Post partum syndrome

(http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/1014561/jewish/Signso!"ostpart#m
S$ndromes.htm%
&an$ women are depressed a!ter childbirth( at least )0* s#!!er in some wa$+ ,owe-er. there are
di!!erences in how indi-id#al women respond. /his article describes the range o! depressi-e s$mptoms
a woman might !eel a!ter childbirth. starting with a description o! what are normal. nondepressi-e
!eelings. 0!ter reading this chapter. a postpart#m mother will see where she !alls in the spectr#m and
can recogni1e that what she ma$ be !eeling is common. and that there is help+
Normal responses to childbirth:
2-er$ woman 3nows that !ollowing a deli-er$. e-en the easiest one. she will !eel some le-el o!
discom!ort. /his le-el is in!l#enced b$ a -ariet$ o! !actors: ph$sical. ps$chological. en-ironmental.
4t #s#all$ ta3es si5 wee3s to three months to reco-er 6or at least the !irst two ho#rs a!ter deli-er$. the
woman e5periences ph$sical discom!ort. /he pain o!ten increases in the da$s !ollowing childbirth. as
the woman ma$ e5perience strong #terine contractions. discom!ort !rom stitches. and engorgement and
abrasions d#e to breast!eeding. 4t #s#all$ ta3es a new mother si5 wee3s to three months to reco-er. /he
pregnanc$ and birth ha-e depleted her -itamins and minerals. and wee3s o! postpart#m bleeding
deplete her iron le-els. lea-ing her with little energ$. ,er bod$ see3s to repair itsel! !rom the strain o!
childbirth. blood loss. !l#id loss. low blood press#re. and m#scle strain. /here can be stitches that need
to heal. as well as possible s#rgical incisions. ,er reco-er$ is !#rther slowed b$ lac3 o! consistent
sleep. 4n addition. she is e5periencing h#ge hormonal #phea-al: estrogen and progesterone le-els ha-e
pl#mmeted. and the lactating hormone le-els are rising.
4t is totall$ normal !or sleepdepri-ed new mothers to be e5ha#sted. #nable to concentrate. and e-en to
s#!!er some mild memor$ loss. 4n addition. the new mother has di!!ic#lt$ adj#sting to losing control o!
her en-ironment and being at her bab$7s bec3 and call. She cannot shower or eat whene-er she pleases.
let alone clean the ho#se or ma3e other plans. She !eels cooped #p in the ho#se with a newborn( she
ma$ also !eel #nattracti-e with e5tra maternit$ po#nds. She ma$ !eel less se5#al interest. so her
relationship with her h#sband ma$ be more tense. ,ormones. the new bab$. and e5ha#stion are the
t$pical ca#ses o! distress. 8etting o#t. sharing with other women. and e5ercising are simple sol#tions.
/ime and good comm#nication can help iron o#t these problems.
Baby Blues-
0n estimated )0* o! women e5perience temporar$ moodiness. with cr$ing. sadness. irritabilit$ and
!r#stration.1

9epression and !its o! cr$ing are interspersed with periods o! serenit$ and pleas#re.
4ndi-id#al sensiti-it$ to the hormonal changes (rather than meas#rable di!!erences in the bloodstream%
ca#ses some women and not others to get the bab$ bl#es. Spirits are #pli!ted b$ a good rest or getting
o#t. /hese !eelings #s#all$ resol-e themsel-es b$ the second or third wee3 a!ter birth. at the latest.
Sometimes. some !orms o! inter-ention. s#ch as tal3ing to !riends or ta3ing e5tra n#tritional
s#pplements. are needed. Women with se-ere bl#es ha-e a :5* ris3 o! de-eloping ""9 in a later birth.
:
Postpartum Stress Syndrome-
"ostpart#m stress s$ndrome is an emotional reaction which !alls between bab$ bl#es and postpart#m
depression. 0lso 3nown as Adjustment Disorder( :0* o! those women who ha-e bab$ bl#es go on to
e5perience postpart#m stress s$ndrome. "ostpart#m stress s$ndrome lasts longer than three wee3s.
;nli3e bab$ bl#es. in which !eelings o! sadness are interspersed with periods o! happiness. postpart#m
stress s$ndrome is characteri1ed b$ a sadness which seeps into a woman7s pores and permeates her li!e.
"ostpart#m stress s$ndrome ca#ses !eelings o! an5iet$ and sel!do#bt. She wants to be the per!ect
mother and wi!e. b#t at the same time she !eels e5ha#sted and o-erwhelmed. Women e5periencing
postpart#m stress s$ndrom #s#all$ !#nction !airl$ well and get thro#gh their da$. tho#gh the$ !eel
aw!#l inside. 0ltho#gh some women go on to de-elop clinical depression. most women !ind relie!
thro#gh the lo-ing s#pport o! !amil$ and !riends as the$ grad#all$ adj#st to their new bab$ ro#tine. 4n
most instances. red#cing da$toda$ hassles and lightening responsibilities enable the mother to n#rt#re
hersel! and redisco-er her old sel!. <
Postpartum Depression-
"ostpart#m depression can come on witho#t warning. 0 woman does not ha-e to s#!!er !rom bab$
bl#es or postpart#m stress s$ndrome !irst. 4n !act. a woman can go thro#gh a normal childbirth and
reco-er completel$. when s#ddenl$ ""9 stri3es li3e a bolt o! lightning.
