Understanding postpartum depression

Going through postpartum depression does not mean that the parent doesn’t love their child or that they are unhappy with the baby. It can be a result of the physical changes after or during pregnancy as well as emotional, mental and financial strains.

Postpartum depression is not something to be embarrassed about as it is quite normal. It is about time society started accepting and learning about postpartum depression and do away with the misconceptions about it.

Some mothers go through emotional, mental and physical fatigue which they are not able to handle and because of this, they sadly fall into depression.

Before you pass any judgement, here is what you need to understand about postpartum depression.

Child birth can cause emotional strain to the parent and this affects both the mother and the baby. As a mother, you need to emotionally support your child and if your emotional health is not well taken care of, you are likely not to be able to take care of your child’s emotional health either. You might not know this but children are able to feel your emotional strain.

You need to be mentally prepared to take care of a child. It is important to ensure that you are mentally prepared for your child as mental stability will greatly affect how you deal with the child. Sometimes we don’t get kids in the best circumstances and thus, we need some time to settle into the pregnancy and accept the child. Remember children are a blessing.

Child birth comes with a lot of physical changes. This is enough to affect ones self-esteem and fall into depression. It is common that when one tries their old clothes after child birth, they are likely to find that they are two or three sizes smaller. While this can really throw one off, it is good to know that not all parents are aware of and are prepared for such changes during and after pregnancy.

Not being able to provide for your little one can be very disturbing. Babies are not cheap they need diapers, clothes and formula and all these, honestly, is not that affordable for all parents.

We want to give them the best but due to financial limitations, we are not able to provide for them. Asking for financial support from family and friends might not be the ideal option but you can always ask for help when things are not so good.

Not accepting that postpartum depression is normal only makes the issue worse as mothers won’t be able to talk about what they are feeling freely and this only worsens the situation.

Remember, postpartum depression has no relation to how a mother loves their baby. It is, thus, unwise to shame mums who go through this because it’s not a choice. I mean, who would want to be depressed?

This is not a sign of weakness. It is common for a mum to feel emotionally, physically, mentally or financially drained and they can ask for help from their support systems.

Taking care of a baby is not easy as they fully depend on us. Parents can always ask for help from reliable friends and family as new mums also need time to heal after child birth.