Disclosure: collaborative post
Postpartum depression (PPD) is when a mother feels depression shortly after giving birth. Usually, it’s within 4-6 weeks after having a baby. If you are developing PPD, you may wonder how long it will last, and whether or not you should seek help for it. Let’s find out.
But First
If you are suffering from severe depression, anxiety, or have another mental health problem, it’s important that you seek help for any issue you may have. ReGain may be able to help you with any problem that you may have. Check out Regain today and see how much of a difference it can make.
Postpartum Depression or Mood Swings?
When it comes to pregnancy, having mood swings and some slight depression during and after pregnancy is common, and is not something you need help for. This is known as the baby blues, and it usually goes away with time. There is a lot to stress over having a baby, from financial strain to hoping that you’re a good parent.
With PPD, there are many worse symptoms. These include:
- You feel withdrawn from everyone.
- You are depressed and are crying a lot.
- You can’t sleep (and not because of the baby crying,) or you sleep too much
- You don’t feel hungry.
- You feel irritable or angry for no reason.
- You feel like you won’t be a good mother.
- You lose interest in your favorite activities.
- Finally, you feel hopeless and like you are unable to move on. In a case of suicidal thoughts or self-harm, it’s important that you seek help immediately.
PPD is usually due to a hormonal imbalance that happens after you give birth. If you have PPD, you may wonder how long it will last.
How Long Can it Last?
The challenge with depression is that it differs from person to person. Some mothers may have depression for only a month or two, and then feel fine.
Meanwhile, some mothers may develop chronic depression. For some mothers, it’s been years since they’ve given birth, and they still feel hopeless and unable to function in most of their day to day lives. It doesn’t have to be like this. The sooner you seek help, the better. Then you can manage the symptoms and start to feel normal again.
If you feel this way, it’s important that you seek treatment. Your mental health is as important as your physical health. If you get the help you need, most women recover within the baby’s first year.
How You Can Combat Depression
Combatting depression is a challenge, but if you fight back against it by making changes in your life, you can be able to reduce its symptoms. Here are a few ways you can combat depression.
- Exercise and eat right. Working out can do more than help to get your pre-pregnancy body back; it releases chemicals in your brain that makes you feel great.
- Spend more time with your children and do some activities they may like. For some great ideas on what you can do, you can click here or go here for some unique ideas.
- Make sure you are sleeping well and not oversleeping, or not sleeping at all. Of course, depression can cause sleeping issues. Unwinding can make you sleep better, but if you are still having problems, talking to a doctor may be the best move you can do.
- Finally, if you still need help, talk to a counsellor or a therapist about your problems.
- Your doctor may prescribe you anti-depressants to combat the imbalance in your brain. These will likely be a short term solution.
If left untreated, PPD can last for a long time. However, if you treat it, you can reduce its severity. PPD can last a long time, so don’t treat it like a phase. Instead, you should treat it like something serious and be able to make life changes from there.
