Ways to Cope with Postpartum Depression

Becoming a parent can be filled with countless emotions. New mommies can feel anything from joy and sadness to fear, no matter how much they love their child. If your frustration levels become severe and start to interfere with your everyday life, you may be going through post-partum depression. Within a couple of weeks after delivering your baby, the symptoms of PPD start to develop and make it more difficult for you to make decisions, maintain a stable mental state and connect with your baby. Surprisingly, you are not the only mommy suffering from postpartum depression. A lot of new moms are experiencing an emotional rollercoaster!

PPD is usually a result of sudden hormonal change after pregnancy and other factors such as stress, sleep deprivation, and tiredness. You may feel overwhelmed and mentally weak during this phase of motherhood.

PPD symptoms tend to worsen your quality of life and include:

• Depression

• Hopelessness

• Fatigue

• Loss of interest in daily activities

• Loss of appetite

• Demotivated feeling

• Difficulty in sleeping

• Sudden weight loss or gain

• Not feeling connected to your baby

Postpartum depression is more likely to affect you if you have had any of the following:

• Previous postpartum depression.

• Anxiety not related to pregnancy.

• A problematic or very stressful marital life or relationship.

• Stressful life events during pregnancy (severe illness, premature birth, or a difficult delivery).

Remember that you can walk through this tough time, and experiencing postpartum depression doesn’t mean that you don’t love your baby. Here are some tips that will help you overcome your PPD struggle:

• Never hesitate to express your feelings to your near and dear ones. The more you open up yourself, the easier it becomes to come out of this soon.

• Look for people to help you with childcare, household chores, and errands. This will let you have a good rest and ‘me’ time.

• Never try to be a ‘supermom.’ Do things that aren’t stressing you further. Ask others to help you when required.

• Connect with people around you who have experience with postpartum depression; you’ll learn a lot and will never feel alone.

• Discuss with your doctor how you feel. Appropriate counselling and medicines can significantly help.

• Last but not least, indulge in healthy eating and physical exercises. A healthy body adds to a healthy mind.

Stay positive, mommy!