46 | October 2011 | woman this month Campaign Motherhood is that time in a woman’s life when we’re supposed to revel in the joy of the new baby. But, what happens when, far from feeling euphoric, you feel like killing yourself? Fighting Twenty-five year old Reem has just had a healthy baby girl after a normal delivery. Yet rather than elated, all she feels is tired and miserable. Instead of smiling endlessly, she occasionally dissolves into tears for no apparent reason. Despite being a first-time mother, she is taking no pleasure in the baby at all. What Reem feels and countless other new mothers experience is Postpartum Depression, a widespread illness that can take a devastating toll on a mother’s mental health. While it is common for mothers to experience a period of low mood after childbirth, PPD is more severe, occurring in 10 to 15 per cent or one in seven to ten mothers. According to psychotherapist Thoraiya Kanafani, it is important to make a distinction between Postpartum Depression and the usual “baby blues”. “Baby blues are extremely common among women within the first two weeks of childbirth and do not require professional help. However, if the symptoms persist for longer than a month or become more severe, it can develop into Postpartum Depression and professional help should be sought. If left untreated, PPD can last for months or years and may put the mother and child at risk,” she warns. The signs A mother suffering from PPD experiences dramatic mood swings, loss of sleep, appetite and interest in activities. She may appear confused, fatigued, experience uncontrollable bouts of crying or major disruptions to her sleep cycle. In the most severe cases, a mother’s thinking can be disrupted to the point of psychosis and she might develop a desire to hurt herself. Severe or ongoing PPD can hinder a mother’s ability to care for and bond with her child during the critical early developmental phase of an infant. Causes behind Postnatal Depression While there are a multitude of factors contributing to PPD, it mainly results from hormonal changes within the body, especially the fluctuating levels of oestrogen and progesterone. The stress of the new responsibility and change, sleep deprivation, high parenting expectations, and lack of a support network all add to the stress levels of a new mother who is often juggling the multiple roles of wife, mother and career woman alone. Women who have a family history of depression are genetically more susceptible to it. Handling the blues While it’s possible to recover completely from PPD with the right treatment, those who suffer from this condition have a greater chance of experiencing it again with the next baby. Often, new moms worry about the way they feel and their lack of
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