I have experienced traumatic labour in which I lost 1.5 litres of blood during labour and also fainted twice within the 5 days after giving birth.
The doctor who initially helped with the stitching for me had to be left in the middle for another mum requires immediate attention. Therefore, I had to wait for another less experienced doctor to continue the stitching for me. When she finished and asked for her superior to check the stitch, they found it wasn’t done well, therefore the superior had to unstitch and restitch the wounded area. These all caused a huge loss of blood for me.
And during the next few days, I feel extreme pain whenever I tried to get down the bed and walk. The doctor and nurses asked me to try to take a shower, which I felt I wasn’t really in the right condition to do so, but tried and fainted twice in the bathroom. The first time when I fainted, I wasn’t even aware and it was just like gone into sleep without knowing. Luckily my mother in law was there with me and she told me that if she wasn’t there, I would simply injure myself by bumping onto the hard surfaces in the bathroom.
Further, to help me with going to the toilet, the nurses had given me Metamucil and few other medications, I had then experienced serious diarrhea postpartum, and this lasted for about at least two weeks. I also felt like a tube and injection machine where there were so many days that I have been living with tubes and needles.
I know I didn’t feel mentally and physically well postpartum, and could not express in just a few words to my husband. I believe many of your mothers might have experienced similar situations to mine. You feel that you were not the same as before, you were torn, you were exhausted, and you weren’t cared for properly and so on. A lot of them might be the signs of postpartum depression.
What is Postpartum Depression (PPD)
During pregnancy, your body had higher levels of hormone estrogen and progesterone. But in the first 24 hours after giving birth, these hormones dropped dramatically to resume to their normal levels in your body, this may lead to postpartum depression.
The postpartum last up to 6-8 weeks where a mother’s body adjust to its pre-pregnancy status, during this period a mother may experience tremendous changes both mentally and physically.
A lot of us are familiar with the words baby blues, and it is quite common for new mums to feel sad, hopeless, fatigue or worried. While some symptoms are similar, postpartum depression is different from baby blues. Postpartum depression is much more detrimental to and has a long-lasting impact on the mother. The intensity would make it the mother hard to manage both the baby and herself. Therefore, the seriousness of postpartum depression cannot be overlooked. It is a serious disorder and should be treated as soon as possible.
Some Statistics on Postpartum Depression
From the Postpartum Depression website, from the United States alone:
* Approximately 70% to 80% of women will experience at a minimum so-called “baby blue”. And many of these women will experience the more severe condition of postpartum depression or a related condition.
* The reported rate of some types of clinical postpartum depression among new mothers is between 10% to 20%. These types include but are not limited to postpartum panic disorder and postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
* A recent study found that 1 in 7 women may experience postpartum depression in the year after giving birth. With 4 million live birth occurring in the United States each year, this is approximately equalling about 600,000 postpartum depression diagnoses.
Across the world:
* Postpartum depression affects at least tens of millions annually.
* One study found that postpartum depression in Asian countries could be as high as 65% among new mothers.
What are the Symptoms of Postpartum Depression
Some hormone changes may result in you as a new mum become moody, sad, hopeless, extremely tired or restless, however, if these symptoms are ongoing for 10 days or more, then it would be best to seek help and advice from your doctor, nurse or midwife. Some of the common symptoms of postpartum depression are:
* Feeling restless or moody
* Having no energy or motivation
* Have trouble focusing or making decisions
* Lose of interest or pleasure in activities
* Insomnia or repeatedly going over thoughts
* The thought of hurting yourself or the baby
* Feeling that you will not be a good mother
* Changing in sleeping patterns
* Crying ongoing
* Changing in appetite
* Severe anxiety and panic attacks
* Feeling you cannot open up to anyone because they will think you are a bad mother
* You feel disconnected from your baby and cannot feel the joy of being a mother
The list simply goes on. And I believe many of us mums can relate here and there, and even feel so deeply the agony, anxiety and depression they have or are experiencing.
The Types of Postpartum Depression
These include:
* Postpartum Blues – Also called baby blues are the mildest condition that occurs in the few weeks after giving birth. It is different to postpartum depression. These baby blues only last for few hours to few weeks and does not have a long-lasting impact on your normal functions in life.
* Postpartum Anxiety – This disorder includes far more anxious behaviours than primary depressed behaviours, and is different to other forms of PPD. The most predominant signs of postpartum anxiety are persistent fears and worries, high tension and stress, and the inability to relax.
* Postpartum Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (ODD) – Symptoms of this disorder include intrusive and persistent thoughts. These thoughts Usually involve harming oneself and/or the baby. Other characteristics include compulsive behaviours such as repetitive cleaning and/or changing of the baby.
