As new parents, the presence of a baby certainly brings tremendous happiness to you and your family. But sometimes, this happiness may not be felt by your wife. If after giving birth she seems moody, sad, and helpless, this may be a sign that your wife is experiencing postpartum depression.
Postpartum depression (postpartum depression) is a type of depression that occurs after childbirth. Because the symptoms felt are similar, this condition is often considered the same as baby blues. Though, the two are different things
Both postpartum depression and baby blues It can appear in the early weeks after delivery. The difference is in how long the symptoms last.
Baby blues Usually lasts for 2 weeks until it finally subsides on its own. While postpartum depression can last for several weeks to several months, and symptoms will not subside on their own without treatment.
Why Does Your Wife Get Postpartum Depression?
The exact cause of postpartum depression is not known. However, this condition is thought to occur due to several factors, such as:
Hormonal changes
After giving birth, the levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone in your wife's body will decrease drastically. This decrease in hormones triggers mood swings and unstable emotional conditions.
Psychological problems
The pressure your wife feels because she has to carry the burden and responsibility as a mother will certainly cause her to be stressed. Plus feeling tired from having just given birth, this can make your wife vulnerable to postpartum depression.
Postpartum depression is also more at risk for your wife if she has previously had certain psychological disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder.
In addition to the above, there are several factors that can increase a woman's risk of developing postpartum depression, including:
- Having trouble breastfeeding.
- Undergoing pregnancy at a young age or already having many children.
- Experiencing a stressful event, such as the loss of a job, financial problems, or the death of a family member.
- Having complications during pregnancy or delivery, such as anemia, prolonged labor, or premature delivery.
- Be a victim of domestic violence.
What happened bIf Your Wife Has Postpartum Depression?
Symptoms of postpartum depression usually appear within a few weeks after giving birth, but there are also women who only show symptoms of depression after a few months or 1 year after giving birth.
When your wife is experiencing postpartum depression, she will experience the following symptoms:
- Has no desire to carry out daily activities.
- Emotions are uncontrollable and easily changeable, for example becoming moody, sad, or angry.
- Hard to sleep.
- Appetite decreased or even increased.
- Difficult to concentrate and easy to forget.
- Difficulty or reluctance to care for and interact with your little one.
- Feeling guilty, worthless, or unworthy of motherhood.
- Thoughts arise about hurting yourself or your little one.
- If it gets worse, your wife may have suicidal thoughts.
What to do bIf Your Wife Has Postpartum Depression?
If your wife shows symptoms of postpartum depression, try to always accompany and provide emotional support to her. Your role is very important to speed up his recovery.
The following are steps you can take when your wife is experiencing postpartum depression:
- Be patient and try to understand the condition. Take the time to always be there for him so that he feels supported and does not hold these negative feelings to himself.
- Help your wife so that she can take care of and maintain her own health, for example by making nutritious food for her.
- Help your wife take care of the newborn and do housework so she has time to rest. If you feel overwhelmed, you can always ask a close friend or relative for help to ease the work at home.
- Be a good listener if your wife expresses her feelings. Try to listen to what he has to say with empathy and not judge him.
Your attention, support, and love are the best medicine so that your wife can get through this difficult time. But not only emotional support, your wife also needs to get an examination and treatment from a psychologist if her postpartum depression does not improve.
Therefore, don't hesitate to consult a psychologist to help your wife recover from the postpartum depression she is experiencing.
