Having a child is one of the most life-changing events in a woman’s life. Sadly, it’s not all rainbows and flowers, 11 to 20 percent of new mothers experience postpartum depression. Postpartum depression or PPD is one of the most common conditions that women everywhere experience and the symptoms could continue up to a year. It could destroy relationships, not only romantic relationships but could also get in the way of the mother and baby bond.

Sure, every woman is unique, but postpartum depressions have consistent themes when it comes to the symptoms. Here are tell-tale signs of PPD and ways you can overcome it.


Risks of Postpartum Depression

According to the National Institute of Mental health, women who have experienced depression or bipolar disorder, have a history of mental illness in the family, experienced some medical complications during childbirth or does not have an emotional support from her partner, family or friends while pregnant could increase the risk of having depression after giving birth.

 

 

 

Signs of PPD that you should be aware of:

 

Feeling anxious all the time

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Having the feeling of anxiety all the time could be an indication of having postpartum depression. You  may also feel that making choices no matter how small it is may feel terrifying and impossible. Having PPD may also make you feel like you are not doing a good job in being a mother and need constant reassurance.

 

 

Insomnia

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Having a screaming, bouncing bundle of joy will definitely keep you up all the time. What most new mothers do is that they sleep whenever they can, when they can. Either when the baby is sleeping or when there is someone else looking after the new baby. On the other hand, women who are experiencing postpartum depression find is hard to sleep no matter how hard they try. Insomnia is a sign of depression and could lead to health problems and would make doing simple tasks difficult to focus on.

 

 

Feeling sad and hopeless all the time

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Depression of course comes with feeling sad and hopeless all the time. It’s normal be stressed out and cry a little after giving birth. You have to admit, having a new baby and keeping it safe, clean and well fed all the time will make you stressed out and exhausted. This feeling is normal to persist for a couple of weeks, but it turns to PPD when it continues well past a few weeks and heavily impacts your daily life.

 

 

Have disturbing thoughts of killing yourself and your baby

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No mother wants to harm her baby, but sometimes, depression could make you do things that are unimaginable. Some women who experience PPD have visions of drowning the baby, but will never act on it. A woman with postpartum depression may never act on the thoughts but may feel too embarrassed to tell anyone about it. You should seek medical help immediately as soon as you have these kinds of thoughts to avoid any harm to you or your baby.

Also Read: What Happens to Your Vagina After Giving Birth

 

How to naturally avoid and treat postpartum depression

 

 

Seek medical help

There is no shame in going to a therapist or your doctor and tell her your feelings. PPD is no joke and could be a treat to you and your baby’s safety. It could also destroy your relationship with your partner and your family. Your doctor could prescribe you some medication to overcome your depression and techniques to overcome your anxiety.

 

 

Voice out your depression

No one could help you if you just stay quiet and try to hide all your depression and what you are feeling. It is important to ask help and emotional support from your partner, family and friends. Research shows that women who do not have an emotional support system are more prone to postpartum depression.

 

 

Phytoestrogen will help you

During pregnancy, your body produces high amounts of estrogen in order to aid your baby develop correctly. This is also the reason why you have gorgeously huge boobs and why some women “glow” during pregnancy. After giving birth, the body will also stop producing those high amounts of estrogen, making your hormones go all haywire. This will estrogen withdrawal, paired with the exhaustion of taking care of a newborn will cause you to have unstable mood swing and even depression.

A great way in order to regain your estrogen levels is by taking phytoestrogen. It’s the safest form of estrogen that you can take, but you might want to wait until you are no longer breastfeeding before taking phytoestrogen.

You can get some high quality Kacip Fatimah here, which contains phytoestrogen to help you keep the blues away from Vagifirm.com

Also Read: How to Help Women Recover Faster After Giving Birth

 

 

Conclusion

Being a new mom should be the time when you and your partner get to bond with your baby. Postpartum depression could be easily prevented and treated, with a strong emotional support system and stable estrogen levels, you are on your way to a happy motherhood!

Also Read: Will My Vagina Stay Stretched Out After Giving Birth?