Post-Partum Depression - Free Yourself

Every woman experiences the doldrums or lapses into a funk at some point. After all, whether you are single or not, have kids or no kids – we live in a time-starved, über multi-tasker, perfectionist society. You wake up before the cows come, eat your South Beach Diet High Protein Bar, feed/dress/drop off /take kids somewhere, fight traffic and enslave yourself 8 hours plus “to the man”, pick up/drop off kids, take a night school course, work out and wake up after 6 hours to do it all over again. Is it feeling like the movie “Groundhog Day” or is it just me? And did I leave anything out? I am sure I did.
It’s no wonder why we are all feeling spent and vacant. At what point did you spend time for yourself and make sure all of your physical, psychological, and emotional needs were met? You know who you are. You are every woman. So when is it clinically Post-Partum Depression (PPD) and when is it time to get help?

Now bear in mind, I am not a doctor and do not have any medical background. The only experience I have with this matter is that I am going through it myself. This article is meant to satisfy reader interest only and is not meant to be diagnostic in any way. I hope that if you feel that you may be experiencing Post-Partum Depression, this article will induce you to get the help you may need.

According to a WebMD.com article, some signs and symptoms include:

1. depressed mood, tearfulness, hopelessness, feeling empty inside, anxiety;

2. loss of pleasure in all/some of your daily activities;

3. appetite/weight change;

4. sleep problems;

5. noticeable change in how you walk and talk, you are either restless or sluggish;

6. extreme fatigue or loss of energy;

7. feelings of worthlessness or guilt;

8. difficulty concentrating and making decisions;

9. thoughts about death or suicide, fleeting frightening thoughts of harming your baby: these thoughts tend to be fearful thoughts, rather than intent to harm

This article also states that some women experience “Baby Blues” which are a temporary, mild form of PPD, peak at the 4th day and subside in less than two weeks. Conversely, there is Post-Partum Psychosis. This is a severe form of PPD that may include hallucination, delusional thinking, and a high risk of injury to yourself or others, which requires immediate, emergency attention.

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