Life changes dramatically with the advent of a new child. While it is understandable that stress levels may be high and negative emotions common during the adjustment to being on call 24 hours a day, new mothers typically hide these feelings from friends and family members. They mistakenly believe that grateful, loving thoughts and emotions are the only appropriate ones to admit to when dealing with the challenges of new motherhood.
Many new moms fear they will be thought of as unfit mothers if other people knew the truth about their feelings. They may never ask for help because they don't have a baseline sense of what is actually normal and what's not.
To help set the record straight, let's take a look at some symptoms common in new mothers. Fatigue, mood swings, persistent tearfulness, irritability, forgetfulness, anxiety, difficulty concentrating are all perfectly normal within 48 hours after delivering a baby. People typically refer to this experience as the "baby blues." Although the majority of women have to cope with baby blues, the symptoms tend to resolve on their own within two weeks. This is the time it typically takes for a new mother's body to adjust to the stress of delivery and stabilize the massive fluctuations in hormone levels following the birth of a child.
But what if the symptoms are more severe and last longer? What if depression, hopelessness, feelings of vulnerability and inadequacy as a wife and mother, lack of interest in the baby or oneself, low level of daily functioning or severe mood swings are part of the mix? Surely this is crazy, right? Wrong. These symptoms are common in the 10% - 17% of women who experience postpartum depression.
What if the experiences are even more difficult? Is a mother crazy if she has panic attacks, visions of bad things happening to her baby without being able to stop them, obsessions about germs or cleanliness, or other unreasonable fears? Probably not. Women with these symptoms are likely to have postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder.
If we're questioning sanity, what about the sensationalized news stories covering women who think their babies are demonic? What is going on if a new mother hears voices "forcing" them to hurt their babies or themselves?
These moms suffer from postpartum psychosis, at the severe end of the postpartum mood disorder continuum. And yes, if we have to draw the line somewhere, this is it. Fortunately, postpartum psychosis is rare. Just one or two of every thousand women deal with this disorder. They experience visual or auditory hallucinations and delusions that are extremely dangerous. For safety's sake, these are the women in need of immediate medical attention and hospitalization. Their babies must be cared for by someone else, at least for a while.
Here is a good rule of thumb: If a new mother is concerned about her well being and the well being of her child, if she is worried about the thoughts and emotions she experiences, she is still sane. Let's take away the stigma of postpartum mood disorders and encourage new moms to be honest. All the symptoms described here are 100% treatable and help is available.
Many new moms fear they will be thought of as unfit mothers if other people knew the truth about their feelings. They may never ask for help because they don't have a baseline sense of what is actually normal and what's not.
To help set the record straight, let's take a look at some symptoms common in new mothers. Fatigue, mood swings, persistent tearfulness, irritability, forgetfulness, anxiety, difficulty concentrating are all perfectly normal within 48 hours after delivering a baby. People typically refer to this experience as the "baby blues." Although the majority of women have to cope with baby blues, the symptoms tend to resolve on their own within two weeks. This is the time it typically takes for a new mother's body to adjust to the stress of delivery and stabilize the massive fluctuations in hormone levels following the birth of a child.
But what if the symptoms are more severe and last longer? What if depression, hopelessness, feelings of vulnerability and inadequacy as a wife and mother, lack of interest in the baby or oneself, low level of daily functioning or severe mood swings are part of the mix? Surely this is crazy, right? Wrong. These symptoms are common in the 10% - 17% of women who experience postpartum depression.
What if the experiences are even more difficult? Is a mother crazy if she has panic attacks, visions of bad things happening to her baby without being able to stop them, obsessions about germs or cleanliness, or other unreasonable fears? Probably not. Women with these symptoms are likely to have postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder.
If we're questioning sanity, what about the sensationalized news stories covering women who think their babies are demonic? What is going on if a new mother hears voices "forcing" them to hurt their babies or themselves?
These moms suffer from postpartum psychosis, at the severe end of the postpartum mood disorder continuum. And yes, if we have to draw the line somewhere, this is it. Fortunately, postpartum psychosis is rare. Just one or two of every thousand women deal with this disorder. They experience visual or auditory hallucinations and delusions that are extremely dangerous. For safety's sake, these are the women in need of immediate medical attention and hospitalization. Their babies must be cared for by someone else, at least for a while.
Here is a good rule of thumb: If a new mother is concerned about her well being and the well being of her child, if she is worried about the thoughts and emotions she experiences, she is still sane. Let's take away the stigma of postpartum mood disorders and encourage new moms to be honest. All the symptoms described here are 100% treatable and help is available.
About the Author:
Christy Cuellar-Wentz, M.A., is an author and mental health professional specializing in providing postpartum support for the unique challengesof new parenthood. To learn more, visit her website and discover simple secrets to being a new mother and happy too.
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