Postpartum Depression Essay

Thesis: Postpartum depression is a mood disorder that can greatly effect new mothers. Knowing how to recognize their symptoms and treating it can greatly increase chances of a healthy, happy living.

Often the time after birth is a filled with joy and happiness due to the arrival of a new baby. However, for some mothers the birth of a baby leads to some complicated feelings that are unexpected. Up to 85% of postpartum woman experience a mild depression called “baby blues” (Lowdermilk, Perry, Cashion, & Alden, 2012). Though baby blues is hard on these mothers, another form of depression, postpartum depression, can be even more debilitating to postpartum woman. Postpartum depression affects about 15% (Lowdermilk et al., 2012) of postpartum woman. This disorder is not only distressing to the mother but to the whole family unit. This is why it is important for the nurse to not only recognize the signs and symptoms of a mother with postpartum depression, but also hopefully provide preventative care for the benefit of everyone involved.

Post Partum depression causes a new mother to become depressed to a severe extent. PPD causes its patients to fall to an uncomfortable mental state. PPD patients feel discouraged, hostile,

Postpartum Depression also referred to as “the baby blues” is depression that is suffered by a mother following the birth of her child that typically arises from the combination of hormonal changes and fatigue, as well as the psychological adjustment to becoming a mother. Most mothers will feel depressed or anxious after the birth of their child, however it turns into postpartum depression when is lasts longer than two weeks, and if treatment is not sought after a month, it could continue to worsen severely.

Postpartum depression in a common experience for newer mothers to have after childbirth. It is meant to last only a few days but can extend for a few months if it is severe. It is thought that it is caused by extreme hormonal shifts in the body after childbirth. If not treated in time, it has a potential chance harm the mother or the child. It is important that the mother feels appreciated and respected during this time. This article will help by giving further information in postpartum depression and further help the claims of how gender roles can further depression.

Postpartum depression interferes with the care a mother is able to provide to her infant and can occur right after birth or up to several months later. The exact cause of postpartum depression (PPD) is not known but research has thought it can be related to changes in hormone levels and changes in lifestyle. Most women do experience the “baby blues” and feel anxious, tearful and irritated in the first weeks after delivery. These feelings however usually go away. Postpartum

According to the CDC, current research shows that postpartum depression (PPD) is a complication that effects 1-8 women after they give birth. It is when the mother experiences depression after giving birth that is the result of hormone changes, adjustments to motherhood and fatigue. It is one of the most common diseases after the mother gives birth and is often underdiagnosed and overlooked. PPD can cause complication that not only affect the mother but also the baby by breaking the mother-infant bond. PPD can lead to a lack of social and emotional support to the baby during its critical period of life according to the CDC. There are experiences that put some women at higher risks for developing postpartum depression than others women. Some risk factors discussed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are low social supports, stress, culture, multiple births, and economic standings. Some of these risk factors are shown in case A which involves a Latino family that includes a father that is 31 years in age, mother who is 30 years of age, a 5-year-old son and an 8 -week old daughter. The main idea of this case was that the mother was starting to develop postpartum depression after the birth of her last daughter.

Postpartum major depression is a type of depression that affecting as many as eighty percent of new mothers at some point in their childs first few weeks of infancy. Scientists have categorized their findings on postpartum depression into three basic categories. These include: the conditions surrounding the birth of the child, diagonosis and treatment of the disease, and the the long term affects of postpartum depression on the mother`s child. Postpartum major depression is not to be confused with Postpartum Psychosis, which is a rare condition with some bizarre symptoms including: confusion and disorientation, hallucinations and delusions, paranoia, and attempts to harm oneself or the baby. One mother who

Just like women, men are affected by postpartum depression. Postpartum depression also called postnatal depression (PPD) is a depression that occur in a women after she gave birth but also in men after 3-6 weeks. Symptoms such as fatigue, exhaustion, sadness, memory loss and others may go unrecognized until it compromised the father’s daily functioning. From experience, I can say that “Dads get postpartum depression, too” is accurate about postpartum in fathers. Depression is unrelated to childbirth while PPD occurs after the birth of a baby.

