Pregnancy is said to be one of the most beautiful and joyous event a woman can experience in her life. A baby starts its growing process in the womb where it stays in fetal position safely inside for 40 weeks if it’s a full-term baby. That’s 280 days where you have a human being inside that feeds from your own body, feels you, and forms what feels like an everlasting connection. The body goes through some hormonal and physiological changes where there are dramatic increases in estrogen and in progesterone as stated in an article “How your body changes” which was Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, PhD, MSN, RN, IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT on August 29, 2017 — Written by the Healthline Editorial Team.
They state that different changes can include sensory changes like vision changes, taste and smell and even physical changes that include the breast and the cervix. All these changes in hormones can be traced back to where the “mood swings” come from or even those out of the ordinary midnight cravings. It’s a lot for a woman’s body to take in, but it’s possible and happens every single day. The human body works in magnificent ways, but it all comes down to the question what happens to all the hormones in the woman’s body once the baby is born?
To illustrate, according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) there were 95.8 million of births in 2016, so that’s about 43.5 million mothers who gave birth. After giving birth 70-8o% of all new mothers may experience the “baby blues” which is when they are overcome with sadness, moodiness, poor concentration, insomnia and are all together overwhelmed. These symptoms normally last only a couple minutes to a couple hours each day but should slowly decrease and disappear completely within 14 days post-delivery. When its past the 14-day period, it gets dangerous because many women tend to confuse the “baby blues” with what is a more serious mood disorder that is distinguished as postpartum depression.
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According to the American Psychological Association up to 1 in 7-woman experience PPD, the leading complication of child birth, regardless of if their first-time mothers or not, what their income may be, what race they are, or even what their marital status is. The signs for every individual is different but may include fear of being alone with the baby, disinterest in the baby, fear of not being a good mother, crying uncontrollably for long periods of time, and feeling guilty or worthless. This happens so often but woman fear to reach out and get the help that is needed and as a result it leads to worse kinds of depression and even thoughts of suicide.
Every kind of PPD is different, some more severe situations than others. The APA also states there are situations where postpartum psychosis, which can cause delusions, or strange beliefs, hallucinations and even paranoia and suspiciousness can happen, but those are less frequent and happen only in about 1-2% births. It is very important to increase awareness of PPD, it’s an actual psychological disorder that if you seek help in a timely manner, and with a licensed mental health provider it can be treatable.
Furthermore, recent studies have shown that now fortunately with the advanced technological tools that we have there is now a way to help these moms to be. This ground-breaking new research helps identify the emotional fluctuations that may play a part in the increase of a woman’s risk of PPD. Based on that information it can help practitioners to screen pregnant woman for prenatal depression and may be able to ease their symptoms before even giving birth. Very recently the United States Preventive Task Force (USPTF) recommended that all woman receive mental health screenings during pregnancy, not just after delivery. Its little steps like these that will make an impact to many future moms, to know they aren’t alone and that with help they will find the reassurance that they need.
In addition, there are certain myths and misconception about PPD that people believe are true. For example, one being that there are those that say it’s not an illness and that is in fact false. With all the hormonal changes that happen during impregnation, the estrogen and progesterone dramatically rise after birth, which is responsible for rapid mood fluctuations which is why screening before you give birth to a child to make sure the right steps are taken for those who are under the risk factor of PPD. Another myth that is believed is that only woman who have suffered from past depression are at risk and will harm their baby but this is also false; up to 80% of woman can be diagnosed with PPD and it’s important to understand the value of seeking help because it can make a drastic change not only in the mother’s life but in the newborn baby as well because according to Psych Central, woman with PPD are more likely to cause self-harm than to harm their own kids.
Some important facts that are not commonly known is that to the surprise of many pregnant woman, postpartum mood symptoms often begin during pregnancy, not just after childbirth. Another thing to know is that men can also suffer from PPD, even if they aren’t the ones giving birth. They are still affected by the newborn baby. They worry about if they’ll be a good parent, and they may also suffer from insomnia, unexplained anger, or feelings of hopelessness. Also, sleep deprivation in both man and woman can easily trigger PPD and in some cases even make it worse due to the lack of sleep. It’s advised to get help from those near you to help take care of the baby since rest is needed. Postpartum depression is also considered a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder which subdivides into depression, anxiety with or without depression, OCD, and panic attacks. It’s easy to get confused with the way one feels, it’s easier to understand when there’s someone to talk to and help you through this time.
In conclusion, PPD is still a form of depression that affects new mother’s on how they feel. It affects the way they think about themselves and how they can relate to others. Without support and without any treatment postpartum depression can deteriorate a person. Suicide is one of the main things that come out of PPD. Childbirth is a joyous feeling, that brings happiness but is sometimes not as imagined; and its okay to reach out for help. We need this information because we need to realize that procreation happens every day and there will be a mother that is affected by this and it can lead to impact one’s health.
