Childbirth can give you several physical discomforts, oftentimes people taking care of you focus only on them alone. Not knowing you have an emotional need that is often more important, but is being often neglected even by your partner.
This emotional need you experience is commonly roaoted from postpartum blues, a condition of feeling mixed emotions of anger, joy, excitement, fear, tearfulness, irritability, anxiety, exhaustion and a strong feeling of lack of control.
These emotions are normally felt after the first 24 hours after delivery until the duration of the entire postpartum period lasting to about 6 weeks.
Post partum blues is scientifically associated with the sudden drop of hormones after delivery.
This manifestation can also be explained in the similar minor mood swings experienced by a woman during pre-menstrual period where there is a marked hormonal change; this is referred to as pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS).
This explains why after delivery, moderate to severe post partum blues are manifested due to the involved vast increase in pregnancy hormones that suddenly drops after delivery.
What is bothersome with postpartum blues is its close association with major depression symptoms that can lead to a more serious condition of postpartum psychosis.
A quick way to find out if the depression is still normal or not is by identifying the length of time the symptoms are manifested: post partum blues usually may last up to 6 months after which a coping mechanism should have already been established; if symptoms appear for more than a year it could already be a major depression syndrome and if symptoms are still present after 2 years, the woman already needs professional help as this could be early signs of neurosis.
If you are a woman who just delivered your child, remember that there are ways to help you cope up by doing useful things such as:
- Focusing on your role as a mother and trusting your own judgment.
- Enjoying each day especially simple things which you normally do not have time to do like walking at the park with your baby, reading a good book while your baby is asleep and other simple leisurely activities for you.
- Avoiding unnecessary stress and pressures.
- Involving your partner in the care of the child especially at night to give you enough time to recuperate from the stress brought about by your labor and delivery.
- Discussing equal distribution of responsibilities and household chores with your partner.
- Visiting relatives and friends who can give you advises or even share the same experiences you are having.
- Arranging for a care taker to look after the child at night in a separate room.
- Verbalizing your feelings whether positive or negative, it will do you so much help by talking about it with your partner or someone you can trust.
- Discussing your problems with your mom or a friend who is also a mom.
- Sleeping while your baby is sleeping.
- Taking care of yourself by eating the right foods, having enough rest periods and doing simple exercises allowed by your health provider.
- And always looking at the positive side of life even with your difficulties at the moment.
Remember whatever you are feeling right now is not going to last forever and there are several ways to help you cope with it through the help of family, friends or even support groups.