The birth of a baby can bring about a number of conflicting emotions - joy and happiness, relief, fear and anxiety. All of these are normal reactions. However, for many women, it can result in depression, a confusing reaction following what people should be a happy event. Postpartum depression can range from moderate to extreme depression occurring in the first few months after childbirth. It can also occur after a miscarriage or a stillbirth.
Postpartum depression (PPD) can make new mothers feel guilty because they are unable to enjoy their new baby as they believe they should due to sadness, and feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness, though they’re likely to have difficulty associating these emotions with anything specific. Some women feel that the condition prevents them from bonding with their baby.
Postpartum depression is different from what is referred to as the “baby blues,” which occurs a few weeks after childbirth. With the “baby blues” you may feel more moody than usual, have difficulty sleeping, cry frequently or feel overwhelmed by responsibilities that come along with the new baby whether it’s the first child or not.
In extremely rare cases, women might develop postpartum psychosis. The mother may act strangely, see or hear things others do not, or be a danger to the baby or herself. Often, in these cases, the mother wants to harm her child in order to “send the baby to a better world.” These mothers do not intend their baby harm, they truly believe that the best thing for their child if the child isn’t required to live in this world.
Postpartum is a very real and very frightening disorder that requires prompt recognition, support, and care. Abilene is here to help you overcome your PPD and live the life you always dreamed of living.
Statistics
Postpartum depression is the most common of childbearing complications. Prevalence rates in the U.S. are estimated at approximately 10 to 15 percent. Postpartum psychosis occurs in approximately 1 to 2 individuals out of every 1000 births or 0.1% to 0.2%. Of women who develop postpartum psychosis, there is a 5% infanticide or suicide rate. This is due to the break from reality leading the woman to believe her delusions and hallucinations make sense.
Causes
Any woman can develop postpartum depression in the weeks following birth, miscarriage or stillbirth. Postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis are caused by changes in hormone levels following birth. There are certain risk factors that make it more likely for some women to develop these conditions.
Women are more likely to develop postpartum depression when:
- They have a history of depression or postpartum depression
- They lack social support from their partner and others
- The baby is colicky or sick leading to lengthy bouts of crying
- They have a great deal of additional stress in their life and limited coping strategies
Women are more likely to develop postpartum psychosis when:
- They or a first degree relative has a history of bipolar disorder
Symptoms
If left untreated, PPD can last for many months or years following the birth of a baby. Symptoms of postpartum depression include:
- Feelings of sadness, anxiety, hopelessness or emptiness
- Intense mood swings
- Difficulties bonding with the baby
- Feeling shame and guilt
- Intense feelings of irritability
- Anger
- Loss of pleasure in previously enjoyable activities
- Increased or decreased appetite
- Increased or decreased sleep
- Difficulty concentrating, paying attention or making decisions
- Suicidal thoughts
Postpartum psychosis is a far more severe condition that requires prompt intervention and often begins within two weeks following the birth of the baby. If you experience any of these symptoms seek help immediately, don’t try to “wait and see.” Symptoms of postpartum psychosis include:
- Seeing or hearing things that aren’t really there
- Feeling estranged from the baby
- Disorientation and confusion
- Attempts to harm self or baby
- Thoughts of suicide or fleeting intentions to harm the baby with the feeling that she must act on these thoughts or intentions
Effects of PPD
Postpartum depression can result in a number of effects on both the mother and child.
Effects of postpartum depression on the mother include:
- Negative feelings about herself and her relationships with others
- Negative feelings about her attachment to the baby
- Additional depressive episodes occurring after postnatal periods
- Feeling judged by community members who she believes are expecting only joy and pleasure
- Increase in internalized negative feelings due to failure to disclose the depression because of the stigma associated with it
- Decreased self-image and body image
- Being overly concerned about the health of their baby
- Decrease in sexual identity and desire
Effects of postpartum depression on the child:
- Negative impact on cognitive development including language development and intelligence
- Babies are less positive than other babies due to negative mother-child interactions
- Increased fussiness
- Poor emotional regulation due to the mother’s inability to help the baby learn this skill
- Decreased ability to cope with stress later in life
Effects of Postpartum Psychosis
It is unclear what the effects of postpartum psychosis due to how rare the condition is. More research needs to be completed in order to be able to reliably determine the effects of this condition.