Responsibilities as a parent after giving birth, anxiety about childcare, and balancing with housework can leave you mentally and physically exhausted. Postpartum depression is a type of depression that makes you feel down and irritable. In addition to these mental symptoms, physical symptoms such as headaches and insomnia may also appear.
It is important to be aware that postpartum depression symptoms can become severe in a relatively short period of time.
Here we will explain some of the possible causes of postpartum depression.
Causes of postpartum depression
- Cause 1: Anxiety about raising children
- Cause 2: Chronic lack of sleep and fatigue
- Reason 3: Lack of understanding and support from family members
- Reason 4: Changes in your mindset about becoming a mother
- Cause 5: Stress from the surroundings
- Reason 6: Past experience of depression
Postpartum depression can be caused by just one thing, so if you have multiple factors, you need to be especially careful.
Cause 1: Anxiety about raising children
Raising a child takes up a large part of your mental health. While taking care of your baby, such as feeding and bathing, you also need to educate them as they grow, and do housework. You may find yourself worrying about whether you can take on the responsibility of raising a child while also working on various other tasks, and you may end up taking on things that you don't need to, and your head may become filled with tasks. Everyone has a set capacity, which varies from person to person. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that if a person exceeds that limit, they will experience mental problems.Cause 2: Chronic lack of sleep and fatigue
After giving birth, you have to breastfeed your baby every 2 to 3 hours until it is about 3 months old. Therefore, it becomes difficult to get enough sleep and rest after giving birth. Lack of sleep can easily exacerbate mental disorders and leave you exhausted both physically and mentally.Reason 3: Lack of understanding and support from family members
Are you feeling the pressure of unavoidable responsibilities in a stressful situation where you are tired? If you are in an environment where it is difficult for others to understand you, you will fall deeper into postpartum depression. Even if you confide your painful feelings to your parents or husband, they will not understand, which will lead to stress, and you will not realize that your fatigue is gradually accumulating! You will become depressed.Reason 4: Changes in your mindset about becoming a mother
After giving birth, some women may find it difficult to adapt to the changes in their mindset as they become a mother.You have to assume the role of "mother" which is different from your previous role. Until you get used to it, you may feel stressed because you can't live your life as you used to. You are often alone with your baby all day, and feelings of isolation and loneliness from society can lead to postpartum depression.
Cause 5: Stress from the surroundings
After giving birth, mothers are busy taking care of their infants. Therefore, if people around them disrupt their pace or say inconsiderate things to them, they feel even more stressed than usual. They may even close themselves off to people close to them, such as their husbands or parents.
Cause 6: Past trauma and depression
Past trauma or a history of depression before or during pregnancy can make you more susceptible to developing postpartum depression.
If you have a history of depression, you should tell your doctor or midwife in advance so that they can come up with measures to deal with the situation.
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Of course it can lead to depression! A husband who is irritated and doesn't do housework.