Post partum

Emotions

During the first few weeks, you may experience feelings of being overwhelmed by being a mother, including feelings of stress, fatigue and anxiety. These feelings are often called the ?Baby Blues.? Researchers suspect that the rapid shifts in the hormones estrogen, progesterone and thyroid and their relationship with the brain?s neurotransmitters are the basis for the baby blues. Combined with the fatigue and stress of new motherhood, this adjustment period may be difficult.

Beating the Baby Blues

Give yourself time to adjust. Taking good physical care of your self is important. Eating a well balanced diet and getting some exercise does help your well being. It is helpful to talk to friends and family who have experienced these same feelings. Having someone to be open and honest with will help keep your feelings in perspective. As your hormone levels stabilize, and you become secure in your abilities, you will get settled into a new routine and these feelings will fade.

For a very few women, the baby blues are more intense and constant, lasting well beyond the first post partum weeks. These prolonged feelings may be symptoms of post partum depression. If you have these intense feelings that seem to go beyond the baby blues, take them seriously. Call your health care provider for further evaluation.

Symptoms of post partum depression

How do you know if you might have post partum depression? The common symptoms include:

• A persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood
• A loss of interest or pleasure in activities, including sex
• Restlessness, irritability, or excessive crying
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, hopelessness, pessimism
• Sleeping too much or too little, early-morning awakening
• Appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain
• Decreased energy, fatigue, feeling "slowed down"
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
• Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain
• Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts

If you feel like you may have post partum depression, there is help. Talk with your clinician about how you?re feeling.

Treatments for post partum depression

The most commonly used treatments for depression are counseling, medication, and sometimes a combination of the two. Which of these is the right treatment for an individual case depends on the nature and severity of the depression and, to some extent, on individual preference. In mild or moderate depression, one or both of these treatments may be useful, while in severe or incapacitating depression, medication is generally recommended as a first step in the treatment. In combined treatment, medication can relieve physical symptoms quickly, while psychotherapy allows the opportunity to learn more effective ways of handling problems.