Effects of Postpartum Depression on the Mother and Child essay sample

Postpartum depression is one of the unpleasant consequences which comes along with a pregnancy. The whole nine months may seem like a real challenge to a family as the mood of a pregnant woman can be hardly predicted. As the moment of childbirth comes, everyone expects to release the tension and live a happy family life again. But sometimes women remain upset and angry at themselves and the whole world even if the child is perfectly healthy and there is no reason to worry. Women can remain in a sorry state even for several weeks after the childbirth which immediately results in the child and the whole family.

Postpartum depression is not a whim or a nasty character. It is rather a complication from giving birth which results in stress and anxiety. This outcome may be stimulated by the hormones released during the childbirth, however, the hormonal imbalance itself is not a reason for a postpartum depression. The risk factors include either a personal predisposition to depression or having family members with a disorder. Besides, financial problems and poor family interaction always make a way for depression.

First of all, depression affects mother’s health. Being depressed for months, women risk developing a chronic depressive disorder. Continual anxiety is inevitably reflected in the woman’s social environment. The father can become either anxious or angry at his wife who cannot properly take care of a child because she is upset. And, of course, children especially feel that something is wrong with their mother. Postpartum depression may stimulate anxiety in kids, emotional separation from their mothers, as well as sleep and eating disorders.