Post-natal depression, according to the National Health Service (NHS), is a type of depression that many parents experience after having a baby.
Wikipedia further explains it as depression suffered by a mother following childbirth, typically arising from the combination of hormonal changes, psychological adjustment to motherhood and fatigue.
NHS says that this is a common problem affecting more than one in every ten women within a year of giving birth. It can also affect fathers and partners, although this is less common.
Women who have experienced post-natal depression find that after bringing their child to the world, an experience that is supposed to be a joyous event they just can’t seem to find anything to be happy about. This occurrence can be mild to severe in different women.
The ‘baby blues’ which is normal is where a new mother is anxious, overwhelmed or tearful in the first week of giving birth. This is not post-natal depression and is completely normal. However, if this continues past two weeks of giving birth or doesn’t start immediately after and comes up later, that mother could be suffering from postnatal depression. It can start at any time within the first year of giving birth. Many women don’t realize they have postnatal depression as it develops gradually. They may think it is just the pressures of having a new addition to the family.
Recently a mother in Nigeria spoke up quite openly on social media about how she went through it. For a society that readily frowns at anything that is different from the norm, she received quite a lot of positive reactions. The Lady in question, Ese Ark, narrated how she wanted to run away by the time her baby was six months old. She eventually did it before he turned ten months old because she just wanted to feel alive, like she mattered and she just wanted to feel! She eventually went back after some months away and she said she was told to apologize to him for leaving. She ended by stating that this experience was the only way she could live that’s why she took the leap.
Some of the signs that you could be suffering from postnatal depression are:
A lack of interest and enjoyment in anything happening around her and at large.
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A persistent feeling of sadness and a low mood.
Difficulty bonding with her baby.
Withdrawing contact from people even loved ones.
Lack of energy and feeling tired all the time.
Trouble sleeping that is unrelated to having a new baby.
Having frightening thoughts about hurting her baby.
Problems concentrating and making decisions.
A Gynaecologist, Dr. Aniekan Abasiatai, who works at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Akwa Ibom State, explained that “Postnatal depression affects 8-15% of women and it can go from mild to extreme forms. Like any other depressive illness the symptoms range from irritability, excessive crying, loss of concentration, etc.”
Dr. Abasiatai further explained factors that increase the possibility of having post-natal depression, such as women under age 20, unmarried women, women with previous depressive symptoms, smoking, women with poor maternal care when young, low self esteem and pre-existing emotional problems.
To nip the condition in the bud, he said: “It is advised to treat early as chances of overcoming it are better than when left for more than a year,” adding that it was important to identify those at risk and refer them to a psychiatrist during the ante-natal process. “The way it is treated is by going to trained counselors and mental psychotherapists for prescriptions.
Post-natal depression is a real problem and one that more women and their spouses or partners need to be educated on to know how to handle it. With the right support around any woman during such trying times a lot of progress can be made towards a full recovery. There is no need to see her as abnormal and not being able to handle herself but rather see the science behind why she is feeling that way. This along with some self-help strategies, any woman can be on her way to enjoying the joy of motherhood without feeling inadequate or abnormal.
