6 years old, I officially became a novice mother this year, and my life has changed drastically. On one side, there is a hungry baby who lacks rest, and staying up late, hair loss becomes inevitable; on the other side, there is a family with different ideas, lack of understanding, and conflicts are about to break out.
During the puerperal period (within 42 days after delivery), my emotional state gradually became anxious. At first, I was particularly sensitive and was particularly sad and crying when I encountered problems. In addition, my baby was born with a high jaundice and lived in an insulated box and could not accompany him. I even once doubted whether I could be a good mother.
Half a month after giving birth, the emotional state gradually evolved into pessimism and despair, severe lack of sleep, drowsy and random thoughts every day, the world you see when you open your eyes every day is dim and desperate, and even thought about jumping down from the upper floor.
According to relevant scholars, the probability of postpartum depression is as high as 45% , among which mothers with have nearly 30% have thoughts of self-harm. So how to determine whether postpartum depression exists? You can choose a professional test - Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS), or compare whether the following situations exist:
. Loss of appetite; 2. Insomnia; 3. Depression; 4. Anxiety; 5. Tiredness
If the above situations exist, there is a high probability that you have a tendency to depression. It is recommended that all mothers and family members should pay attention to it.
What are the dangers of postpartum depression?
The first thing is to affect family harmony. On one hand, there are family members who are happy and hurt themselves on the other hand, which is more likely to have negative emotions. After all, there is harm in comparison.
will secondly affect the baby's nurturing. Relevant scholars have shown that the quality of colostrum is related to postpartum depression. Most hospitals will recommend that babies suck within 48 hours after delivery, which is convenient for breastfeeding in time. However, mothers suffering from postpartum depression will have lower levels of TGF-β1 and TGF-β3 in colostrum, which will affect the baby's healthy development.
So you must always remind yourself to be a happy mother so that you will have a healthy baby.
What are the factors affecting postpartum depression (try to avoid it in advance)?
Some scholars have shown that the new labor standard has an impact on postpartum depression: The prolonged labor duration increases the risk of postpartum depression. Mothers who have a second labor schedule of more than 2 hours, have a disability in the delivery method, have a strong willingness to breastfeed but do not meet expectations, will have a tendency to postpartum depression.
For "second-child" mothers, age ≥35 years old, high-risk pregnancy, no occupation, poor sleep, prenatal depression, health problems in the baby, poor relationship with their parents-in-law, care for the postpartum period, etc., these will more or less increase the risk of postpartum depression for mothers.
How to deal with postpartum depression?
, obtain family understanding and emotional communication. The empathy of the family, especially the husband, will feel like the spring breeze, very warm and more powerful. Maintaining a certain amount of communication will promote emotional warming and emotional stability.
. Adhere to the couple not to separate the house and take care of the baby together. Do not give the burden of raising children to mothers, so that mothers can raise children easily.
3. It is up to the mother to decide how to take care of the child. Most families will point fingers at parenting issues. One sentence after another leads to a surge in conflicts and conflicts. Moms are the ones who know their babies the best. Everything must be based on their opinions.
4. Reduce expectations and don’t be a perfect mother. Mom should have lower requirements for herself. You are not omnipotent, so don’t take care of all the work.
5. Have a certain scientific understanding of postpartum depression. Scientifically understand postpartum depression, not fear, not timid, and face problems directly.
6. Encourage mothers to vent their emotions in a timely manner. can talk about difficulties with your family, or cry to release negative emotions in a timely manner.
7. Actively exercise and quickly restore your body.
8. Avoid taking care of the puerperal period of my in-laws. try to be taken care of by the confinement center or confinement nanny as much as possible.
9. Seek help from a specialist. If you cannot control your emotions, you can choose to seek medical treatment in time.
My puerperal period was so collapsed that I couldn't extricate myself, and I "washed my face with tears" every day.
Now, looking at the well-behaved and cute angel baby in my arms, I can sigh "Be a mother, be strong"!
References:
【1】Jin Wenlan, Chen Zhiqing, and Xu Guoqin. "Construction of influencing factors and nomogram prediction model of postpartum depression in "second child" mother." Chinese Journal of Eugenics and Genetics 30.09(2022):1619-1624. doi:10.13404/j.cnki.cjbhh.2022.09.011.
【2】Cheng Yiheng, Wu Lianzhi, and Wang Gaohua. "Factors influencing postpartum depression tendency under the new standard of delivery." Journal of Wuhan University (Medical Edition) .. doi:10.14188/j.1671-8852.2021.0921.
