Postpartum Depression in Women

When a baby is born in this world, the parents are supposed to feel excitement
and happiness however, sometimes, it can also cause depression. A combination of
emotional, physical, and behavioral changes is part of postpartum depression (PPD). It
includes include mood swings, crying spells, anxiety, and difficulty sleeping and it
happens in some women after giving birth. Postpartum depression is a serious mental
health problem and major risk factors past depression, stressful life events, poor marital
relationship, and social support. The purpose of this paper is to have a better
understanding of postpartum depression, what is the cause of it, how long it lasts, are
there treatments available, and how to handle a person with postpartum depression.
Postpartum depression is common after pregnancy and one in 9 new mothers
have it. Schiller (2014) says that:
Hormonal changes may trigger symptoms of postpartum depression. When you
are pregnant, levels of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone are the
highest they’ll ever be. In the first 24 hours after childbirth, hormone levels
quickly drop back to normal, pre-pregnancy levels. Researchers think this
sudden change in hormone levels may lead to depression.2 This is similar to
hormone changes before a woman’s period but involves much more extreme
swings in hormone levels. Levels of thyroid hormones may also drop after giving
birth. The thyroid is a small gland in the neck that helps regulate how your body
uses and stores energy from food. Low levels of thyroid hormones can cause
symptoms of depression. A simple blood test can tell whether this condition is
causing your symptoms. If so, your doctor can prescribe thyroid medicine. (pp.
48-49)
Postpartum depression symptoms are quite hard to detect but many women
have these symptoms after giving birth such as difficulty sleeping, frequent mood
changes, excessive fatigue, decreased libido, and appetite changes. It may also include
other symptoms of major depression which is not typical after giving birth like suicidal
thoughts, depressed mood, loss of pleasure, feeling of worthlessness and
hopelessness, and having thoughts of hurting someone (WebMD, n.d.). If you have
these signs, call your doctor, nurse, or midwife immediately and if you can’t you can ask
your partner to do it for you. The doctor, nurse, or midwife can ask questions to test if
you have depression, and if you do, they can refer you to a mental health professional
or a physiatrist for help and treatment.
The common types of treating postpartum depression are Therapy, Medicine,
and Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). You speak with a therapist, psychologist, or social
worker during therapy to learn strategies for changing how depression makes you think,
feel, and act. There are various types of postpartum depression drugs. Your doctor or
nurse should prescribe all of them. Antidepressants are the most common kind.
Antidepressants can help relieve symptoms of depression, and while you are
breastfeeding, some can be taken. To start working, antidepressants may take several
weeks. A medicine called brexanolone has also been approved by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) to treat postpartum depression in adult women. 6 Brexanolone is
given through an IV for 21⁄2 days by a doctor or nurse (60 hours). Due to the risk of side
effects, this medicine can only be administered in a clinic or office while a doctor or
nurse is taking care of you. It may not be safe to take Brexanolone while pregnant or
breastfeeding. Another type of medicine called esketamine may treat depression and is
given in a doctor's office or clinic as a nasal (nose) spray. An unborn baby may be hurt
by Esketamine. If you are pregnant or are breastfeeding, you should not take
Esketamine. And electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can be used to treat postpartum
depression in extreme cases. It is possible to use these treatments alone or together.
Talk with your doctor or nurse about the benefits and risks of taking medicine to treat
depression when you are pregnant or breastfeeding (The Office on Women's Health,
2018).
If you can’t go ask for professional help, you can do these things like taking a
rest as much as you can whenever the baby is asleep, ask your partner for help in
taking care of the baby or doing the household chores, make time for yourself and you
may go out visit your friends or spend time with your partner, open up to your partner
tell him what’s bothering you, you can ask advice from mothers and learn from their
experiences. Right after giving birth, don't make any major life changes. In addition to a
new baby, more significant life changes can cause unneeded stress. Big changes can't
be avoided sometimes. When that happens, try to arrange support and help ahead of
time in your new situation. Having a partner or another caregiver who can help take
care of the baby while you are depressed can also help. Don't suffer alone if you are
feeling depressed during pregnancy or after having a baby (The Office on Women's
Health, 2018).
Giving birth is not the end of a women’s suffering because they might suffer from
postpartum depression. Postpartum depression is not just a flaw in character or a
weakness, it is a serious mental health problem that needs to be treated. This concept
is important so that the expecting parents are aware of what might to them after
childbirth so that the mother can understand that she is having postpartum depression
and she will be able to fight it. And also, the husband can handle and understand his
wife because what his wife is going through is easy and so that he will be able to
comfort her whenever she’s feeling depressed.