The Truth About Post-Partum Depression

If you’ve wanted a baby for a long time, you might be confused about feeling negative, down and unhappy when you finally become a parent.

But, the new-born stage is a tough, sleepless gig. You can’t know its mental health impact until you go through it. Your ever-demanding bundle of joy will leave you exhausted, overwhelmed and anxious, that’s for sure.

We’ve all heard about the baby blues. 80% of all women experience it after birth. And while undesirable, the baby blues go away naturally. But sometimes, these symptoms can persist and become destabilising.

As an indiscriminate illness, postnatal depression can affect anyone. Although it is a completely treatable disease from which you can fully recover, the condition might stop you from feeling grateful, lucky, or joyful about your new family member.

Read on if you’re struggling with alarming symptoms or know someone who is.

What is Postnatal Depression?

Postnatal depression or postpartum depression is a mental illness experienced after childbirth. It affects ten to 15 per cent of mothers and may also impact men and children.

Although its exact cause is unknown, the development of postpartum depression could be chemically rooted. Here's why: pregnant women produce a lot of oestrogen and progesterone, which fall to pre-pregnancy levels after birth. Experts believe the sharp drop in hormones triggers postnatal depression in women.

While biology and hormonal changes could explain its onset, postpartum depression may also be caused or aggravated by a combination of other factors, including sleep deprivation, financial difficulties, major life changes, and a lack of social support.

Is Baby Blues the Same as Postnatal Depression?

Postpartum depression is more consequential than the baby blues.

Baby blues are typical and short-lived, while postpartum depression is a serious mental illness that lasts longer. You can be sick for up to a year or more if you don’t get treatment.

The baby blues take place a couple of days after labour, with symptoms lasting days one or two weeks. Rest, exercise, and a healthy diet can speed up recovery.

Rather than improving, postnatal depression symptoms get worse. However, with medications and therapy, a full recovery is possible.

Do I Have the Baby Blues or Postnatal Depression?

People might think that postnatal depression and baby blues are the same. They’re not. However, some overlapping symptoms make it harder to tell postpartum depression apart from the baby blues, at least at first. While difficult, observing their minor differences leads to early treatment and faster healing. You might experience the below symptoms with the baby blues, which tend to be pretty consistent.

• Fluctuating happy to sad mood swings

• Decreased appetite and being unable to look after oneself

• Irritability, crankiness, tearfulness and low mood generally
  

On the other hand, postnatal depression symptoms vary between people, while the condition ranges from mild to severe. You might experience many of these symptoms on the below list or only a few. It's also possible to exhibit unusual and unmentioned emotions or behaviours.

Symptoms can appear before birth and last a year. However, postpartum depression can continue for longer if left untreated. While some women are immediately impacted, others might be affected several weeks or months later.

If you think you have depression based on the below, visit a health professional for diagnosis and treatment.

• Persistent feelings of sadness, loneliness, depression, or worthlessness

• Unrealistic desire to be perfect

• Self-doubt in your maternity (or paternal) abilities

• Extreme and rapidly changing mood swings

• Inability to connect with your child

• Grieving your pre-baby self

• Disinterest in engaging in everyday activities

• Low concentration span

• Withdrawing from people and society

• Sleeplessness or oversleeping

• Rapid weight gain, loss and changes in appetite

• Inability to take care of yourself and your baby

• Overwhelming despair and panic or anxiety attacks

• Disturbing thoughts about harming the baby

• Paranoid thinking and anxious ruminations about your baby’s health and safety

• Auditory or visual hallucinations linked to postpartum psychosis

• Suicidal ideations

Am I at Risk for Postnatal Depression?

Postpartum depression can randomly affect anyone, like other diseases and illnesses. It has no singular cause. Yet, some people display these risk factors, making them vulnerable to falling ill.

