Postpartum depression also known as postnatal depression or PPD is a combination of multiple symptoms that appears immediately after childbirth. Even though mothers are the ones that get affected by this symptom, fathers can suffer from several symptoms as well. When talking about the mother, it is important to notice and treat the symptoms rapidly, before the affection turns into actual depression. During this period, mothers need full emotional support, along with leading a healthier life and taking care of themselves better.

The most common symptoms of postpartum depression include low energy, crying episodes, insomnia and anxiety. Dealing with each one individually will help the mother get over postpartum depression in a short period of time. If these symptoms are ignored, they can lead to other serious affection. Insomnia can lead to exhaustion and triples the risk of developing a cardiac disease, it can worsen anxiety and cause a major lack of energy. This article is supposed to describe each symptom and give viable solutions to diminish or eliminate them from your life. Postpartum depression can easily be remedied by adopting a series of healthy habits and by offering the mother strong moral support. Here’s the list:

Dealing with low energy

Fatigue is a common symptom of postpartum depression and it usually lasts a few months after childbirth. First of all, the body recovers from an incredible physical and mental challenge. Sleep becomes fragmented and it doesn’t seem restorative any longer, fatigue seems to be present at all times. What’s there to do? Well, saving all the energy you can and strictly organizing your time are the first steps you should consider. Relax your standards when it comes to house chores and let someone else help you when you feel you can no longer face all the responsibilities you have. Getting rest whenever you find a quite moment is an absolute necessity. If you feel tired not physically, but mentally, you might want to engage yourself in relaxing activities or some moments for yourself only.

Friends and family are always welcomed to come help you or you can even hire a night nurse, so that you can get your sleep and recover from this permanent state of fatigue. Fatigue also has to do with your diet. When occupied with taking care of a newborn, you might forget to eat, or you choose processed food over cooking, which is quite obvious given the lack of time, but you need to balance things down. Healthy food choices will sustain your energy properly. Caffeine and sweets should be avoided. Quick pick-ups won’t make up for the lack of sleep. Vitamins and other supplements specially purposed for postpartum depression can also help you with fatigue.

Crying episodes – why they happen and how to stop them

You probably heard about the term baby blues. Because of the overwhelming number of new responsibilities that enters your life once you give birth, you might be scared and feel tearful, irritable or restless. Baby blues represent mood changes that act as biological responses to the hormonal imbalances happening inside your body at the moment. Baby blues usually last a few weeks after giving birth, but it is important not to let these mood changes keep you from doing what you have to do both for yourself and your child or to make you slide into severe depression.

You should treat the problem with patience and recognize the symptoms as early as possible. The physical symptoms include no energy at all (regardless of the moment of the day), loss of appetite, and feeling tired even after getting a full night sleep. The mental states involved are anxiety disorders, worrying too much, feeling confused, feeling sad and overwhelmed, not trusting your own powers and so on.

Finally, you will notice certain behavior reactions such as hyperactivity, sensitivity, irritability, lack of feelings for your child and lots of crying. At this stage, you need a tremendous amount of moral support and you need to spend some moments with yourself, doing what you love and rediscovering who you really are. Keep in mind that uncontrollable crying and mood disorders are strictly caused by biochemical reactions in your body. There is nothing to feel guilty about. These moods will pass, and – as long as you keep your moral up – you will get over PPD successfully, without much effort involved. The secret is to permanently be surrounded by the ones you love, by people who see things as they are and might help you clear your perception.

Insomnia and anxiety

There is a strong correlation between insomnia and developing anxiety disorders. PPD is actually causing both of them, and if ignored, these symptoms can strongly affect a mother’s capacity to look after her children. PPD causes the mother trouble with falling asleep or maintaining an all-night sleep. When insomnia becomes chronic, it is associated with anxiety disorders and severe depression. Besides the installation of PPD, insomnia is also caused by the sleep pattern of the child. The first twelve to sixteen weeks after childbirth, mothers can suffer from sleep deprivation. In order to avoid losing sleep over this pattern, try to create a routine in order to get the baby used with your circadian rhythm.

This should be a guide to improving your sleep easily. Plan your sleeping hours beforehand and stick to the plans you make, without trying to accomplish more than you can handle. You should start sticking with a healthy diet and avoid eating before sleep. A short exercising program to engage yourself in every single day might also help you sleep better during the night. It is obvious that having a baby drastically reduces the time you can offer to yourself but planning each moment of your day is essential. While your baby sleeps, you can quickly do some squats and crunches to get your daily dose of happy hormones and tire your body enough for obtaining a deep sleep. Follow a strict routine and you’ll no longer face trouble with insomnia.