Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression (PPD), also called postnatal depression, is a form of clinical depression which can affect women, and less frequently men, after childbirth. Studies report prevalence rates among women from 5% to 25%, but methodological differences among the studies make the actual prevalence rate unclear. Among men, in particular new fathers, the incidence of postpartum depression has been estimated to be between 1.2% and 25.5%.[1] Postpartum depression occurs in women after they have carried a child, usually in the first few months, and may last up to several months or even a year.[2] Symptoms include sadness, fatigue, changes in sleeping and eating patterns, reduced libido, crying episodes, anxiety, and irritability. It is sometimes assumed that postpartum depression is caused by a lack of vitamins,[3] but studies tend to show that more likely causes are the significant changes in a woman's hormones during pregnancy[citation needed]. On the other hand, hormonal treatment has not helped postpartum depression victims. Many women recover because of a support group or counseling.[4][5]


Postpartum Exhaustion (PPE)

PPE is caused by sleep deprivation coupled with hormonal changes in a woman's body shortly after giving birth. It may be mild or severe. Most cases are noted in women who have babies with severe colic or other underlying causes that result in abnormal sleep schedules. PPE is not the same as postpartum depression, but can be classified as a postpartum depression even though exhaustion is usually only caused from extreme fatigue. Medical treatment is minimal. PPE can last from 1 to 20 days and responds with adequate amounts of sleep.[citation needed]



Maternity blues

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
"Baby blues" redirects here. For other uses, see Baby Blues (disambiguation).
The postpartum blues, maternity blues, or baby blues is a transient (usually dissolves in a few days) condition that 75-80% of mothers could experience shortly after childbirth with a wide variety of symptoms which generally involve mood lability, tearfulness, and some mild anxiety and depressive symptoms. Baby blues is not postpartum depression, unless it is abnormally severe.

Causes

After the placenta is delivered, the placental "hormone factory" shuts down causing radical changes in hormone levels, and the woman can suffer symptoms due to withdrawal from the high pregnancy levels of oestrogen, progesterone and endorphins. Combined with this shift in hormone levels is the physical, mental and emotional exhaustion - as well as sleep deprivation typical of parenting a newborn. All of these factors contribute to the condition.
It can also be normal for the ovaries (having been virtually inactive for the last six months of the pregnancy) to take a number of weeks to return to producing normal pre-pregnancy hormone levels.
This condition may also be associated with thyroid dysfunction.[1]
An association with serotonin has been suggested.[2]

Symptoms

  • Weepiness and bursting into tears.
  • Sudden mood swings.
  • Anxious and hypersensitive to criticism.
  • Low spirits and irritability.
  • Poor concentration and indecisiveness.
  • Feeling 'unbonded' with baby.
  • Restless insomnia.

Baby pinks

Instead of suffering the baby blues, some women experience baby pinks when they are overly and illogically on top of the world (a mild to severe form of mania). These symptoms can sometimes be a trigger for a pending depressive imbalance, such as postpartum depression or postnatal psychosis.[citation needed]