Deal With Postpartum Depression
In the past few years the postpartum depressions have gained more attention from the public and the media. It is a very broad term and covers various emotions that a woman can experience after giving birth to the baby.
The postpartum depression has three sub categories. It includes baby blues, postpartum depression and psychosis. The symptoms of these subcategories vary and so does the intensity and severity level of it.
Baby Blues
The least severe variety of postpartum depression is the baby blues. The number of women who undergo this depression range from 50% to 75%. These feelings normally occur after giving birth to the baby. Some of the common symptoms of this form of depression are:
- Crying without any apparent reason
- Impatience
- Irritability
- Anxiety
Postpartum Depression
There are around 10% women who go through postpartum depression. The symptoms of postpartum depression begin to appear either right after delivery or can take place even a year later. The most common symptoms are as follows:
- Fatigue
- Feelings of sadness
- Trouble in eating and sleeping
- Guilt Feelings
Postpartum Psychosis
It is one of the most severe forms of postpartum depression. It is also one of the rarest forms. The ratio is such that after every one thousand pregnancies you will find one single case of postpartum psychosis. The symptoms start appearing within 2-3 weeks of giving birth to the baby and it is very abrupt and severe. The symptoms are very drastic and have the characteristics of not being in touch with reality. The most common symptoms are as follows:
- Delusion
- Suicidal thoughts
- Bizarre behaviour
- Hallucinations
This is considered a medical emergency and should receive immediate treatment.
To avoid any such situation of postpartum depression you can seek the services of postpartum doula. This service can be availed right after the birth of the baby. This helps the new parents in the transition phase of moving onto parenthood. This service provides comprehensive information about the basics of new born care, infant soothing, bonding of mother and baby, recovery from birth both physically and emotionally and infant feeding.
The postpartum doula understands that every family has there individual need and hence they treat them accordingly. There are some specific duties performed by postpartum doula which includes the following:
- Breastfeeding support
- Assist both emotionally and physically post birth
- To prevent the new mother from being overwhelmed, light housekeeping is taken care of.
- Running errands
- Assist in taking care of the new born with feeding, comforting, bathing and diapering
- Preparing light meal
- Techniques of baby soothing
- Sibling Care
The services offered by the postpartum doulas vary and hence you should specify your needs before you go ahead and look for one.