What Is Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression is a complex mix of physical, emotional, and behavioral changes that happen in some women after giving birth. According to the DSM-5, a manual used to diagnose mental disorders, PPD is a form of major depression that begins within 4 weeks after delivery. The diagnosis of postpartum depression is based not only on the length of time between delivery and onset but on the severity of the depression.
Postpartum depression is linked to chemical, social, and psychological changes that happen when having a baby. The term describes a range of physical and emotional changes that many new mothers experience. PPD can be treated with medication and counseling.
The chemical changes involve a rapid drop in hormones after delivery. The actual link between this drop and depression is still not clear. But what is known is that the levels of estrogen and progesterone, the female reproductive hormones, increase tenfold during pregnancy. Then, they drop sharply after delivery. By 3 days after a woman gives birth, the levels of these hormones drop back to what they were before pregnancy.
In addition to these chemical changes, the social and psychological changes of having a baby create an increased risk of depression.
Dads arenât immune. Research shows that about 1 in 10 new fathers get depression during the year their child is born.
Tips For Prevention Of Pregnancy Depression
There are many tips that can be followed for pregnant women to reduce the chance of pregnancy depression, and these tips recall the following:
- The practice of moderate aerobic exercise, sport walking or swimming.
- Eat adequate amounts of food fit your body needs and care as much as possible not to skip any meal during the president of the day.
- Drink adequate amounts of water throughout the day.
- Stay away from everything that causes tension or increase it.
- Get enough premium comfort.
- Taking a nap during the day and relax when feeling tired.
- Request support and assistance from family and friends when doing housework and others.
Depression During Pregnancy And After
For too many women, joyfully anticipated pregnancy and motherhood bring depression as an unexpected accompaniment. Children as well as mothers suffer. Depression during pregnancy may result in poor prenatal care, premature delivery, low birth weight, and, just possibly, depression in the child. Depression after childbirth can lead to child neglect, family breakdown, and suicide. A depressed mother may fail to bond emotionally with her newborn, raising the child’s risk of later cognitive delays and emotional and behavior problems. Fortunately, if the depression is detected soon enough, help is available for mother and child.
Don’t Miss: Can You Check Yourself Into A Mental Hospital For Depression
Complications Of Depression During Pregnancy
Depressed pregnant women are more likely to develop pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia than pregnant women who are not depressed.
Women with antepartum depression are also at higher risk for developing postpartum depression.
Left untreated, antepartum depression poses a health risk to the pregnant woman as well as the infant by increasing the risk of:
- Complications with pregnancy or delivery
- Delivering a low-birth-weight baby
- Prematurely giving birth
In a study of more than 7,000 pregnant women, published in the May 2016 issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, the odds of having a premature baby was 1.82 times higher in those with antepartum depression than those without it, and the odds of having a baby with a low birth weight was 1.28 times higher in those with antepartum depression than those without it.
Cases That Require A Review Of The Doctor
The pregnant woman to go to the doctor at full speed must if thoughts of ideas centered around harming themselves or harming the embryo that has not yet been born, and most other cases, the following require immediate visit to the doctor recall the following:
- Continuation of the symptoms of depression for more than two weeks.
- Increased symptoms of depression worse over time.
- The inability to self-care or daily tasks.
Recommended Reading: Prayer To St Jude For Depression
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Antepartum Depression
Depression during pregnancy can have the same symptoms that define major depression in the general population. These can include:
- Persistent feelings of sadness or emptiness
- Loss of interest in activities or hobbies that were once enjoyable
- Feeling hopeless, worthless, helpless, or guilty
- Frequently feeling irritated, anxious, frustrated, or angry
However, its important to note that a number of symptoms of major depression are similar to the changes that many pregnant women typically experience:
- Fatigue and decreased energy
- Changes in appetite and eating habits
This overlap can make it very difficult to identify pregnant women who need help.
RELATED: 12 Surprising Facts About Depression
When Should I Seek Professional Medical Treatment For Symptoms Related To Postpartum Depression
You should seek professional help when:
- Symptoms persist beyond two weeks.
- You can’t function normally or cope with everyday situations.
- You have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby.
- You feel extremely anxious, scared and panicked most of the day.
For immediate help or if you have thoughts of hurting yourself or someone else:
- Dial 911 in an emergency.
- Contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HELLO to 741741.
Don’t Miss: Chronic Back Pain And Depression
What Causes Depression What About Postpartum Depression
There is no single cause. Rather, depression likely results from a combination of factors:
- Depression is a mental illness that tends to run in families. Women with a family history of depression are more likely to have depression.
- Changes in brain chemistry or structure are believed to play a big role in depression.
- Stressful life events, such as death of a loved one, caring for an aging family member, abuse, and poverty, can trigger depression.
