Pregnancy and childbirth can be a truly enriching experience for any woman. However, the whole process does tend to take a toll on the new mother’s health and mental status. Because of the physical exhaustion that comes along with the process of childbirth, there are times when the mother would like to be left alone. There are also instances when a new mother slips into phases of depression, commonly known as bouts of postpartum depression. There are a number of causes that are linked to postpartum depression, the most common being physical and mental fatigue. The less commonly cited causes include the way a woman feels about her physical appearance after having given birth to a baby.
Common
postpartum depression symptoms, such as a loss of appetite, or the lack of interest in meeting or communicating with people are tell tale signs of a more serious underlying problem. Postpartum depression needs urgent and undivided attention, because it can get to a stage where a mother will consciously or subconsciously cause harm to herself or her newborn baby. A loss of appetite causes a mother to be undernourished, thereby making her unable to provide for the nourishment of her baby. Neglect of a newborn child is also a form of abuse and can be caused by
postpartum depression. The signs of postpartum depression are easily recognized. Any change in the mother’s attitude towards her child or in general temperament will indicate a problem that needs rectification. Most often, it is just a passing phase that women experience because of the physical fatigue associated with childbirth and labor.
There are many ways of overcoming postpartum depression, most of which include communication between you and your partner. If there is no communication between the two partners, both will not be able to help each other in overcoming any difficulty that is being faced. Undertaking enjoyable activities, such as a quiet weekend holiday with the immediate family, or even reading a good book, listening to music or taking up a hobby that would help deviate the mind from depressive thoughts has been of great service in overcoming postpartum depression. Men and women alike suffer from postpartum depression and therefore, mothers who have just given birth also need to look out for similar signs in their partners, to be aware of the fact that they are experiencing postpartum depression. The most general cause for postpartum depression in men is because of the diversion of the mother’s complete attention to the new born baby.
Submitted by N on November 17, 2010 at 12:42
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