The transition from being single to becoming a mother requires some level of readiness and maturity. It entails some responsibilities which could not be handed over to another – couples usually have to face everything on their own. While help from relatives is within reach, the ideal way of entering this stage is to be prepared for what lies ahead. After all that merry celebrations of wedding and honeymoon, a major change follows that phase of having a baby. The mother is put on test on the initial stage after childbirth. Here, many a mother encounter postpartum depression.
Well, probably, you’ve heard about that or experienced it yourself already. We cannot over-emphasize how serious it is, the factual accounts from real mothers would attest to all those hardships that one has to overcome. But this is not a one-woman battle. There are outlets that can be counted on – medical practitioners are one. Good thing is, we have numerous drugs and other forms of treatments available today. Once you get to that point of needing help for this kind of depression, you may just work with a doctor and choose the right course of treatment for you. For now, we’ve selected the most essential aspects and information on the subject to serve as your quick guide:
How is Postpartum Depression Diagnosed?
By medical evaluation. As you consult with your doctor, you will be asked of certain questions so he can assess your condition and make an accurate diagnosis. Primarily, questions would revolve around your emotional state, thoughts, and other similar things. And part of this procedure, the doctor may also do a ketamine postpartum depression screening by the use of an appropriate questionnaire, request a blood test to determine internal factors that cause or contribute to the depression, and perform other examinations to confirm or rule out other possible causes of symptoms.
What Are the Symptoms?
Initially after childbirth, you’ll experience baby blues symptoms which commonly last only for days or a week. You may have mood swings, anxiety, sleep problems, sadness, and irritability among others. But the postpartum depression is larger than that. It has more serious symptoms. Once you experience the following, it is advisable to consult a doctor for proper and effective treatment: excessive crying, loss of appetite, social withdrawal, extreme fatigue, intense irritability, restlessness, harmful thoughts, and even the thought of ending one’s life. If these are left untreated, the depression may last for many months or even longer.
What are the Treatment Options Available?
Once the diagnosis is confirmed, the doctor would discuss the available treatments that are best suited for you based on medical assessments. The two most common types of intervention are psychotherapy and administration of anti-depressant drugs. In therapy, the session involves free communication with the doctor about things that concern or bother you. Through this, you can discuss the best coping mechanisms to help you handle everything that matters to you at any given moment. While with anti-depressants, a prescription of the low-risk drugs will be given to minimize any side effects as you breastfeed. But here’s another remedy: Ketamine for post-partum is now a viable option as it’s been proven to be an effective drug that alleviates the symptoms of many types of depression including this one. You can ask your doctor about that – it may be well suited for your condition.
Are There Any Natural Remedies to Cope?
Of course, there are some home remedies. You can get some relief just by making a commitment to handle the postpartum as effectively as you can. A few of the helpful things that you can resort to without medication, or a combination, of both, include: having healthy lifestyle choices, making time for yourself, setting realistic expectations, avoiding isolation, and seeking out the needed help. These all involve some sort of personal discipline ranging from the physical exercises to the foods that you eat, how much sleep you get, and what you inhibit yourself from. You also need to adjust some habits to handle certain symptoms accordingly. If you’re used to a passive way of living every day, then the situation you’re in would require you to set priorities accordingly to prevent disappointments that could aggravate your condition. Consulting with the right healthcare professional is also a wise decision – and it’s pretty natural.
As you learn more about post-partum depression, you’ll eventually discover that although it is inevitable to go through to some degree, yet there are various ways that you can manage the symptoms and other consequences in your personal life. The other side of the matter is worth keeping as an inspiration: the happiness and satisfaction you get from finally having your baby is priceless. And that kind of joy can bring the healing that no other forms of treatment could probably match.
Louie is the father behind the travel blog Browseeverywhere.com. He has a background in photography, E-commerce, and writing product reviews online at ConsumerReviews24. Traveling full time with his family was his ultimate past-time. If he’s not typing at his laptop, you can probably find him watching movies.