• Genetics

Next to hormone levels, genetics could be the no. 1 predictor of postnatal depression. In other words, if the mental illness runs through your family or you’ve previously battled depression, your chances of developing postpartum depression increase. With that said, you’re not immune even if you don’t have a mental health history.

• Age

Many young people, including teenage mothers, might grapple with depression of this sort. Factors like their age, emotional immaturity or low income increase the risk of these mental health issues arising in young parents.

• Experiencing Major Stress Or Traumatic Events

You shouldn’t go through big changes after having a baby. But what if they're unavoidable? If you find yourself coping with stress, loss or grief while caring for a newborn, it's a lot to take on.

• Breastfeeding Impact

Some research supports the notion that breastfeeding might reduce the risk of postnatal depression.

However, findings also show that PPD might seriously impact mothers who want to nurse but can’t. Being unable to feed their child might spark depression.

Interestingly, women who didn’t plan to breastfeed but ended up doing so might also be at risk. Undoubtedly, feeling trapped because your baby depends on you for food is mentally taxing.

• The Emotional Stress of Having a Child

Adjusting to wakeful nights and a crying or fussy baby is challenging. At times, the stress and anxiety of it all might seem unmanageable.

• Unstable Home Life, Trauma And Abuse

According to the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), five per cent of adults experienced domestic violence in the year ending in March 2022. These statistics could suggest a connection between mothers in violent or abusive relationships and postpartum depression.

It might be that the depressed person can’t easily exit the relationship or gets depressed because of their abusive partner.

• Complicated Emotions Around Maternity Leave

Being on maternity leave can arouse confronting emotions. You might miss working and your old life. Alternatively, you might struggle to be away from your baby at work. Either scenario could result in postnatal depression symptoms.

How To Avoid Postnatal Depression

As they say, prevention is better than a cure, but is this true of mental illness? While you can't always prevent mental health problems, you can take steps to reduce your risk or catch it early.

See a healthcare professional to discuss treatment. Regular therapy might benefit you and prepare you for the future if you’re vulnerable to depression or depressive bouts.

Look at the below to lower your odds of becoming depressed.

• Educate Yourself

Recognise the tell-tale signs and symptoms, ask for help, and explore treatments with your doctor.

• Prioritise Self Care

You have less free time with a demanding newborn, but it's still important not to neglect your well-being. There are ways you can enjoy time to yourself while being a doting mother. Don't hesitate to accept people's help, and remember that needing breaks is completely normal.

• Prepare Yourself for Childbirth

Many moms have a plan for how they want to bring their children into this world.

However, if complications in the delivery occur, labour can soon become exhausting, traumatic and different than expected.

Due to the unpredictable nature of birth, prepare yourself for all birthing scenarios. Attend childbirth classes, chat with other mothers, and read.

How To Treat Postnatal Depression

Although frightening and isolating, you can recover from postpartum depression with professional help. Contact your healthcare provider to explore the various treatment options.

• Mental Health Counselling Or Talk Therapy

Counselling, particularly cognitive behavioural and interpersonal therapy, are highly effective forms of treatment.

A type of talking therapy, CBT focuses on managing problems by reframing how someone thinks and behaves. For example, a woman with PPD might blame herself for not being a perfect mother. With CBT, she’ll learn to set realistic goals and think differently about herself.

As the name suggests, interpersonal therapy focuses on the problems and dynamics in relationships, with counsellors assessing how you communicate and being more active in therapy.

• Drugs for Postnatal Depression

Doctors might prescribe these medications in conjunction with therapy.

SSRIs or antidepressants, used to boost serotonin in the brain, are usually the first-choice drug for treating depression.

But while effective, antidepressants aren’t risk-free while breastfeeding. Ask your doctor if you can take this type of medication while nursing an infant, as some are safer than others.

Additionally, SSRIs have some unpleasant side effects. They’re also slow-acting, so it might take a few weeks to see positive changes in your mental health.

• Self-help

Along with professional help, you can accelerate your recovery in the following ways.

