Postpartum Depression

A newborn baby should create a wealth of happiness and joy for you and your family. Except everyone but you seems happy. Sure, you love your baby, but you feel depressed. You’re not alone. In fact, 10 to 15 percent of new mothers experience these feelings that cause sadness and depression after giving birth. If you found yourself feeling depressed after giving birth, you may want answers, plenty of them.
 

What Am I Experiencing?

After giving birth, ladies can experience postpartum depression and ladies who notice symptoms for longer than two weeks can notice the following:

• Anger
• Appetite changes
• Crying spells
• Difficulty sleeping
• Fatigue and exhaustion
• Headaches or stomachaches
• Negative feelings, including sadness and hopelessness
• Low sex drive

How Can I Cope?

You have postpartum depression, so how do you resolve it? Your baby needs your love, and it’s your job to get your state of mind right to provide your son or daughter with the love and care he or she deserves.
 
Ask for Support: Caring for your newborn will require around-the-clock monitoring. You’ll need help to complete this task—a lot of help. Friends, family and partners can support you with cooked meals and assistance with everyday tasks you would normal do yourself, but cannot complete because of your baby.

Go outside: Staying trapped inside the house all day can drive you crazy. Step outside for some fresh air. Ask someone to baby-sit while you go to the movies. Plan a date night. Do something to escape the house even for an hour or two. Getting away from the chaos will provide some respite from the mayhem.

Lower Your Expectations: Your baby will require a lot of your time. You won’t be able to perform tasks with the same efficiency as before, but that’s okay. Focus on caring for yourself and setting lower expectations for your daily tasks—at least for now.

Meet Your Needs: Sleep, eat and try not to feel guilty. Do not crowd your mind with negative thoughts. Try to remain positive to provide yourself with the necessities—plenty of sleep, fluids and foods.

Take Supplements: For breastfeeding mothers, anti-depressants may not be a viable option; however, supplements may help ladies beat depression without the risk of causing harm to their nursing babies. Because supplements include natural ingredients, ladies can take products that reduce depression.

Share Your Emotions: Emotional support becomes key to beating postpartum depression. Call your friends, family and partner for emotional support to help you cope with the changes to your body and mental state.
 
Battling postpartum depression requires a stable support group along the love and care of your family and friends. You may feel depressed now, but ladies too can find ways to cope and combat the feelings that keep them from happiness.