"ostpart#m depression can come on witho#t warning What does "depression" mean= >eing depressed
is an o-er#sed phrase. describing a passing period o! sad or bad !eelings. ?on-ersel$. clinical
depression is de!ined as prolonged. intense. sad. empt$ !eelings lasting two wee3s or more. /o be
diagnosed with an$ major depressi-e disorder (not j#st ""9%. an indi-id#al m#st e5perience depressed
mood or anhedonia (the inabilit$ to e5perience pleas#re% !or two wee3s. in addition to !i-e or more o!
the !ollowing s$mptoms: e5cessi-e weight loss or gain. insomnia or e5cessi-e sleep. !atig#e. !eelings
o! worthlessness. di!!ic#lt$ concentrating. s#icidal tho#ghts.4
""9 is a speci!ic categor$ o! clinical depression. 4t #s#all$ emerges three to si5 months a!ter childbirth.
b#t can occ#r at an$ time #p to a $ear. Sometimes s$mptoms appear aro#nd the time o! weaning or the
ret#rn o! menses. both e-ents being associated with major hormonal changes. @ate onset o! ""9 ma$
occ#r i! ps$chosocial or en-ironmental !actors become more di!!ic#lt to cope with. ?lassic s$mptoms
o! ""9 incl#de: cr$ing. sadness. irritabilit$. anger. lac3 o! control. sleepiness. sleep dist#rbances. earl$
morning wa3e!#lness. red#ction o! se5#al desire. an5iet$. carboh$drate binging. weight gain. or weight
loss d#e to lac3 o! appetite. Ao one woman has all these s$mptoms. 6i!teen percent o! women who gi-e
birth s#!!er !rom ""9+5
""9 is considered a s$ndrome. not a disease. 0 disease. s#ch as pne#monia. has a -er$ speci!ic ca#se( a
s$ndrome. s#ch as ""9. has m#ltiple associated ca#ses. Since the s$mptoms o! ""9 -ar$ !rom woman
to woman. the s$ndrome o!ten goes #ndetected or misdiagnosed.
/he diagnosis o! ""9 is !#rther complicated b$ the !act that it ma$ coincide with other ps$chological
disorders. 6or e5ample. two other disorders. panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
ma$ be e5acerbated b$ childbirth. "anic disorder. part o! generalized anxiety disorder (AD)!
mani!ests itsel! as a panic attac"! with abr#pt onset o! di!!ic#lt$ breathing. palpitations. chest pain.
di11iness and a panic3$ !eeling o! being Babo#t to die.B /hese ma$ be triggered b$ an act#al e-ent or
ma$ arise spontaneo#sl$. Cbsessi-ecomp#lsi-e disorder is de!ined as the presence o! either obsessions
(rec#rrent. persistent tho#ghts. images. imp#lses% or comp#lsions (repetiti-e. rit#ali1ed beha-iors s#ch
as e5cessi-e hand washing. co#nting. chec3ing% that are timecons#ming and distressing. inter!ering
with a person7s !#nctioning and relationships.6
Postpartum Psychosis
PPD is caused by multiple factors 0ltho#gh postpart#m ps$chosis is !airl$ #ncommon. with onl$ one
in one tho#sand women de-eloping ### within a !ew da$s a!ter childbirth. it can dramaticall$ a!!ect
e-er$one in-ol-ed. Some new mothers s#!!ering ps$chosis ma$ ha-e to be hospitali1ed !or a short term
or. e-en more rare. an #n!ort#nate !ew who do not recei-e the right treatment in time ma$ harm
themsel-es or their child.
25treme agitation and not connecting with realit$ are the !irst noticeable s$mptoms o! """. along with
weight loss. paranoia. and beha-ior that is #ncharacteristic !or that new mother. C!ten the initial
s$mptoms ma$ be pic3ed #p on the maternit$ !loor. 4! she is alread$ home. she needs immediate
medical attention (in an emergenc$ room% and an e5amination b$ a ps$chiatrist. "ostpart#m ps$chosis
is triggered b$ the rapid hormonal changes occ#rring a!ter childbirth( man$ s#ch women go on to
de-elop se-ere premenstr#al s$ndrome ("&S%. >oth s$ndromes are lin3ed with a woman7s e5treme
sensiti-it$ to hormonal changes.
/h#s we see that a woman7s moods can range dramaticall$ a!ter childbirth !rom normal e5ha#stion and
tension all the wa$ to postpart#m ps$chosis.