How to cope with postpartum depression: 5 ways

A woman in the period of postpartum depression is in a depressed, uncontrolled state, due to which all family members suffer. The husband does not withstand the load, and the child does not receive the attention that is so necessary for him. There are cases when due to the depression of a newly-made mother, the baby is lagging behind in development. For these and other reasons, it is important to eradicate postpartum depression at the very beginning of its development. Consider the important aspects in order.

Who is prone to postpartum depression

• mothers of large families;
• women experiencing a divorce;
• girls conflicting with her husband because of pregnancy;
• single women who are carrying a child due to an unplanned pregnancy;
• girls with premenstrual dysphoric disorder;
• girls who have previously been exposed to postpartum depression;
• ladies who have undergone pregnancy without the support of loved ones.

Symptoms of postpartum depression

• dark thoughts, low self-esteem;
• dejected condition during the week;
• regular constipation;
• distracted attention;
• exacerbation of chronic diseases;
• frequent occurrence of suicidal tendencies;
• constant guilt;
• apathy, insomnia, complete lack of appetite;
• sharp mood swings, where the peak of depression and self-worthlessness occurs in the morning and decreases significantly in the evening;
• sad and sluggish mood, anxiety does not let go;
• suspension from relatives, friends, spouse and even a child.

Causes of Postpartum Depression

1. From physiology, not going anywhere. During the pregnancy, the woman was in high spirits, nothing bothered her, the future mom anticipated the appearance of the baby and a happy life. Immediately after giving birth, a sharp hormonal failure occurs, the menstrual cycle resumes and chronic lack of sleep begins.Especially often these symptoms appear after the cessation of breastfeeding. A woman is not satisfied with her own appearance, an enormous lack of time begins and the ground is created for the onset of postpartum depression.
2. There are cases when a girl throughout her pregnancy makes predictions that she will be a bad mother. As a rule, such situations arise in those who themselves were born in a dysfunctional or incomplete family. Constant anxiety and self-helplessness only aggravate the situation. The newly-minted mother does not believe in her own strength, due to which she slowly falls into depression.
3. The woman believes that after the birth of the baby, it becomes useless. Childless friends and acquaintances continue to have fun, losing interest in her. The husband, in turn, is very distant, because the constant lack of sleep exhausts him, and his wife’s nerves feed the negative. As for relatives and parents, they do not always give good advice. For the most part, the older generation criticizes the young mother, undermining her psyche. Against the background of all these situations, the woman begins to fall into frequent tantrums, and soon comes full depression.

Effective ways to eliminate postpartum depression

Set priorities. Now in the first place should be the baby. To ensure a good sleep for the child every night, bathe him, feed him in time, change the diaper. After the main duties are fulfilled, go to rest too. Sound sleep is the dream of all moms, rest will give energy, due to which the state of health will significantly improve. You can sleep with the baby, and leave the dirty dishes for later.

Take help. No need to build up a mother-heroine, shift the part of the housework to relatives, husband or older children. Do not refuse help if you are offered it, otherwise ask for the service yourself. Help is cooking, washing, temporarily staying with the child. Feel free to ask your family to go to the store or pay for utilities.

Many women do well on their own before giving birth, but it is important to understand that you cannot afford it now. The lack of rest for several days badly affects not only your state of health, but also those around you.It will take some time to come back on alert. Sit down and ponder who and what you can ask for, then act. No need to exhaust yourself, at first it will be extremely difficult to be at the same time a good wife, mother and housewife. In this way, you exude the nervous system, mired in depression for a long time.

Adjust the daily routine. Get a notebook and write down primary and minor matters. Try to fulfill them to the maximum. You do not need to write a kilometer-long routine, throw only the most important. Consider that children are extremely unpredictable, your schedule should be flexible. Cross out one field from the list as you progress. Do not try to keep up with everything at once, it is possible, the first few days you can not cope with everything. In this case, you need to revise the tasks and adjust them taking into account free time.

Balance your diet. A nursing woman needs to eat right. Include fresh vegetables in the menu, always have fruit on hand. Buy groceries for the week ahead. If possible, purchase kitchen utensils, which greatly simplifies cooking.It can be a blender, an electric meat grinder, a dishwasher and, of course, a slow cooker. Cook only those dishes that do not require time-consuming. Eat porridge in the morning, eat soup or stewed vegetables for lunch, limit to salad in the evening. Follow a diet, but do not starve. Do not forget to eat, this is a frequent problem of newly-made moms.

Take time for yourself. Plan a day so that you can find an hour or two for self-care. Dirty hair and not painted up nails constantly drive melancholy. The first six months after the birth of the baby can be called the “Groundhog Day”, so look for joyful moments during this period. Take a fragrant bath, do a manicure and pedicure. Ask your parents or husband to sit with your child, while you yourself go to the hairdresser to cut off split hair or drastically change your hairstyle. Make a face mask, peeling for hands and feet, do light exercise in the form of charging or stretching. Just sit and read a book, watch the show. It will take only 1 hour, after which you will feel like a full-fledged woman.

Important recommendations for new mothers

1. Do not try to keep up with everything at once. Perform one case on the basis of the total amount of free time. Do not exhaust yourself.
2. Cut out at least 1 day a week to exercise. Sign up for pilates, stretching, yoga or take a half-hour walk around the house.
3. To avoid a constant gloomy mood, hang light curtains in the apartment. Do not close the blinds, the sun's rays raise morale.
4. When it seems to you that everything is bad and the problems are overwhelming, speak out loud. Chat with your baby, tell him what's bothering you. For the most part, the difficulties are not as global as they might seem at first glance.
5. Do not break on his wife. Instead of shouting and accusing him of all mortal sins, honestly admit what happened. The man is exhausted no less than you, he will support and encourage. As practice shows, it is the husbands who help the wives overcome depression.
6. Master the psychological technique: sit down in a comfortable chair, close your eyes and focus on breathing. Spend in this position for 5 minutes several times a day.The method helps to relax and bring thoughts in order.
7. Do not save emotions. When you feel that there is a nervous breakdown in front of you, go to the shower, turn on the water and beat the edge of your hand along the stream. After that, close the room and speak out into the pillow, shout, cry, beat the mattress, but do not keep everything in yourself.
8. In the first few months after the birth of the baby do not allow a large gathering of people in the apartment. Communicate only with family and friends, no unauthorized persons or relatives with whom you have not seen for many years.
9. If you feel you can’t cope with depression on your own, contact a psychologist or sign up for a training for young mothers. Do not be shy for such purposes and there are certified specialists.
10. Walking in the fresh air is useful not only for you, but also for your baby. You go outside several times a day, visit the park, stay in equipped and beautiful places.
11. Share your fears, worries and doubts with your husband or loved ones. They will assess the situation objectively and will be able to give practical advice.
12. No need to get angry or lose your temper when a baby cries. He is your child, krovinushka, the sun and the angel.Check pampers, feed and put to bed, sentencing gentle words.

To cope with postpartum depression, you need to prioritize. The baby must be fed, dry and clean. Cut out 1 hour a day to talk with your spouse, support the marriage. It is important to understand that men also need advice in certain situations. Do not plan for the next year of global changes in life, the appearance of the baby is already such.

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