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Journalism of Courage
Actor Alia Bhatt may have opened about postpartum therapy and a mother’s guilt while juggling her various roles as actor-producer and brand endorser. But this has been a mental health issue for working women across the world. Seldom do we realise that young women, who are just experiencing motherhood, learning the ropes and may not have reference templates to lean on, are growing into a new role and need all the support.
As the name indicates, blues are times of tearfulness, confusion, sleeplessness, mood swings and irritability-in other words, overwhelmed feelings due to the new responsibility. They start after delivery and last for the initial couple of weeks after it. The reasons for those are major hormonal changes which happen post-delivery, changes in the body, discomfort and pain, lack of sleep, breastfeeding adjustments, a sudden shift of the relatives’ attention and care from the would-be mother in pregnancy to the baby after delivery, and of course, tending to the newborn every two hours.
In urban settings, the prevalence of post-partum blues is higher as an extended support system is often lacking, although medical facilities are excellent. Post-partum depression may start anywhere between four weeks to three months of delivery and is a lot more serious in terms of symptoms with severe depressogenic thoughts. There may even be thoughts of harming yourself and the baby. Post-partum depression needs proper management through medication, but these tips could be helpful:
Acknowledge your feelings, whatever they may be. Most of the time, people expect a new mother to be on top of the world or bond immediately with the baby. This may not be the case for many first-time mothers. Acknowledge the discomfort or the sense of being overwhelmed and don’t feel guilty about it. It gets better gradually.
1) Get enough and good sleep: One should sincerely follow grandma’s advice that you should sleep when the baby sleeps. Your body and mind both need it in the post-partum period.
2) Make sure you are getting a wholesome and nutritious diet: Often in urban settings, nutrition is ignored due to a lack of helping hands, which causes further anxiety. A healthy post-partum eating plan is crucial to keep bone loss at bay, replenish your iron reserves, and most importantly, promote milk production. Staying hydrated is very important if you are breastfeeding, as breast milk is 87 per cent water. So, less water intake can leave you dehydrated and feeling tired. Good protein supplement is generally recommended for the first two months after delivery for quick recovery from post-partum losses. This should be in addition to a good protein-rich diet, which should include legumes, eggs and milk products. Prenatal multivitamin and iron, and calcium supplements should be continued for at least six weeks after delivery. Good munching options include nuts and dry fruits, which are loaded with good fats and antioxidants.
3) Connect to new moms over the phone or in a virtual group. Their experiences are very helpful in managing your issues.
4) Sleep with the baby and try to establish a breastfeeding routine as early as possible. It reduces a lot of stress, promotes bonding and is comforting for you and the baby.
5) Set aside some time for yourself. Take a stroll in the sunlight to uplift your mood or sit alone in the balcony with your morning and evening tea/coffee for whatever time you can afford.
6) Delegate work at home, learn to say no and don’t hesitate to ask for help when you need it.
7) Most importantly, everyone takes variable time to get adjusted to this new phase. So, give yourself a reasonable amount of time, say two to four weeks, to develop the bond and wear your new role comfortably.
8) If the symptoms worsen over the course of time, please talk to a psychiatrist.
