Postpartum Depression: Causes, Signs and Treatments from First-Hand Experience

Imagine a young girl of 20. She's married but the marriage is in trouble. Her husband works 16 hour shifts and comes home stressed. She never seems able to please him. Every day it seems that something sets him off. Sometimes the arguments turn into physical altercations. She has infant boys born just 11 months apart and she is about to give birth to her third child. She lives far away from her family and friends and has no one to turn to for help. She feels isolated and overwhelmed by her responsibilities

This is the scenario that set the stage for my experience with postpartum depression. Shortly after my daughter was born I suffered a severe mental breakdown. I quit functioning all together. I was incapable of caring for my children. My newborn daughter almost died from my neglect but I was unable to do anything about it. Thankfully, my children survived and I recovered.

It is normal to feel a little let down after the birth of your baby but about 10% of the women who give birth each year suffer from a more serious condition known as postpartum depression.What causes postpartum depression? What are the signs of postpartum depression? How do you know when it is time for you or your loved one to seek help? How is it treated?

Your body undergoes a lot of changes when it prepares to give birth. Your hormone levels increase. Your blood volume increases. Your immune system is affected. Almost every part of you has undergone some change. When the baby is born everything returns to its pre-pregnancy level rather quickly. It is like putting the brakes on suddenly when you are going 100 miles an hour on the freeway. Some believe that this rapid change is one of the reasons behind postpartum depression.

Adjusting to having a new baby in your life can also set the stage for depression. For the first few months, you find it hard to keep a regular sleep schedule. If it is your first child, you worry that you might make a mistake. The combination of lack of sleep and concern over your child's well being might overwhelm you. Your emotions run amok. You cry, you worry, and you get angry easily. You mat start to feel like you are a bad mother. Simply put, you get stressed out and you shut down.

The main cause of my own postpartum depression was the stress that was in my life even before my baby was born. Marital problems, financial problems, immaturity, overwhelming responsibilities anything that could cause stress in an individual can be multiplied by the event of giving birth. Although many people believe that the hormone let-down is the main cause of postpartum depression, some studies have shown that a person facing life stressors are more vulnerable to this disorder.

According to the Mayo clinic, the signs of postpartum depression are:

Loss of appetite
Loss of enjoyment in life
Loss of interest in sex
Thoughts of harming yourself or your child
Easily irritated or angered
Extreme fatigue
Totally withdrawing from family and friends
Feeling like you are worthless
Severe mood swings
The inability to bond with the child

You should seek help if the blues that you feel after the birth of your child last longer than 2 weeks or sooner if you have any of the symptoms found in the above list. You may not even recognize that you are in trouble or you may simply deny it. It is important that your family members and others who are close to are aware of the signs of postpartum depression. They may need to get you the help that you need.

Treatments include counseling, anti-depression medication and if indicated hormone replacement therapy

I learned to late that I was suffering from this condition. It cost me my first 3 children. They were placed in foster homes and later adopted by loving parents. I went on to have five more children who are happy well-adjusted adults today. My first three children sought me out when the youngest was 18 and now they and their children are apart of my life. I know from experience how harmful this disorder can be to a family so I encourage anyone who thinks that they or a loved one may be suffering from postpartum depression to seek help quickly.

Some of the information gathered for this article was found at : http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/postpartum-depression/DS00546