How to tell you have postpartum blues?
Chiqui Brosas on Nov 10 2007 at 6:57 am | Filed under: Childbirth
I was awaken at 4:00am by one of my students in my childbirth class! I had a hard time sleeping after because of my concern for her. She tried to keep a calm voice when she spoke to me and passed me on to her nurse. She eventually got the phone and started to cry and became hysterical. I knew what she had and when I told her about it, she was in denial. Her blood pressure was elevated. She hasn’t had any sleep or complete rest, no food, not enough to drink…She had the earnest desire to breastfeed her newborn and be the best mother to him. She just got home from the hospital a few days ago from a surgery and found that there were a lot of things that had to be done in the house. To top it all, she had no helper. She was overwhlemed with the responsibility of being a wife, mother, home maker…
That is why I always emphazise it to my students that although it is important to prepared for the labor and the birth of their baby, it is also equally importnat to prepared for the after birth experience. I always suggest that they get hired help, a relative or a friend for at least two weeks after giving birth. The new mother will ofcourse be the one to mother her baby. But who will mother her? Her husband must not be too demanding of her during this time to allow her to get into her new role as wife, mother and to allow her milk supply to be well established. It is a time of adjustment for everyone.
Here are some of the signs of post partum depression. It can start as early as the second day or take several weeks to develop. With some it can be more intense than others. If it persists I suggest one gets medical help. It is not a sign of weakness. It is a real condition and there is available help.
1.) Crying spells
2.) Hopelessness
3.) Loss of control
4.) Fear of touching the baby
5.) Excessive sleep or no sleep
6.) Does not care about how she looks
7.) Over concern or no concern for the baby
