Postpartum Stress is also known as postpartum depression. It is a type of mood that occurs after the birth of a child. Although the exact reason for this is not yet known. It is believed that this condition arises due to physical and emotional reasons. Hormone changes and lack of sleep are the main reasons for this. Symptoms may include extreme sadness, lack of energy, changes in sleeping and eating routines, crying over talk, and irritability. It usually starts 1 week or 1 month after delivery. This condition can also negatively affect children.
Symptoms of Postpartum Stress
Its symptoms can arise at any time up to 1 year after delivery. It is generally believed that the symptoms of postpartum depression begin to be experienced at least 2 weeks later. Some of its symptoms are as follows:
Emotional symptoms of postpartum stress
- Persistent sadness, contemplation, or numbness
- severe mood swings
- Frustration, irritability, restlessness, anger without talking
- feeling helpless
- consider yourself incompetent
- low self esteem
- feeling numb or empty
- being unable to rest or feeling tired
- Being troubled by the child or finding himself unable to care for the child.
Behavioral symptoms of postpartum stress
- Lack of interest or pleasure in normal activities
- decrease in energy
- decreased libido
- change in appetite
- poor self care
- social withdrawal
- Insomnia or excessive sleepiness
Perceptual symptoms of postpartum stress
- Decreased decision making or thinking properly
- loss of concentration and memory
- fear of not being able to take care of the child
- Fear of harming self, children or husband.
Postpartum stress onset period
Usually tension starts between 2 weeks to 1 month after delivery. For many women, the stress starts even before delivery. Women can suffer from this for several months or even a year.
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Postpartum Stress
Doctors often consider hormone imbalance to be the main cause and recommend psychological counseling for its treatment, although studies have shown that hormones are not solely responsible for this, but hormonal and environmental (social, economic, cultural and domestic). Both the reasons are responsible for this. Let us know about them in detail.
1. Physical causes
Hormones are the biggest cause of physical changes after childbirth. When you are pregnant, you have higher than normal levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Within a few hours of the birth of the baby, the hormone level returns to the old state. This sudden change can cause depression. Some other physical causes are:
Low thyroid hormone levels Lack of sleep Inadequate diet Certain medical conditions.
2. Emotional reasons
You are more likely to develop postpartum depression if you have had mood disorders in the past or if someone in your family has a mental disorder. Emotional stress can be caused by:
- you or your child have serious health problems
- social isolation
- economic stress
- Lack of family support
3. Social causes
Postpartum depression can also be caused by social factors such as desire for a boy, domestic violence, poverty, pressure to live in a joint family, lack of family support and poor relationships (with husband or in-laws) also cause depression in Indian women. can become Among these, the desire for a boy and family pressure are the more prevalent social causes. If a girl is born then that woman has to face problems in the family. Even without wanting, the self-esteem of the mother and love for the woman and the child starts decreasing and this happens only because of social condemnation.
Problems with in-laws, unsupportive husband, women being unable to express themselves and even domestic violence during pregnancy lead to post-delivery stress.
