Risks of Postpartum Depression and Everything You Need To Know

Postpartum depression happens to a woman after giving birth, and it is often characterized by persistently bad mood.

Postpartum depression or PPD is not the same as the one we call baby blues that many new parents also usually go through.

PPD happens within four weeks after the mother delivers her baby, according to the DSM-5, a manual used by experts to diagnose psychiatric disorders. The magnitude of the depression, including the period of time since the child was given birth, is used to diagnose postpartum depression.

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Postpartum depression is commonly derived from chemical, social, and even psychological changes that often occur after giving birth. After the mother delivers her child, chemical changes in the body rapidly decrease hormones. It is understood that during pregnancy, the levels of the female reproductive hormones — estrogen and progesterone — typically increase tenfold but then decrease after giving birth. 

Postpartum depression, when it occurs, does not always mean that a mother or father does not love their born child. It is a kind of depression or mental health problem that everyone may overcome with care. Anyone who has symptoms of postpartum depression should see a doctor right away.

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Causes and Risks of Postpartum Depression

Before looking into the causes of PPD, parents should look into its symptoms to prevent mental health deprivation, especially since that PPD is very hard to detect. 

1. Mothers have a difficult time finding sleep
2. Their appetite for food changes
3. They feel fatigued and tired excessively
4. And frequent mood swings

Experts are still not sure what triggers postpartum depression, but it can always hit anyone at any time. Experts also consider environmental factors, and genetic factors may also play roles in causing PPD.

1. Experience of past trauma
2. Fluctuations in her hormones
3. History of depression or bipolar disorder within the family
4. Physical stress of delivery and emotional stress during infant care
5. Feeling overwhelmed by motherhood and not having enough time for herself
6. Feeling unattractive, especially when giving birth at an age younger than 20 years old or when pregnancy is unwanted
7. Feeling pressured to be a perfect parent but feel unable to achieve it, especially when they don't have support from family and friends
8. Having breastfeeding difficulties and providing babies with their special needs
9. Having had complications during delivery
10. Infant staying in the hospital for long, especially those who undergo preterm birth
11. Baby has a low birth weight

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Untreated postpartum depression puts your mental health at risk, so it is best to see an expert once you observe the signs and symptoms. Doing so will help prevent postpartum depression from affecting your ability to bond with your baby and your whole family.

Mothers should keep in mind that untreated postpartum depression will last for months or even years in severe cases. This leads to a more chronic depressive disorder.

As a long-term effect, postpartum depression will make most mothers likely experience depressive symptoms in the future, even if their depression is still being treated. 

Nurturing relationships between a woman's child and her partner is also essential. Relationship problems become more common among mothers with PPD. And mothers often rate their sexual relationships as becoming more distant, cold, and difficult to handle more frequently.