroke and fondle. This will comfort you both and lead to the return of full sexual feelings sooner. Don't feel guilty if this takes some time.
- DON'T blame yourself or your partner: life is tough at this time, and tiredness and irritability on both sides can lead to quarrels. 'Having a go' at each other will weaken your relationship when it needs to be at its strongest.
- Don't be frightened by the diagnosis. You know what is wrong, that many others have had the same experience and that you will get better in time. Your partner, friends or family can be more helpful and understanding if they know what the problem is.
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