- Hormonal factors unique to women may contribute to depression in some women. We know that hormones directly affect the brain chemistry that controls emotions and mood. We also know that women are at greater risk of depression at certain times in their lives, such as puberty, during and after pregnancy, and during perimenopause. Some women also have depressive symptoms right before their period.
Depression after childbirth is called postpartum depression. Hormonal changes may trigger symptoms of postpartum depression. When you are pregnant, levels of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone increase greatly. In the first 24 hours after childbirth, hormone levels quickly return to normal. Researchers think the big change in hormone levels may lead to depression. This is much like the way smaller hormone changes can affect a woman’s moods before she gets her period.
Other factors may play a role in postpartum depression. You may feel:
- Tired after delivery
- A lack of free time
Depression During Pregnancy & Postpartum
Depression during and after pregnancy occur more often than most people realize. Depression during pregnancy is also called antepartum or prenatal depression, and depression after pregnancy is called postpartum depression.
Approximately 15% of women experience significant depression following childbirth. The percentages are even higher for women who are also dealing with poverty, and can be twice as high for teen parents. Ten percent of women experience depression in pregnancy. In fact, perinatal depression is the most common complication of childbearing.
Don’t Miss: Pain From Depression And Anxiety
What Should I Do If I Have Symptoms Of Depression During Or After Pregnancy
- Your baby blues don’t go away after 2 weeks
- Symptoms of depression get more and more intense
- Symptoms of depression begin any time after delivery, even many months later
- It is hard for you to perform tasks at work or at home
- You cannot care for yourself or your baby
- You have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
Your doctor can ask you questions to test for depression. Your doctor can also refer you to a mental health professional who specializes in treating depression.
Some women don’t tell anyone about their symptoms. They feel embarrassed, ashamed, or guilty about feeling depressed when they are supposed to be happy. They worry they will be viewed as unfit parents.
Any woman may become depressed during pregnancy or after having a baby. It doesn’t mean you are a bad or “not together” mom. You and your baby don’t have to suffer. There is help.
Here are some other helpful tips:
How Does Depression Affect Pregnant Women
If you have depression while youre pregnant, you may have trouble caring for yourself.
Depression during pregnancy can also lead to:
- delivering before the due date ,
- giving birth to a small baby .
If depression during pregnancy isnt treated, it can lead to postpartum depression. Postpartum depression is a serious condition that can last for months after giving birth. It can affect your health and how well you bond with your baby.
Also Check: How To Get Over Seasonal Depression
How Partners Family And Friends Can Help
Strong support from partners, family and friends is very important. Here are some suggestions from Moms Mental Health Matters, a National Institutes for Health initiative, for how loved ones can help:
- Know the Signs. Learn to recognize the symptoms of depression and anxiety and if you see signs, urge her to see a health care provider.
- Listen to Her. Let her know you want to hear her concerns. For example, “I notice you are having trouble sleeping, even when the baby sleeps. What’s on your mind?”
- Give Her Support. Let her know she’s not alone and you are here to help. Try offering to help with household tasks or watching the baby while she gets some rest or visits friends.
- Encourage her to seek help if needed. She may feel uncomfortable and not want to seek help. Encourage her to talk with a health care provider. Share some information on peripartum conditions. Offer to make an appointment for her talk with someone.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at for free and confidential emotional supportthey talk about more than just suicide.
What Medications Can I Take For Postpartum Depression
Your healthcare provider may prescribe antidepressants to manage symptoms of postpartum depression. Antidepressants help balance the chemicals in your brain that affect your mood.
If you’re breastfeeding, talk to your healthcare provider about the risks and benefits of taking an antidepressant. Medications can transfer to your baby through your milk. However, the transfer level is generally low, and many antidepressant medications are considered safe. Your provider can help you decide what medicine is right for you based on your symptoms and if you’re nursing.
Some common antidepressants for postpartum depression are:
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as sertraline and fluoxetine .
- Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors such as duloxetine and desvenlafaxine .
- Tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline or imipramine .
Keep in mind that it takes at least three or four weeks for antidepressants to work. Talk to your healthcare provider before stopping the medication. Stopping your medication too soon can cause symptoms to return. Most providers will recommend reducing your dose before stopping completely.
If your provider detects postpartum depression while youâre still in the hospital, they may recommend IV medication containing brexanolone.
Recommended Reading: Anti Anxiety Anti Depression Medication List
What Are Ways To Cope With Postpartum Depression
It’s OK to feel overwhelmed. Parenting is full of ups and downs and having a baby isn’t easy. If you have depression, you don’t have to suffer alone. Your healthcare provider can help find a treatment that works for you.
Here are some things you can do to help cope with postpartum depression:
- Find someone to talk to â a therapist, friend, family member or someone who will listen to you and help you.
- Join a support group for new parents.
- Try to eat healthily and find time for exercise.
- Prioritize rest for yourself.
- Go out with friends or talk to them on the phone.
