Both pregnancy and the period after childbirth are moments of great vulnerability for women. During this time, not only feelings of joy and joy appear, but they can also present themselves feelings of anxiety and depressive syndromes. In fact, according to studies, between 10 and 25% of women have depressive symptoms after giving birth. Now, do all women suffer the same symptoms and with the same intensity?
Many women go to the office scared and worried because after motherhood they do not experience what a mother is supposed to experience after the birth of a child. On the contrary they feel sad, irritable, anxious, melancholic... Is this normal? What's going on? I don't love my son? Am i a bad mother? How can I feel this when I have a child so healthy and so precious? Some of the questions are asked.
At best, mothers are able to express what they feel: "This is too much" "It overflows me", "I don't know if I will be able", "Why does this happen to me?" But, from my experience As a psychologist, not everyone dares to express their feelings, for fear of being judged for feeling bad in what should be the happiest moment of their life or, worse, they fear that the moment they express feeling sadness or despair is accused of suffering the so-called postpartum depression and send it running to the doctor or psychologist.
What is happening to me?
There has been so much talk about the postpartum depression The term has been banalized and used to baptize any situation where a recent mother does not experience only the enjoyment of motherhood and feels sad or distressed.
The incorrect use by society of this term, together with the negative implications that it entails, has caused many women not to dare to say how they feel.
Socially it can be accepted that after giving birth a woman feels tired, and sometimes even fearful of not knowing how to do something, but sad? That is impossible and if it occurs to a woman to say it immediately, she is under suspicion of suffering from a depression in the heart of something that, moreover, is not understood. It seems that a mother, for the simple fact of having given birth to her son, has no right to feel sad or irritable, because "it is the most wonderful moment of her life."
Well, not only is it normal, but more than 50% of recent mothers experience feelings of discomfort, sadness, irritability, melancholy or anxiety within 2-4 days after giving birth. It is so normal that this period was baptized in the 50s with the term of "Maternity blues" or "Babyblues" and it is included in the Psychology manuals.
But, it is also true that this state disappears spontaneously and without sequelae within a maximum period of ten to fifteen days, with hardly any impact on the mother's daily work. It is neither more nor less than the result of facing a new situation, with a great emotional load and at a time when the body is undergoing hormonal alterations and where sleep is interrupted every night on several occasions.
The true postpartum depression
So, does this not mean that the woman is depressed? What then is the famous postpartum depression? How to recognize it?
Many of the symptoms that appear in postpartum depression (also called puerperal depression) can go unnoticed, being considered normal after giving birth. This is the case of insomnia, fatigue and lack of appetite or energy. Similarly, the appearance of these symptoms may lead family members or friends to mistakenly think that a woman is depressed.
For this reason and to differentiate postpartum depression from the period called "babyblues", it is necessary to pay attention to other symptoms that may be more useful. The most frequent are the emergence of anguish crisis or spontaneous crying, thoughts and feelings of worthlessness, undervaluation or guilt and loss of interest in almost all activities, including those related to your child.
Also, when we are depressed, it is often difficult for us to concentrate and have difficulty thinking and making decisions. And a clear symptom that the woman may be suffering from postpartum depression is the recurring appearance of thoughts about death or suicide.
What to do if you think you have postpartum depression
If all this happens to you or a loved one during the first four weeks after delivery (or even after this period) and, above all, it significantly interferes with your life, then it is time to go to your doctor or psychologist to assess the situation and indicate the most appropriate treatment to deal with it . It is important to remember that a correct diagnosis It is essential to be able to start the best treatment in each case.
In subsequent publications We will address all issues of interest related to postpartum depression: what can lead to it and what can we do to prevent it, how and who to ask for help, as well as the treatments available today, among other things.