– Talk to Friends, Family and Co-Parent

Discussing how you are shouldn’t be restricted to therapy. Talk to others about your feelings and let them know they can support you. Sharing and being honest with your partner will make you realise you’re in this together.

– Ask For Help When You Need It

Everyday tasks might seem overwhelming or impossible with postnatal depression. Lean on others for help - they can always help around the house or watch the baby as you nap or relax.

– Attend PPD Groups

Talking and being around others with PPD could provide you with the necessary postnatal depression support and insights. You can learn from other mothers’ experiences and how they dealt with what you’re going through.

– Carve Out Some Time for Yourself

Life looks different now, with less freedom than before. Still, you can go out with friends, read books and enjoy hobbies. Even for a short time, going for a walk, having a coffee or seeing loved ones can be valuable pick-me-ups.

– Rest When You Can

Mothers are often told to rest when the baby rests. Easier said than done, right? You need to do a million things. That said, your health and your baby are the two most important things – you can always delegate these responsibilities.

Does Post Natal Depression Affect Children?

Postpartum depression can indeed profoundly affect children’s health and development, even in the early months. Multiple studies show that the degree of care, support and attention they receive over this time is crucial. PPD is disruptive in various aspects of development, causing physical health issues, cognitive delays and even psychopathy.

• Physical Health

Mothers and fathers with postpartum depression might be too sick to pay attention to their baby’s basic medical needs, perhaps not realising their child is unwell or skipping baby check-ups or vaccinations due to their poor state of health.

• Emotional Development

Babies need and crave closeness. Breastfeeding is one way to provide adequate nutrition for the growing infant while satisfying their intimacy needs.

A healthy mother provides milk, care and attention to her child. But if she’s depressed, she might struggle to breastfeed, impairing or breaking the bond between her and her child. This impairment can negatively influence how infants regulate their behaviours, interact with the world, and build trust.

Low Cognitive Performance and Cognitive Delays

Not being exposed to a wide range of regular learning stimulants as babies can lead to irreversible cognitive delays and poor cognitive performance later.

A study published in the Journal Of Child Psychology and Psychiatry found that intellectual problems could arise in school children with depressed mothers. In addition, kids are twice more likely to attain lower maths scores than those with mentally healthy parents.

• Mental Health Problems

Is depression passed down, caused by postpartum depression or result from a combination of both? While many believe that depression is hereditary, postpartum depression has been connected to adolescent depression in offspring from 18.

But should we completely overlook the role of genetics? Women with previous mental health issues are more likely to experience postpartum depression, which suggests an inherited component.

Be that as it may, even with risk factors, addressing the mother’s depression can reduce the risk of future emotional problems in her child.

• Behavioural Issues

Children between three and four are twice more likely to have behavioural problems when one or both parents suffer postpartum depression.

Children are products of their environment and upbringing. And with that, depressed parents might be poor role models for appropriate conduct. Children may learn negative and antisocial behaviours, such as impatience, aggression, violent outbursts, avoidance and irritability, from their mentally unwell mothers or fathers.

Takeaway

If you’re expected to feel happy, grateful and excited about having a baby, then why are you completely miserable, depressed, tearful and resentful of your child?

Many struggle with adjusting to life with kids and the associated emotions. Sleeplessness coupled with anxiety, fear, and guilt can leave you in a bad space mentally. But when these feelings incapacitate you, leaving you unable to function, you could be suffering from severe mental health issues. Postnatal depression impacts parents globally. Although treatable, it’s still widely underreported. Mothers and fathers might fear admitting they need help because of the stigma attached to postpartum depression. You may think, “Am I a bad parent?” or “Will my baby be taken from me?” or “What did I do wrong to get sick?”

Not only affecting us, but postpartum depression may also have adverse consequences on children, making it imperative for mums and dads to seek out early treatment. Reducing the depression symptoms of the mother or father helps prevent setbacks in a vulnerable child’s development.