- Find time for self-care and doing things you enjoy, like reading or other hobbies.
- Get help with household chores or errands.
Beyond Parenthood: Pregnancy Changes The Parental Brain
Pregnancy and parenthood may change the brain, reports a new study.Pregnancy and birthing have profound, often long-lasting, effects on brain physiology, mood, and behavior. New findings on the neurobiology of the maternal experience were presented at Neuroscience 2022, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.
Recommended Reading: Depression And Other Common Mental Disorders Global Health Estimates
Treatment Of Depression Pregnancy
Pregnant should suffering from depression pregnancy see a doctor in the first place, the doctor may be some blood tests, to make sure that other diseases are similar in their symptoms with symptoms of depression, such as anemia , and thyroid disease , and after making sure that these symptoms are due to depression pregnancy doctor determines the appropriate treatment based on the severity of depression In simple cases of depression, the average doctor psychotherapy , but in cases of severe depression, they usually resort to the use of antidepressants . , and can release these therapies and other treatments used for depressive pregnancy briefly as follows:
How Motherhood Changes The Brain
- Susceptibility or resiliency to postpartum depression in a rodent model is associated with changes in neuroimmune markers and hormones that could serve as risk biomarkers or possible therapeutic targets for the condition.
- Factors that regulate gene expression in learning and memory networks may mediate long-term effects of maternal experience in the brain in mice.
- The long-lasting antidepressant effects of allopregnanolone in postpartum depression may be due to effects on coordination of activity across brain regions implicated in mood.
Recommended Reading: Natural Remedies For Stress And Depression
Icipating In Clinical Research
Clinical trials are research studies that look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat diseases and conditions. Although individuals may benefit from being part of a clinical trial, participants should be aware that the primary purpose of a clinical trial is to gain new scientific knowledge so that others may be better helped in the future.
Researchers at NIMH and around the country conduct many studies with patients and healthy volunteers. Talk to your health care provider about clinical trials, their benefits and risks, and whether one is right for you.
For more information, visit NIMH’s clinical trials information webpage.
Does Pregnancy Cause Depression
Pregnancy can cause you to experience depression. Your body goes through a lot of change and the stresses of pregnancy can trigger depression in some women. Not everyone who becomes pregnant will also be depressed.
If you have experienced depression in the past, your symptoms could return or if you were living with depression before your pregnancy, it may get worse once youre pregnant.
Its important to talk to your healthcare provider about depression during pregnancy because it can extend after delivery. Women who experience depression during pregnancy are at a higher risk of postpartum depression .
Also Check: Life Events That Cause Depression
What Is Postnatal Depression
Postnatal depression affects up to 15 percent of mothers after they have given birth and up to 9 percent of women during pregnancy. Depression can happen any time during pregnancy or up to a year after ppi is born. It can also occur after a miscarriage.
The symptoms of postnatal depression usually start within a first few months of the birth. You may not seem interested in your ppi or in other members of your whnau, or you may find it difficult to do everyday tasks.
Dads can also experience depression at this time, especially if their partner is depressed. Depression in new fathers is often not recognised and is not usually called ‘postnatal depression’.
The warning signs
Symptoms of postnatal depression are similar to depression at other times. They include feeling sad most of the time and losing interest in things that were once enjoyable. The symptoms might include:
- feeling worthless, hopeless, useless
- feeling so sad that eating and sleeping patterns change
- blaming yourself when things go wrong, even if it’s not your fault
- feeling anxious, panicky or overwhelmed especially regarding your ppi
- having thoughts of suicide that may include hurting your ppi
- not feeling close to your ppi and other whnau members.
What Contributes To Postnatal Depression
Just like other types of depression, there is no simple reason as to why some women experience postnatal depression and others dont.
Experiencing depression at some time in the past, particularly during the pregnancy, is the single biggest risk factor for postnatal depression. But this doesnt mean that if you have a history of depression youll always develop postnatal depression.
Some of the factors that could put you at a higher risk of postnatal depression include:
- depression or persistent distress in this or in a past pregnancy
- family history of depression
- being unmarried or without partner support
- limited support from parents as a child
- limited support from friends and whnau
- challenging relationship with partner
- worries about money or housing
- low self-esteem.
Recommended Reading: 5 Ways To Fight Depression
Myths About Postnatal Depression
Postnatal depression is often misunderstood and there are many myths surrounding it.
These include:
- postnatal depression is less severe than other types of depression in fact, it’s as serious as other types of depression
- postnatal depression is entirely caused by hormonal changes it’s actually caused by many different factors
- postnatal depression will soon pass unlike the “baby blues”, postnatal depression can persist for months if left untreated and in a minority of cases it can become a long-term problem
- postnatal depression only affects women research has actually found that up to 1 in 10 new fathers become depressed after having a baby
These factors are equally true of antenatal depression.