How to tell if you need help...
The postpartum adjustment for all family members is often a frightening & confusing experience. A happy and joyful event, the welcoming of a newborn into your family, may also be a source of stress and anxiety during this time of overwhelming change. Everything changes, your body, your family dynamics, the way finances are managed, the amount of laundry and dishes, and most importantly the amount of sleep or lack thereof that you have to deal with while trying to learn how to care for this precious new little person you have been trusted with by God. What a huge responsibility.
For some it may be very daunting and overwhelming, for some others it may be natural and easy. But for everyone it is a life changing event and like any life changing event our body goes through stress and we all deal with it differently.
Because of the way our bodies deal with this major stress, many of us experience postpartum depression or baby blues. There are different levels, but all are treatable. Postpartum depression is experience by many mothers and talked about by so few. Often we feel alone and isolated in our feelings of inadequacy. We feel pressured into being the perfect mom, keeping the perfect house, still tend to the needs of our husband and other children (if there are others), and take care of this sweet helpless baby who is totally dependent on you and didn�t come with an instruction booklet!
Although you need a doctor to diagnose these, you or your partner may be able to recognize some of the warning signs and symptoms to help decide if you need medical attention. Although every woman�s experience is different, just as with childbirth, here are some of the most common symptoms.