Postpartum Depression Essay

After giving birth to your new born baby, a lot of women experience what is called “baby blues.” The baby blues usually go away within a few weeks, but when the symptoms linger or your depression increases after a few weeks to a month than the mother most likely has postpartum depression. It is very important for the mother to get help so she can give her full attention, support, and comfort to her child. A few symptoms that mothers have during this time period are sadness, moodiness, concentration problems, appetite changes, and many more. Hormonal changes that happen are the cause of the baby blues, and postpartum depression. Once the mothers hormone levels even out they should start to feel better.
Smith , M., and J. Segal . N.p..

A large amount of women have physical problems with their bodies after labor and it can sometimes take a long period of time for those problems to get better and to heal. Although they are enduring physical pain from labor, they are also dealing with emotional and psychological problems as well. “After giving birth the women's hormones diminish, and about 8 to 15 percent of women experience postpartum depression.” They struggle with sensitivity, distress, and depression. While experiencing postpartum depression the mothers can feel very stressful and troublesome while taking care of their child. If the mothers are dealing with these kind of symptoms of postpartum depression, the mother may end up neglecting or physically abusing the the

“Women who have experienced postpartum depression have a 50% to 62% risk for future depressions. A history of mood disorders, anxiety, depression during the pregnancy, and having a family history of these things could potentially be a risk factor in postpartum depression.” Stress is a tremendous reason as to why women have postpartum depression as well. Stress within the family, the relationship with the father, negative life events, a shortfall of social support, and also if the mother was to have a special needs child. If a new mother is experiencing postpartum depression it is imperative for the mother to receive treatment. Postpartum depression can overall cause longterm effects on the mother, her child, and also on the father. If postpartum depression is recognized in the early stages, and the mother obtains qualified treatment and she gets support from her family their overall recovery from the condition can mean a dramatically improved life. It can also dramatically improve the relationships that the mother has. If the mother does not receive help early it can cause serious damage to her quality of life. “Longitudinal studies have compared the behaviors of depressed and non depressed mothers, and the outcome of their children. They showed that depressed mothers were less anticipated to set boundaries on their children and to follow through if they did set limits. They were also more likely to respond negatively to friendly approaches, more