“PPD” otherwise known as Post-Partum Depression
I wanted to take the time to stress the seriousness of PPD in mothers. I myself, like many of you I’m sure, suffered from severe PPD after the birth of my son. I had a very complicated delivery and the nurses at the hospital warned me numerous times that PPD would be a very likely side effect of my complicated delivery. “Why? I thought…” Here’s why…when you become pregnant, your body starts to produce a huge influx of hormones to support the pregnancy and “train” the body to “soften certain parts”, expand other parts, bend and move different, etc. These hormones are the “road map” for your pregnancy and guide your body through the various stages of your pregnancy and then the completion, the birth. When you give birth, your body is going through a huge hormonal transitioning period, and after the birth, the lack of hormones, or the sudden change in hormones, causes serious effects, including PPD. This is a very natural thing, but also a very serious and important issue to come to terms with.
Weeks after having my son, I couldn’t figure out why the world seemed to be falling onto my shoulders, when this was suppose to be the happiest moment of my life! I couldn’t keep my house clean, pay bills, make dinner, do laundry, spend time with my husband or my new baby. The perfectionist inside of me was SCREAMING… and I finally thought it was time to get help. When I went to the doctor, I told him I had no clue why I was there! I told him my symptoms, extreme fatigue, a feeling of helplessness, thoughts of driving my car into a tree, not interested in sexual activity, and the list goes on. I took a simple hand written test and scored off the charts! Although for the first time in my life a perfect score was not good news! I was put on medication and learned to cope and deal with my new life and circumstances. For me, a spiritual relationship with the Lord saved me, for others, it may be something else.
I came across an article that couldn’t have explained PPD better. I found it very helpful and hoped you would too. Unfortunatly, children do not come with an instruction manual. It’s one of those figure it out on your own deals! There is a lot of expectations we set for ourselves as mom’s and most of them are not realistic! You don’t have to be “supermom” and if you look around, most mom’s aren’t! If you have never experienced PPD, maybe someone you know has/is, and this is a great opportunity to soak up some knowledge and lend a hand. Know Mom’s that this is so common and that it is ok to admit to this! Humility is powerful and sometimes it is our only hope! If you have any feelings similar to what I have described, I would highly encourage you to seek out help! There is tons of information out there available to you. Use it!
http://www.quantumparenting.com/articles/28/
