Although the majority of women are looking forward to giving birth and they love their child more than anything else in the world, they might still experience symptoms of postpartum depression. You go through a lot of physical and emotional changes and all this could bring out the worst of you, so you don’t have to get scared if you feel like being on an emotional rollercoaster.
It is important to understand that having the feelings that you do is perfectly normal in the postpartum period, but in case it lasts longer, than you could be facing signs of postpartum depression. This could make it difficult to take care of yourself and of the little one. Nonetheless if you have the treatment and the attention that you need, you will get back on the right track.
Having symptoms of postpartum depression
Most probably you were prepared to be happy after you have given birth, but instead of this you may feel like crying. You want to be joyful and excited, but instead of this you are anxious.
You may see the signs of depression and you could experience mood swings too.
There are a lot of women who experience signs of postpartum depression that include moodiness, difficulty of sleeping, sadness, irritability, problems with concentration and changes in the appetite.
The first signs usually appear a few days after giving birth and they may last a couple of weeks.
Most probably the symptoms of postpartum depression are caused by the hormonal changes that occur after giving birth, when your body is going back to normal. This is why you shouldn’t worry; it is something normal and it doesn’t last long, just until your hormone levels go back to where they were.
Usually there is no need for special treatment in case of the signs of postpartum depression. It is enough to have plenty of rest and support from your loved ones. Still in case you see that the signs don’t go away after several weeks, you should seek the help of a doctor because you could be suffering from postpartum depression.
What are the symptoms of postpartum depression?
When it comes to the symptoms, we might divide them into three different categories: postpartum blues, that last for a short period of time and there is no need for treatment, only for support from the family and friends; postpartum depression that lasts for a longer period of time and there is need for medical attention and postpartum psychosis that is the worst form and it needs aggressive medical care.
Although there are many signs of postpartum depression, most probably you won’t have all of them. The possibilities include sleeping problems, a change in the appetite, worrying for the baby or the lack of worry and indifference, feeling the inability to express love, anger towards the people around you, anxiety, panic and other distressful feelings.
All these symptoms of postpartum depression go away after a while and later you shouldn’t experience any of the signs of postpartum depression.
