Essay: Symptoms of Post-partum Depression

Post-partum depression can turn out to be more of an illness just like heart problems or diabetes. The symptoms of post-partum depression are many. First of all, pro-longed depression or mood swings are a hint. Baby Bleus usually go away within 10 days and anything longer then that should be considered as a serious problem and the woman should immediately be taken to the doctor. A decline in the appetite, loss of motivation, either sleeping a lot or not sleeping at all, anxiety, crying a lot, fears of hurting the baby, weight gain or loss for no reason at all, fatigue, less interest in life and the joys of life, lack of concern for the mother herself as well as the baby, less interest in family and friends etc are all the most evident symptoms of postpartum depression. If these symptoms remain unattended to, they can turn sever which leads to the development of postpartum psychosis, and the symptoms of postpartum psychosis are, “fear of harming yourself or your baby, confusion and disorientation, hallucinations and delusions, paranoia” (Pregnancy: Postpartum Depression, 2006).

Postpartum depression is curable. It can be treated by counseling, where the woman can talk about her problems with a psychiatrist or psychologist, which is perhaps the best way to solve this problem at the beginning stage. Antidepressants can also help the patient, but is not recommended for breast-feeding women, as it would enter her milk and raises concerns for the health of the baby. Hormone therapy is another treatment in which estrogen replacement is used so as to counteract the drop in estrogen during labor. A negative factor here is the possibility of less milk production in the woman and can also cause blood clots (Pregnancy: Postpartum Depression, 2006).