* Postpartum Panic Disorder – A disorder that is one of the more severe forms of anxiety preventing mothers to complete daily tasks. The symptoms usually involve excessive fear, worry and anxiety.
* Postpartum Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – Refers to a range of reactions when you have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event. Childbirth can be one of these. Some of the common symptoms include re-living the birth event, being overly alert, avoiding thoughts or reminders, and feeling emotionally numb.
* Postpartum Psychosis – This is a serious mental illness and starts suddenly in days or weeks after giving birth. Symptoms include high mood or mania, depression, confusion, hallucinations and delusions. It requires immediate attention and a psychiatric emergency.
How to Cope with Postpartum Depression
1. Build a secure bond with your baby will help you to soothe and reassure your feelings for yourself and also your baby. The connection your build emotionally will release the happiness hormone or oxytocin and helps you to better cope with depression and anxiety.
2. Skin to skin contact whether breastfeeding or not will help to enhance the bond between the mother and baby. It will relax you both and help to improve your sleeping quality as well. It also helps to reduce crying and cold stress, improve alertness and brain development, and also improve weight gain.
3. Exercise whenever you can. Exercise is an antidepressant to many people including mothers. Whether is exercising on your own or strolling with your baby, either is a great way to ease depression. If you are short on time, then 10 minutes of exercise a day will help too. Try to download an App that helps you to do some fun exercises every day or two, or walk with a mum buddy are a great start to reduce stress and increase the happiness hormones for you.
4. Maintain a healthy diet is an important part of maintaining a physically and mentally potent status. Eating nutritious food and having a balanced diet will always help you to feel better. I would go for a nutritious fruity and nutty breakfast cereal, then a simple but hearty lunch that usually contains my favourite seafood or meat. For the afternoon, I would usually grab my favourite Chai Latte while strolling. And lastly, my dinner would usually be filled with one bowl of warm meat brisket or soup, and one beautiful dish which can be of meat or seafood stir-fried with some vegetables. These always make my day.
5. Have a chat with your loved ones to relieve the anxiety and stress, being with the person who you trust and feel comfortable with can help you to relax and let it out. I also have my best friends to talk to whenever I feel there is something not quite right with myself and seek advice and reassurance. I always find that I could easily get back onto the track after the discussion with my girlfriends. Sometimes mothers need support from mothers, and your girlfriends likely are the best ones to chat to.
6. Practice concentration by revisiting your old hobby or interest such as playing a musical instrument, painting or singing. You can also learn a new skill or gain some new knowledge on anything that might be interesting or beneficial to you. When I am down and feeling depressed, playing the piano always soothes me and letting my negative thoughts drift away.
7. Have some time to relax. Sometimes you need me time that is pure for yourself. The best things that you can do during me-time can be reading, meditation or simply daydreaming while sipping a cup of your favourite coffee or drink. These are like breathers throughout the day and helps with getting you back to a positive mood.
8. Join a group or groups to seek the support of people in similar or the same situations. This will let you understand that you are not alone and there are thousands of mothers in the same shoes as you do.
9. Counseling with your doctor or a professional mental health adviser or psychiatrist. Sometimes you just need some help from the professionals. This will help to reduce the anxiety and embarrassment of sharing your privacy and also really get to the bottom of the problems. The doctors may prescribe medication for you, breastfeeding may be something you need to raise before taking on any medication, please ensure that you discuss all the options before you and your doctor or counsellor align on a path that is the best possible for yourself.
Lastly, we would like to share some resourceful books that can help you to understand and cope with postpartum depression:
The Postpartum Depression Workbook: Strategies to Overcome Negative Thoughts, Calm Stress, and Improve Your Mood by Abigail Burd
This Isn’t What I Expected [2nd edition]: Overcoming Postpartum Depression by Karen R. Kleiman and Valerie Davis Raskin
The Art of Holding in Therapy: An Essential Intervention for Postpartum Depression and Anxiety by Karen Kleiman
Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression by Brooke Shields
Pregnancy and Postpartum Anxiety Workbook: Practical Skills to Help You Overcome Anxiety, Worry, Panic Attacks, Obsessions, and Compulsions by Pamela S. Wiegartz and Kevin L. Gyoerkoe
Also, organizations include Beyond Blue, Postpartum Depression, Women’s Health, Health Line and WebMD are all great to seek support and help from.
Hope the above helps and don’t let postpartum depression get into your way mums! You deserve the best out of your motherhood journey.
If you enjoyed this content, please kindly subscribe to our Healthy Mum & Bub e-Newsletter. We would also appreciate your support for us by like and share the content.
Remember to like our Facebook Page and join our Facebook Healthy Mum and Bub Group to connect with fellow parents, ask a questions or share your thoughts and words of wisdom. Let’s make the parenthood journey easier and more rewarding for all of our fellow parents.