Battling Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression happens after some women have a baby. Not every woman who has a child will experience the baby blues, but many will. In fact, most researches believe that the majority of women experience it to some degree. Obviously some women feel it more severely than others. It iss simply depression that is triggered by giving birth to a child. It usually occurs within a year after the woman gives birth to her child.

What are the Symptoms?

The symptoms surrounding this type of depression are much like symptoms others experience when they're suffering from depression. Usually when a person is falling into a depression, they start to feel extremely sad. More often than not, they can't figure out why they feel so sad. They can't attribute the feeling to any one specific event or crisis. These feelings may be followed by feelings of anger, frustration, anxiety and loss.

While everyone feels sad, depression is more severe than sadness and has more of an impact on the depressed person than sadness itself. A woman suffering from postpartum blues may stay in bed for long periods of time, act detached toward her family or new baby, have trouble focusing and lose interest in her daily activities.

Now, any woman who has had a baby understands that these symptoms are very similar to those of sleep deprivation. It's true that a woman experiencing these symptoms may just be tired from getting accustomed to the new baby. If these symptoms last for a couple of days, it might just be what is referred to as the "baby blues." However, if they persist for more than a week, it might be wise to take the new mom to a psychiatrist.

One of the most common symptoms of this type of depression is not wanting to be near the child. After having a baby, some women feel like they'll hurt the baby if they'll go near it. Others are terrified of being a mother or uninterested in taking care of the baby. This frequently occurs in women who were originally excited to have a baby.

Treating the Symptoms

Postpartum depression is treatable. For mild cases, sleep and asking other family members to help with the new baby can help. In more severe cases, psychiatric help, group therapy or medication can help. It is difficult, but mothers suffering from it can get help.

What is Depression? is one of the leading depression information resources online. We cover everything from bipolar depression to herbal remedies for depression.