In general, the arrival of a new child is a joyful time for the whole family. But for 10-15% of new mothers, their new status will shake up their life leading to nightmares. I know that this isn’t something that is talked about given social stigma. The arrival of a child is supposed to be a happy time! But if this occurs, what does it mean?
The book by Nathalie Parent and Joanne Paquet, titled Du post-partum à la dépression (French only), deals with postpartum depression and help women verbalise their emotions and recognise the experience of other women who talk about their painful experiences after childbirth.
In today’s society sees mothers as superwomen, smiling, happy, efficient. The negative feelings some may feel are less accepted. This is why some women that experience a problematic postpartum isolate themselves. Complaining, being unhappy after having a such a beautiful, healthy baby? Never!
In the health network, we see an increasing number of tired and exhausted mothers. Because of social norms, they expect themselves to be multitaskers, able to do everything and show everyone how capable they are. These women are often a bit older, professionals, independent workers, have a spouse that works too, and they take more on their shoulders which becomes demanding over time. And today’s superwomen have difficulty accepting help, want to do everything by themselves and have difficulty accepting when things don’t go as planned. Parents also expect their child to be perfect! But reality has other plans. Appointments with health specialists (doctor, psychologist, special educators) are also increasing. Over the years that makes quite a burden. The situation can become explosive. Often, mothers find their lives unhappy and want a bit of a break, respite. This can affect the whole family.
During my work, I became aware that many people had never heard about postpartum depression during their pregnancy, and often wrongly thought that it only happened to others. But it’s possible to have negative feels and postpartum depression, and I find it essential to talk about it. Women need to come out of the darkness, get over their feeling of social pressure and should be encouraged to express themselves. I hope that the husband, family and friends can then better understand the signs that the new mother is having difficulty managing on her own during her postpartum. Never ignore a pregnant or new mother’s distress, even if the symptoms don’t seem severe, because it can deteriorate over time and develop into a more profound depression. This can have an impact on the woman’s health, but also on the health of the baby and the rest of the family.
Having a baby is stressfulBaby’s have wide-ranging impacts on a person:
- At the biological level, with hormonal changes
- At the psychological level, with what women think their role of mother should look like
- At the social level, with role changes and social and family transitions
Perinatal (around birth) depression affects many women, depending on the period and risk factors. 11% will be affected during the first trimester, 8.5% during the second trimester, 8.5% the third and 22% during the postpartum period, wich we think is under-estimate.
The postnatal period is a period with significant shifts, and hormonal changes are part of this. Indeed, the hormone estrogen, which provides energy during pregnancy, lowers after childbirth and progesterone cause increased fatigue and an anti-anxiety (anxiolytic) effect, which can lead to depressive symptoms over time. Cortisol also comes into play, which is a hormone that is released when stressed. In everyday life, it can be helpful in moderation to adapt to daily stresses. However, if released in high quantities, it can lead to signs of anxiety and depression in new mothers facing many burdens and responsibilities. Added to a lack of sleep and reorganisation of daily life, 60-80% of women will experience a period of light depression called the baby blues. In the majority of cases, this period is short, between 2-4 weeks after childbirth. But for some, crying, mood swings, impatience, fatigue, lack of interest in pleasure and in general, a persistent feeling of incompetence, a feeling of having difficulty establishing a bond with her baby; symptoms that will intensify over time and evolve into sleep disturbances, eating disorders, intrusive (obsessive) thoughts and general depression.
Helping Depressed Women
It’s not easy to help depressed women. Many mothers will gradually find their balance over time, with help from friends and family, while others will need more help. According to research on the topic, the combination of psychotherapy or psychoeducation and pharmacological treatments lead to better healing rates. A mother’s depression symptoms and length of symptoms can be reduced if she is listened to, takes care of her self, exercises (walking), does yoga, gets acupuncture and respects her body’s limits. Light therapy, couples therapy, stress management and taking omega 3s are also exciting alternatives.
The treatment choice is directly related to the severity of signs and symptoms and their personal decisions.
There are resources available!
There are specialised resources that can help women, couples and families to find their balance. Ask your caregiver for local references that can help before the issue becomes a bigger problem and you can’t function normally in your day-to-day life.
I often repeat this to new mothers – taking care of yourself is also taking care of your baby and family. A healthy mother means a healthy family. Even if for most women the arrival of their child is the happiest moment in their life, sometimes you will need help to get out of a depression and make your life better.
You can watch a live video about postpartum depression I filmed with Nathalie Parent, a psychologist.
Marie Fortier
The Baby Expert
Updated article : October, 2024.
