Postpartum depression  in young mothers: An ignored reality 

IWill user

How can you not love the baby?

Why do you always keep crying? What kind of mother is never happy!

You must not act like a child. Your baby is your responsibility.

Your husband is managing so many fronts. Now he has to deal with your crying too!

You look so dull. You should glow. You are a mother.

Your child needs you. Don't think about yourself right now. Being a mother is the biggest thing

 

Things like these are casually said to women who are in reality experiencing postpartum depression!

Postpartum depression is a serious form of depression experienced by young mothers that can lead a mother to have consistent low mood, self-doubt, irritability, inability to function, and even thoughts of self-harm or harming others, sometimes even the baby, and a need to escape the pain!

 

What needs to be known, is that the mother is not "choosing to be sad". She is not "choosing to bother her husband or people around"

What also needs to be known is that the woman is not trying to "gain attention" or "divert her responsibilities to the husband and gain an upper hand".

 

What this means is that she is struggling, she has gone through changes both within her body and her life that she is having extreme difficulty in coping with 

These changes could be changes in the body like backaches, stomach issues, hair loss, feet pain, elevated blood markers

These changes could be social too, like lack of support for the mother, only expectations, ignoring that she needs love too, and also creating an environment where she feels just like a womb with less rights on baby or husband or an environment where she is constantly nitpicked on! 

Postpartum depression needs urgent THERAPY sessions. She needs CBT, a good understanding, a trained therapist who can help her cope with these difficulties, empathize with her, help her take her time, get back to her life and motivate her and be her companion. She also needs the partner to attend therapy so that the partner can make the environment better for her, and stop her abuse from happening! So that the partner can stand with her, and ensure the home environment respects her choices and makes her feel valued!
 

Recovery happens quickly, as quickly as within 1-2 months and the mom gets completely back to her routine life, good time with the baby, and making most of her life too! The need is to recognize, seek help and not abuse or isolate the mother. The need is to build awareness and not live in denial! 

If you or your partner are going through symptoms of postpartum depression-like inability to feel calm, having thoughts of self-harm, crying spells, complete existential crisis on future, sadness and lack of interest in things, a sense of being lonely or not being understood, this highly suggests as signs of postpartum depression.

Seek therapy today at IWill, you can start alone and we would strongly encourage the partner to join therapy too! 

Let's have happier mothers, and happier children will follow!