The birth of a baby brings so much excitement to couples. It is also a moment of great joy to many people; there are lots of gifts and well wishes from relatives and friends. Everyone just wants to have a peep at this delicate and adorable human! But do you know that the birth of a baby can also trigger something you might not expect - depression?
Dr. Chidinma Ohachenu, Medifem Multi-Specialist Hospital and Fertility Centre, says this form of depression is known as Postpartum Depression. It’s quite usual to see women have mood changes during the first few days after delivery. Although new moms may go through this mild behavioural change, commonly referred to as “baby blue,” postpartum depression presents a rather severe behavioural or mood change in a woman. “Postpartum depression can prolong for months after childbirth. It usually occurs to women who have either experienced a miscarriage or they had stillbirth,” Dr. Ohachenu said.
Symptoms of Postpartum Depression:
According to Dr. Ohachenu, postpartum depression may interfere with mother’s ability to care for her baby and when she’s handling other daily tasks. She noted that the only way to detect postpartum depression symptoms is when new mothers are experiencing more than one of these: they have frequent mood swings, they feel so emotional to the point of shedding tears or even crying, they have difficulty bonding with your baby and isolating themselves from family and friend.
Other symptoms include: Loss of appetite for food (or eating more than usual), difficulty sleeping (insomnia) or sleeping too much, strong fatigue or loss of energy, loss of interest and pleasure in activities once enjoyed, and feeling irritated and angry over trivial situations. “Mothers who experience postpartum depression tends to also have the feeling that they’re not good mothers. They have low self esteem, have low concentration and thus are unable to think clearly to make decisions. At other times too, they have severe anxiety and panic attacks, and have thoughts of harming the baby or thoughts of committing suicide,” Dr. Ohachenu added.
Causes of Postpartum Depression:
The cause of postpartum depression can be as a result of physical and emotional issues or changes in the body. For instance, a drop in hormones (estrogen and progesterone) in your body may contribute to postpartum depression. A sharp drop in hormones produced by your thyroid gland can also leave you feeling tired and depressed. Postpartum depression can be triggered by emotional changes due to the loss of a baby through miscarriage or stillbirth. “When you're sleep deprived for a long time, when you strongly feel less attractive about yourself, or feel that you've lost control over your life, these are scenarios that can build up to postpartum depression,” Dr. Ohachenu stated.
Risk Factors of Postpartum Depression:
Postpartum depression doesn’t stop after your first birth; it can happen again in future births as well. There are some risk factors which can predispose a mother to postpartum depression. The risk factors are if: you had postpartum depression after a previous pregnancy, you have family members who've had depression or other mood problems, or you've experienced some stressful situation during the past, such as pregnancy complications, illness or job loss. Other risk factors are if; your baby has health problems or other special needs, you have difficulty breast-feeding, you’ve relational problems with your spouse, or you have a weak family support system. Having financial problems, or the mere fact that the pregnancy was unplanned or unwanted, can mount a lot of pressure on the mother leading to her being depressed.
How common is postpartum depression?
Dr. Ohachenu explains that it’s common to see women experience “baby blues” - feeling stressed, sad, anxious, lonely, or tired - following their baby's birth. She said unlike the baby blue mood swing which goes away in quite a short time and can be easily managed, postpartum depression on the other hand takes a longer time, and may be difficult to manage. “Cases of postpartum depression are minimal compared to baby blue cases. Research shows that one in 5 or 7 women who have just given birth are likely to experience postpartum depression months after childbirth,” she said.
Diagnosis:
Diagnosing postpartum depression would mean that your doctor will first do a physical exam by gathering detailed information on your personal or family health history. During this, feel free to tell or share information with your doctor and also about any feelings of baby blues at your first checkup. Dr. Ohachenu noted that “the diagnosis stage is very important so that a useful treatment plan can be created for you. As part of examining you, your doctor may take your blood samples and test whether an underactive thyroid is contributing to your signs and symptoms, or carry out other tests, if need be, to rule out other causes for your symptoms. Even while you away from the hospital; your doctor will want to check on you to see how you are feeling.”
Postpartum depression treatment:
“It’s very important that mothers learn to restrain from feeling bad about their condition. Having postpartum depression doesn't mean you're a bad mother. The good news is that postpartum depression can be effectively managed and treated,” Dr. Ohachenu noted.
Postpartum depression can be managed and treated through effective counseling by psychiatrists and clinical psychologists. Another way of managing it is the use of antidepressant medications, which includes Fluoxetine (Prozac), Sertraline (Zoloft), Venlafaxine (Effexor), etc. New mothers with a milder depression may be able to get better with counseling alone. But many others need both. Moms can still breastfeed their babies while taking prescribed antidepressants.
Advice to mothers:
According to Dr. Chidinma Ohachenu, some women may not be aware that they are showing signs and symptoms of postpartum depression. She said postpartum depression is a serious condition and should not be treated without a doctor’s supervision. “If you suspect that a friend or loved one has postpartum depression or you personally are showing such symptoms, seek medical attention immediately. Don't wait and hope for improvement.” It’s also very important to eat healthily, do some exercise every day if possible, and get as much sleep as possible. Also ensure you have the needed support from family and friends.
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