Feeling Disconnected After Childbirth?

What is Postpartum Depression?

Postpartum depression is a serious, but often unnoticed or overlooked mental health condition where women go through what is popularly termed as ‘baby blues’. Well, it is more than just feeling blue. 

Giving birth to a child is one of the most life-changing experiences in a woman’s life. While the joys and happiness the child brings with themselves, the wear-and-tear the mother’s body and mind go through are unimaginable. Due to various causes, many women after childbirth go through a phase of feeling anxiety, sadness, mood swings, and fear. They may suddenly burst out crying and have trouble sleeping. 

These symptoms are the core symptoms of ‘depression’. A woman after childbirth needs equal care to regain the mental and physical strain that they have gone through.

The recorded cases of postpartum depression in India are approximately 22%. However, most cases are overlooked or taken very lightly. The majority of women - in rural India as well as urban capitals such as Delhi - go through the symptoms of postpartum depression after childbirth - some slipping into depression without knowing that help is available. The best doctors for depression in India - particularly for postpartum depression treatment urge couples who are expecting to sit through marital counseling to help them prepare for the new - and relatively permanent changes that are to come. 

Causes for Postpartum Depression

A woman goes through the change of a lifetime after childbirth and takes on the responsibilities of a mother. Various changes go through the internal mechanisms of the new mother as well as the changes of the people around along with the support provided by the spouse, family, and society can help prevent or develop postpartum depression in India.

Changes a woman goes through after childbirth

Hormonal changes

Hormonal changes are one of the major reasons for mood swings and emotional disturbances in women after childbirth. It is important to understand and develop a sense of empathy for the new mothers, whose bodies are trying to recover from the bodily trauma and physical pain along with producing enough energy and nutrition for the child’s nurturing - eg. breastfeeding. 

Emotional changes 

A woman after childbirth goes through one of the most life-altering changes in her life. Feeling emotional or overwhelmed about sudden changes is normal, but it is better to seek the help of a depression therapist or a postnatal counselor who can guide you through the process of adapting to parenting for the first time. 

Bodily changes

It is important to understand that a woman’s body changes drastically after childbirth. Imagine yourself in the shoes of a new mother - trying to make sense of the new changes, trying to overcome pain, and trying to manage a new life - all at once. It is very taxing at the physical level as well, where simple tasks like walking can also become very difficult. 

Lifestyle changes 

Taking care of a newborn child with or without help is extremely difficult. Sleep disturbances, lifestyle changes, dietary alterations, and more can be potential causes of postpartum depression. It is necessary to tackle these issues with the help of an experienced psychologist who specializes in postpartum depression treatment in India. 

External Causes for Postpartum Depression

Research in psychology has found various external factors that can trigger postpartum depression and hinder postpartum depression treatment in India after childbirth. It is important to reiterate the fact that the lives of new parents - the new mother and the new father - completely change after having a child. So, feelings of frustration, anger, sadness, and being overwhelmed are normal. 

However, the best doctors for depression in India and depression therapists in Delhi say that understanding the causes and working together as a team can prevent potential triggers. 

Other factors include - 

• Lack of spousal support 
• Lack of family support 
• Lack of social support
• Overburdening by family or spouse
• Having to manage the child alone - especially for single mothers 
• Pregnancy complications
• Financial difficulties 
• Lack of prenatal counseling and planned childbirth 
• Marital conflicts 
• Having a history of mental illness in the past 

What’s the Solution? 

Numerous mental healthcare service providers provide the necessary treatment for postpartum depression after diagnosing the client and understanding how severe the issue is. Depression treatment is necessary when the symptoms of depression after being experienced by new mothers. Depression therapists in Delhi and the best doctors for depression in India use a combination of a plethora of psychological therapy to help you overcome the symptoms, and empower you to handle them yourself in the future. 

Best Treatment Options

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) - is one of the most effective therapies for depression treatment and has been established as the gold standard by the best doctors for depression in India and throughout the globe. 
• Family Therapy or Relationship Counseling - the most required and popularly utilized therapy, where the counselor and the client along with their spouse or family go through a few sessions of counseling that help prepare the mother, father, and family to tackle the possible challenges they might go through, how to develop empathy for one another, how to support each other as well as how to work as a team. 
• Prenatal Counseling - a preventive therapy for postpartum depression, where proper prenatal and pregnancy education can help the woman and her spouse and family plan well before the arrival of the baby. 
• Postnatal counseling - a form of talk therapy done for depression treatment and to help the new parents become aware of their condition and understand their roles as new parents, educating them about the changes that the mother has to go through after childbirth, and helping them pave the way for effective parenting while being supportive partners. 
• Support groups - support groups help women with postpartum depression share their stories with more people who are going through similar experiences. This makes her feel less lonely, as well as promotes a safe space to talk about their unique experiences. 

 

Why CoachForMind?

• Experienced Psychologists: We are a team of licensed RCI-registered clinical psychologists. Our team is well-experienced in various forms of therapy such as CBT, ERP, DBT, and Narrative Therapy, both - offline and online.
• Personalized Approach: We are dedicated to treating our clients in the best-suited way, carefully curated as per the client's needs, and adhering to one-on-one, client-centered therapy. 
• Scientific Techniques: Our treatment plans and therapeutic methods are based on highly researched scientific findings such as CBT, ERP, DBT, and Narrative Therapy among many other therapeutic techniques.
• Quality service: We at CoachForMind ensure quality services in our treatment regime and therapeutic approaches. Our clients hold most value to us, so we ground our techniques in empathy while maintaining professionalism.

For more information, please visit our website or contact us directly at coachformind@gmail.com