Depression and New Moms: Is It Postpartum Depression or Just Exhaustion?

Parents are busy people. Always trying to make everyone happy and forgetting to take care of themselves. And if you are a woman who just had a baby, you have those hormones to deal with along with all of the other tasks and the list of to-do items on your plate every single day. Women tend to put everyone else first and we do not think about our own needs until they are pretty much staring us in the face. Especially when it comes to our health. Both physical and mental health is important, especially as a new mom. You cannot properly take care of your family if you do not take care of yourself. So, how can you tell if you are just tired and overworked or if you are suffering from postpartum depression? 

The Signs of Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression is more common than you may think. In fact, more than 10% of women are affected by postpartum depression at least once in their life. You really need to consider talking to a professional but right now you can just think about how you have been feeling lately. Have you been feeling sad or lonely? Thinking you just cannot do this anymore? Maybe you are starting to think that you are never going to be a good mom and that you are doing a horrible job. Are you feeling helpless or overwhelmed? These are some definite signs of depression. Here are some others:

• Sudden bouts of crying for no obvious reason
• Extreme fatigue (more than usual)
• Being tired but you cannot fall asleep or wake up often
• Loss of appetite or eating more than usual
• Weight gain or loss (may be due to the above symptom)
• Lack of interest in things you usually like to do such as your favorite hobbies or watching your favorite shows
• Vague aches and pains or digestive issues
• Having trouble concentrating
• Difficulty making decisions (even little ones like which socks to wear)
• Feeling empty, useless, or hopeless
• Avoiding your loved ones
• Forgetting things more than usual
• Irritability or anger for no obvious reason
• Thinking of hurting yourself or others

Cause of Postpartum Depression

There is no specific cause of postpartum depression in general but there are several risk factors. Some of these include:

• Hormones such as progesterone and estrogen
• Sleep deprivation
• Family history of postpartum depression
• Previous mental health conditions
• Complications during birth
• Premature birth
• Lack of emotional support
• Financial hardship
• Alcohol or drug use
• Relationship issues

Treatment for Postpartum Depression

Although it may be difficult to admit, you have to seek help if you have any of the signs or the above risk factors of postpartum depression. You may think you are strong enough to get through it and while you may be right about that, you do not want to take that chance, do you? Your baby depends on you and so do the rest of your loved ones. And, believe it or not, there are many people who have gone through this and can help you. Talk therapy, counseling, or medication can all be helpful in this situation. Either way, you need to talk to someone right away and you can do this from the comfort of your own home now with online therapy. Just contact a therapist on BetterHelp.com and they will help you through this, no need for an appointment.