Pregnancy and labor are often looked at as a beautiful experience. Many new or experienced mothers are lucky enough to enjoy the bonding experience that they would have with their newborn child. Unfortunately, there is also a percentage of mothers who experience the complete opposite. Other than easing through the...
Pregnancy and labor are often looked at as a beautiful experience. Many new or experienced mothers are lucky enough to enjoy the bonding experience that they would have with their newborn child. Unfortunately, there is also a percentage of mothers who experience the complete opposite. Other than easing through the postpartum stage, there are mothers who experience having postpartum baby blues, postpartum depression, and postpartum psychosis.
Baby blues is defined as a woman feeling sad during the first few days after giving birth to a baby, also known as postpartum blues. Though, it would usually subside after one to two weeks of the baby being born. As a mother of a newborn, especially first-time mothers, she would go through a roller coaster of emotions. Not to mention that she has been carrying pounds of weight for months and had to go through hours of labor. Some signs that show a mother is experiencing baby blues are by “mood swings, feelings of sadness and/or anxiety, crying, difficulty sleeping, and loss of appetite” (Perry, Shannon et al., 2017, p. 546). When it comes to treatment, a very helpful approach is having a strong support group, most especially from their partners. However, if symptoms continue to progress after the first few weeks of the baby being born, it may be a good idea to get professional help as it may be a sign of depression.
For women who just had a baby, experiencing postpartum depression (PPD) is the most common complication. Signs and symptoms of postpartum depression is often mistaken as baby blues, but the differences are obviously more serious. Compared to having baby blues, PPD lasts much longer, which could go on from weeks to months after birth. There are many reasons as to what could lead a mother to suffer from PPD, these risk factors include having a lack of social support, intimate partner violence, and experiencing a complicated pregnancy or birth (Perry, Shannon et al., 2017, p. 547). Another reason could be a change in perception of the mother. Being pregnant involves many changes within the body and changes in the mother’s body image. Therefore, some mothers would have a change in their self-esteem due to how they see the drastic changes that happens to them during and after pregnancy. Symptoms of postpartum depression found in mothers include having feelings of guilt, reduced appetite/ over-eating, feeling disconnected from their baby, and in worst cases, having thoughts that lead to suicide. In regard to treating this depression, certain medication could be prescribed, and counseling would be suggested. Sadly, some cases of postpartum depression have been left unreported due to it being frowned upon in mothers.
Postpartum psychosis, the most severe mood disorders experienced by postpartum women. Fortunately, postpartum psychosis is rare and have effective treatments. As there is a common relationship between postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder, women with bipolar disorder have a greater risk in attaining psychotic symptoms after delivery. Contributions to postpartum psychosis include having a family history of postpartum disorder, stress, hormonal changes, and being sleep deprived, which could be a common cause especially while caring for a newborn. Symptoms seen in women who have postpartum psychosis can range from being disoriented, insomnia, hallucinations, severe anxiety, poor concentration, and certainly having thoughts of harming their own baby or themselves. As postpartum psychosis is considered to be a psychiatric emergency, immediate treatment is needed. Having an outstanding support from the mother’s partner and/or family is a huge contribution in the mother’s mental, physical and emotional health. As severe as it is, the mother may be admitted into a psychiatric unit that could help both the mother and the baby together, or the mother may be brought to a general psychiatric unit where the only the mother would be observed and treated.
In conclusion, women go through psychologic complications after birth. A vast number of mothers go through postpartum baby blues and postpartum depression. Thankfully, a mother experiencing postpartum psychosis is quite rare. As a mother could be criticized for her condition, proper observation and a strong support system acts as a proper start for the mother’s treatment. Treatment of postpartum disorders have a range from supportive measures, therapy/counseling, and medication.