What is Post Partum Depression - Stages & Coping Strategies

What is Postpartum Depression?

Most new moms tend to be encircled in the feelings of sadness, anger, irritability all the time after child birth which is known as postpartum depression. These random mood swings make a new mom feel angry at one moment and the very next moment she feels sad.

You might have troubles in concentrating on a particular task, loss of appetite, lack of interest in your baby and feelings of no hope of things getting better.

Why Postpartum Depression Happens?

These mood swings are caused by the natural effect of hormone shifts which take place with pregnancy and child birth. The increased levels of estrogen and progesterone drop down suddenly after delivery which causes mood swings. This condition last for a few weeks after child birth and is cured without any medical intervention. With the worsening of the condition, immediate medical treatment has to be received.

5 Stages of Postpartum Depression

Motherhood is an overwhelming feeling, whether you become a mom for the first time or for the second and third time. You feel joyous, relieved, irritated, anxious and even sad as the mixed feelings along with tiredness surround you. These feelings wither away with time and you will feel happy having your little bundle of joy around all the time. It is common for new moms to confront this condition but if you are finding yourself in a sad state long after child birth, it can be concluded that you have postpartum depression.

#1 Denial:

This is the first stage of postpartum depression where an effected mom will generally deny the feelings of having postpartum depression. She will often think that this is how motherhood must feel like and catching up on sleep will help her get back on tracks.

#2 Anger:

After denial phase, a new mom will feel angry about her feelings of having postpartum depression. She will think that nobody understands her and why she shouldn’t deserve this feeling on this joyous occasion of her baby being born.

#3 Bargaining:

Once the anger phase has passed on, a new mom will simply bargain with herself that taking proper rest and eating healthy will get her back on tracks. She tries working harder on maintaining good health in order to get rid of her postpartum depression.

#4 Depression:

Here the new mom will finally give in to her feelings of depression and she will feel that she is leading her family down with the same. The feelings of depression gropes her from all sides and she starts blaming herself for every negative thing happening.

#5 Acceptance:

This is where the new mom will learn acceptance towards her feelings. She will finally figure out that there is something wrong happening and she isn’t to be blamed for the same. She will start seeking help from her loved ones and from her doctor too.

Postpartum depression has these five stages and if you are suffering from one, please find help amongst your loved ones and your doctor too. Give time to yourself and do not feel guilty of having some light and quality moments spent with your loved ones apart from your little one as you deserve it.

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