Post Partum Depression Support
If, you are a new mom and unable to understand whether you are suffering from Post Partum Depression, then you can take the Support of Post Partum Depression symptoms and signs to check where you stand :-
Signs and symptoms commonly appear any time from 24 hours to a few months after delivery.
If you have these, it is important to see a health care professional, who will look for other conditions that can cause similar symptoms.
- Sad mood, often crying
- Lack of pleasure or interest in activities that once gave pleasure
- Disturbance in Sleep
- Loss of weight
- Energy Loss
- Agitation or anxiety
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
- Facing trouble in concentrating or making decisions
- Thoughts of death, suicide or homicide of the baby
- Lack of interest in sex
- Feelings of refusal or hatred.
Physical symptoms such as frequent headaches, chest pain, rapid heart beat, numbness, shakiness or dizziness, and mild shortness of breath suggest anxiety. Postpartum anxiety disorder is a separate disorder from postpartum depression, but the two often appear together.
See the introduction to this article for symptoms specific to the types of postpartum depression.
Postpartum Depression, can be classified as a moderate to severe depression that appears in a woman after she has given a birth to a newly born child, appearing in 10% to 20% of postnatal women. An overwhelming, 80% of women will experience certain level of postpartum mood instability, the mildest of which is called the “baby blues”.
Certain symptoms of the baby blues consist mood swings, feelings of dependency and crying. In very few cases, untreated Postpartum Depression can lead to Postpartum Psychosis, a very serious illness that includes hallucinations and delusions. Postpartum Psychosis and severe levels of Postpartum Depression needs immediate medical treatment. Paying close attention to your body can significantly lessen the chances of developing Postpartum Depression.
Here are certain tips to help avoid Postpartum Depression:
1. Meditation : This practice is known to have physiological, psychological and physical advantages. It has been resulted to lead to deeper physical relaxation, lower blood pressure, decrease muscle tension and increase emotional stability, among other things. If you know how to meditate, this is a great time to do it. If not, check out the Silva Method of Mind Control, developed by Jose Silva. He has developed a quick and easy method of learning, how to meditate and refocus your thoughts. Using this method, one can easily achieve a meditative state within few minutes on the very first try.
2. Acupuncture & Acupressure : These are very useful method and have been resulted to aid relieve different forms of depression, including Postpartum Depression. Traditional Chinese Medicine links the mind to the body and vice versa. This form of medicine treats the body as a whole. If there is anything wrong with the mind, acupuncture and acupressure taps into physical points on the body in order to treat the problem. These methods are also beneficial in the treatment of anxiety, insomnia, pain management, weight control, migraines and much more. Schedule an appointment with an Acupuncturist. Not only will this treatment prove beneficial but it will also save you a little more bit of your time for yourself.
3. Placenta Therapy : This is a relatively new concept to western society but placenta is used usually in Traditional Chinese Medicine to fight anxiety, stimulate & increase lactation, replace iron lost during childbirth, fight fatigue and to avoid Postpartum Depression. People who have consumed placenta boast of having immediate increased energy, improved cognition, a “clear head” and feelings of elation. Postpartum consumption of the placenta also helps in hormone replacement and balancing. And, being a natural source of iron, the body is able to process it quicker and more easily than it can process unnatural iron supplements. Locate a Placenta Encapsulation specialist in your area, who can prepare your placenta into easy-to-take, dehydrated capsules. This permits you to reap the extraordinary benefits of placenta therapy, while significantly lessening the “eww” factor.
4. Motherwort: This is a perennial plant in the family of mint. It has a long history of use in midwifery and in Traditional Chinese Medicine, as a uterine tonic. Generally used to ease conditions associated with childbirth, hence the name “Motherwort”, this herb is helpful for promoting lactation, easing the discomfort of cramps, the treatment of rapid heart rate, relieving anxiety and, recently discovered, for the prevention of blood clot formation. Due to its extraordinary abilities to restore “normalcy” following childbirth, it has been called the “Herbal Placenta”. It is also known to improve mental outlook and to be a mood elevator. As a home remedy it is generally consumed as an herbal tea, a tincture or an herbal extract.
5. Prenatal Vitamins : After growing a baby and giving birth, a woman’s body requires to have good consumption of nutrients and vitamins in order to re-build it. And, if she is breastfeeding, her daily nutritional needs are the same or greater than they were while pregnant. In fact, the mentioned daily allowances for vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2 and B3 are all higher for breastfeeding women than for pregnant women. Prenatal vitamins are sources of important vitamins and minerals, particularly folic acid, DHA and calcium. It is essential to get adequate amounts of these nutrients because the nursing baby obtains them through their mother’s milk. Prenatal vitamins are sources of iron as well. Blood loss during delivery can lead to anemia which results in fatigue. The continued use of prenatal vitamins, along with proper nutrition, can aid to build up lost iron.