The house gets filled with joy when a new life takes birth into the family. The mother experiences immense happiness on the arrival of the baby. All the difficulties faced during the pregnancy turns into happiness. However, sometimes, difficulties increase post pregnancy. I faced great problems after the birth of my child. I was suffering from ‘POST PARTUM DEPRESSION’.
Does anyone care about you after the delivery of the child? Does anyone come to visit you or to see the child? All the attention is diverted to the new child. I was also elated by the birth of my baby. But with joy came other emotions. I felt sad and depressed. The pregnancy had already made me tired and I felt all the more tired after it. I used to cry often.
I doubted myself, my motherhood and whether I would be a good mother to my child; I felt worthless. I often would get irritable and angry at every little thing. I could not concentrate at all. I needed assistance in doing everything of my child, and that brought shame and guilt. I could not sleep for several nights and felt exhausted. I found it difficult to manage my negative thoughts and I felt detached with my child. I was not able to create the bond with my child that I should have had. I felt restless most of the times and had difficulty in concentration. So, I thought of meeting a doctor.
The doctor told me that this post-partum depression could be a result of the biological changes that happen to the body of a women during and after the pregnancy. The heightened hormones of estrogen and progesterone during the pregnancy drops down dramatically after. Such changes can lead to depression. Other reasons could be the lack of sleep that makes the mother anxious which then escalates into greater problems.
This continued for almost two weeks. But later on I felt quite normal. I was able to carry out my daily activities and take care of the child without any difficulties. My mood swings were under control and I shared good bond with my child.
The post-partum depression can be a difficult phase. But, the joy of the child heals it all!!
