Postpartum depression is a state of mental disorder being experienced by women after giving birth. Many people also call this type of depression as the postpartum blues. During the phase of postpartum depression, the new mother will usually feel scared out of no reason, anxious and sometimes even hating her own child.
Many women do experience a bit of postpartum blues during the first few days after giving birth. The symptoms will often disappear within a week. However, around ten percent of women will experience a prolonged duration of postpartum depression and the symptoms are often more intense. This condition may go on up to one year after giving birth. When a woman is having this type of depression, it is crucial to seek treatment as soon as the symptoms are recognized. Otherwise, the condition can go into a more intense phase where it would be more difficult to heal completely.
The postpartum depression can be recognized through several common symptoms. If the mother seems not interested to take care or even look at her child, this is a sign that she might be in the state of depression. Some mothers don’t hate their child but they seem to worry excessively about the safety of their child. They often feel that they have the potential to hurt their baby. Some women are not affected emotionally but they tend to experience physical changes such as a sudden loss of appetite toward food and a drastic reduction in body weight.
Some mothers will experience inability to sleep while others may need to nap longer than usual. There are also some mothers who will have thoughts about suicide and they will even show suicidal attempts. At the same time there are also some mothers with postpartum depression who will feel empty, worthless and guilty without any valid reasons.