Postpartum depression is a category of depression that can occur when a mother has a baby. The symptoms of postpartum depression are similar to the symptoms of major depression. Postpartum depression is often experienced during the first month that the baby is born (Bolyn 2017). Some women experience postpartum depression during pregnancy (Bolyn 2017). A few symptoms of postpartum depression are excessive crying, loss of appetite, feelings of hopelessness, and difficulty concentrating (Bolyn 2017). Teen pregnancy contributes to a small percentage of women who are diagnosed with postpartum depression (Bolyn 2017). A pregnant woman is considered a teen mom if she is from the ages of

The birth of a child can be a very exciting time in a mother's life, but sometime the feeling of excitement can be overshadowed by extreme mood swings, uncontrollable crying, the feeling of sadness, the loss of appetite, feeling angry followed by anxiety and restlessness. These are all symptoms of postpartum depression. Postpartum depression is a severe mental disorder that some time will occur after giving birth or after being pregnant. According to research postpartum depression usually will occur within a year after giving birth. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 11 to 20% of women who give birth each year have postpartum depression symptoms. ). Although researchers have not been able to determine one main

According to Kimani (2016) postpartum depression is a mood disorder that has an affect on 10-15% of women worldwide. Symptoms of postpartum depression include sleep deprivation, low energy, a feeling of loss control over life, and anxiety of caring for the infant. Therefore, postpartum can result in the infant being underweight, and or stunt their growth. This study correlated that low-income women are more likely to experience postpartum depression.

Mothers who have brought into this world a blessing have been preparing themselves for a big change in their life. They have been learning and educating themselves about how to be a good mother. Many mothers find it really hard to transition from being an independent woman without children to becoming a mother (Corrigan, Kwasky, & Groh, 2015). Adapting to motherhood can be a drastic change, and usually creates challenges that lead to feeling overwhelmed (Leger & Letourneau, 2015). When a newly mother begins experiencing stress or becomes emotional then there can be a possibility that they can encounter Postpartum Depression (Leger et al., 2015). Postpartum depression can be seen and experienced in many different ways, it all varies on every mother (Corrigan et al., 2015). Many different mental health issues can be seen including baby blues, postpartum depression, postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder, and the most serious, postpartum psychosis (Tam & Leslie, 2001).

Child Birth can most definitely be a life-altering event that many women will experience at one point or another during their lifetime. The occasion is often described by many as a beautiful, joyful, awe inspiring process. Usually, most women are overjoyed at the news of their pregnancy. They often impatiently await the conclusion of their nine- month gestation in order to meet their new “bundle of joy” however; the arrival of a baby is not always a happy event for many mothers. Society typically paints a glorious picture of new motherhood where the mother instantly experiences a connecting bond with their child however, realistically, not every mother immediately makes this connection with their baby at

Are there identifiable factors that put women at risk for the development of postpartum depression? Predictors of Postpartum Depression, a study performed between January 2004 and June 2011 at the University Obstetric Clinic attempted to examine a wide range of factors that could put women at risk for the development of PPD. Those factors included socio-demographics, risky health behaviors, history of depression, and medical illness prior to pregnancy, as well as, antenatal issues, and birth outcomes (Kalton, 2014). Postpartum depression has often been described as the “baby blues”. It is common for women to experience some feelings of being sad, anxious, worried, overly tired, tearful, sad, stressed, and or just overwhelmed after the birth of their baby. However postpartum depression is much more than “baby blues”. An estimated 1 out of 7 women in America experience some form of postpartum depression (American Psychological Association, 2017). Postpartum depression is a disorder that can affect women after childbirth. Mothers with postpartum depression have difficulties completing activities of daily living due to exhaustion and sleep deprivation. They experience intense sadness, and anxiety for no apparent reason. This can have negative consequences for mother and baby by affecting bonding, in turn causing eating, sleeping, and behavior issues for the baby as it grows (National Institute of Mental Health, 2016).