Postpartum Depression: Of course you'll have mood changes. You pushed a semi-truck out of a compact car-sized parking space.
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| AP Photo |
Having a child is one miracle in this lifetime that happens
on a daily basis to thousands of women all over the globe. But despite the joy
of bringing a child in the world, many may say the act of giving birth isn’t
the most “beautiful” thing in the world.
I know I don’t have to go into gory detail, but let’s just
say, the female body goes through many extreme changes while giving birth. So,
it’s not hard to believe that, after giving birth, emotions may be very out of
whack. After all, what can you expect when you just had a human being growing
inside your body. And then, in metaphorical terms, you had to push a semi-truck
out of a compact car-sized parking space. This is a stressful life event if I
have ever seen one.
Although I myself have never had a child (and do not plan to
for a very, very long time — emphasis on the “very, very”), I do not think
people (*cough*cough* especially men) understand that this bodily change can
very likely affect a woman’s emotions both during and after the pregnancy. And
this is no joking matter. Side note: yes, when she is craving something
ridiculous like pickles and peanut butter — get it for her!
Women’s Health shows that 13 percent of pregnant women and
new mothers suffer from depression. Depression after childbirth is called
postpartum depression, and hormonal changes may trigger symptoms of postpartum
depression. This is because, when a woman is pregnant, levels of the female
hormones estrogen
and progesterone
increase greatly. And within the first 24 hours of childbirth, these levels
quickly go back to normal.
Other than the obviously bad news of how much this sucks for
the mother, a recent study shows even more bad news. WXYZ reports that a mother’s postpartum depression may affect her child’s growth later in life. Researchers
found that the children of mothers who suffer from postpartum depression for
at least nine months were shorter later in life than children of mother’s who
did not suffer from depression.
What can be done:
If you’re a significant other or family member of a woman
suffering from depression, you need to help her identify this. She may not even
realize it herself. A woman should not be alone in raising a child in the first
place. SHE NEEDS HELP!
If you are personally suffering from postpartum depression,
visit http://www.postpartum.net/ for
resources.
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