Women may experience a variety of mood swings in their life, but maternal depression is an especially disturbing condition that brings a huge discomfort to women who have already given a birth or are only about to deliver a baby. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 10 percent of women face “baby blues” or any other form of postpartum depression. Birth of a baby is a serious event in a family life, but commonly it is the mother who becomes extremely vulnerable after her pregnancy is over. In fact, all women experience a huge stress during delivery, but they also react differently to it.
Maternal depression is diagnosed on symptoms and characteristic behavior of the mother. Sadness, anxiety, and pessimism that come along with irritability or unexplained rage are the common indicators that the mother clearly needs help. In some cases, women have physical manifestations of their depression such as overeating or loss of appetite. Postpartum depression happens as a natural result to a rapid change of the hormones during the delivery. Hormonal imbalance can pass quickly, but some women have difficulties with getting back to their everyday life.
Postpartum depression is a treatable condition that poses no danger to woman’s health when addressed on time. Support of the family means a lot to the pregnant women. An unstable situation in the family frequently triggers anxiety which is a common cause of depression. In some cases, medical treatment is required. It is highly important that depressed mothers came through this process of adaptation quickly because a long-term withdrawal from the child may be even more damaging to all the family.