Depression and Anxiety During Pregnancy and After Birth: Frequently Asked Questions

Prenatal depression is something every woman needs to know. Pregnancy is an exciting period for every woman. It is characterized by the emergence of a wide palette of sensations. Of course, the expectant mother is happy about the imminent appearance of the child, but not in all cases it can be said that this happiness is absolute. Sometimes there are situations when a woman feels completely unhappy. She blames herself for not feeling the happiness she deserves, and as a result, she sinks even more into depression...

Why does prenatal depression develop?

There are many factors that trigger the development of prenatal depression. These include illness during pregnancy, stressful life circumstances (for example, relocation), previous lost or complicated pregnancies, past or present violence, financial difficulties and social instability. According to statistics, about eighty percent of prenatal depression is provoked by troubles in the family and discord in relations with the husband. A common cause of the development of prenatal depression is the personal characteristics of women. Young mothers are often afraid of their emotions and get lost in conflicting feelings. This is especially true at the moment when they are faced with the idealized concept of motherhood accepted in society. “Motherhood is a responsibility...”, “a good mother should...”, “a loving mother must...”, etc.

Sometimes prenatal depression is caused by a pregnant woman's worries about her sex life. The husband, concerned about the well-being of the mother and child, tries to disturb them as little as possible and restrains his sexual impulses. As a result, having sex becomes less frequent than before. The woman feels that she has fallen out of love, that her partner has lost interest in her. This leads to signs of depression.

How to cope with postpartum depression

Stage 1: Contact a specialist

The starting point in the fight against postpartum depression is a visit to a specialist. A competent psychologist or psychotherapist will assess your condition and only then prescribe therapy. As a rule, physiotherapy, training and hypnosis, as well as vitamin therapy are used to combat this type of depression. In rare cases, the doctor can select a complex of antidepressants, but such a decision is made in exceptional cases, because such drugs are incompatible with breastfeeding.

Stage 2: Independent steps

Never underestimate your own strengths. The key to healing can be found on your own; the main thing is to clearly formulate your fears and try to find a solution to each problem.

Why you shouldn’t delay treatment

This tactic is very easy to understand if you write everything down on a piece of paper or in a notepad. One example of such training: “I’m a bad mother. I couldn’t give life to my child on my own, so the birth took place through a cesarean section,” and the solution: “If the doctors had not performed the operation, my baby could have died. I did the right thing. There was simply no other way out." The following fear may also arise: “The child is constantly crying. It annoys me. I blame myself for hating him at this moment,” and the solution would be: “This behavior is absolutely normal. Many mothers experience similar feelings. Very soon I will get used to the baby.”

Many psychologists advise not to restrain your emotions. Any feelings that overwhelm you (hate, fear, anger, irritation) must find a way out. It is not at all necessary to involve close people. You can express all your emotions on paper and then just burn it.

Features of sexual life during pregnancy

During pregnancy, there are periods of decline and rise in sexual activity. So, for example, in the first three months, sexual desire often decreases somewhat. The reason for this is the peculiarities of the course of pregnancy and the presence of such signs of toxicosis as nausea, vomiting, intolerance to certain foods and odors. The changeable mood of a pregnant woman can lead to conflicts in the family. The woman has the feeling that things will only get worse.

However, this is not so, because already in the second trimester your health improves. Fears pass. The child begins to push and this lets you know that everything is fine with him. A rounded tummy looks very beautiful. Sex life “blooms” during pregnancy. In the third trimester, the belly increases significantly in size and sex becomes difficult. In addition, worries come again, but they are already associated with an imminent birth.

Depression in early pregnancy

The initial period, corresponding to the first trimester of pregnancy, is called by psychologists the period of denial. During these three months, a woman’s thoughts and actions that deny the existence of a new life are completely normal. Well, in simple terms, a whole day can pass, and only in the evening does a woman suddenly remember that she is pregnant. Or in his long-term work plan he will put a business trip somewhere around the 38th week. Or he will seriously discuss with friends a hiking trip, or even skiing. In these first three months of pregnancy, when there is no belly and the baby’s movements are not yet felt, it is considered normal if the woman at times does not take her new condition into account.

The truth about prenatal depression

According to statistics, every fourth pregnant woman experiences prenatal depression. This violation is dangerous not only for the woman herself, but also for her child. Pregnant women who have experienced prenatal depression have an increased risk of preterm pregnancy. This is explained by the fact that women who experienced depressive disorders during pregnancy have a significant increase in the level of stress hormone in their blood. This hormone is known to be capable of triggering premature onset of labor. That is why early detection of prenatal depression and its timely correction is very important. Especially because half of the women who experience it continue to suffer from depression after they give birth.

Signs of prenatal depression:

- reduced ability to work; - decreased attention, inability to concentrate on any specific task; — certain difficulties in decision making; - increased anxiety and irritability; - tearfulness; - insomnia, sleep disorders not related to pregnancy; - increased appetite, or vice versa, its absence; - rapid weight gain or loss not related to pregnancy; - constant sadness or guilt; - decreased interest in sexual relations; - fear of being parents; - thoughts of death and suicide.

It is too difficult for a pregnant woman to determine the presence or absence of these symptoms. Her loved ones nearby (husband, parents, brothers, sisters, girlfriends) play an important role in this.

Pregnancy as a period of psychological transformation

Kuleshova K.V. , Tvorogova N.D.

RMJ. Mother and Child No. 14 dated July 29, 2015 p. 857

Perinatology, as is known, is a separate field of medicine; To date, the following areas have taken shape: perinatal medicine itself, perinatal psychology (one of its sections is the psychology of pregnancy), perinatal pedagogy [1]. The biopsychosocial model is considered as the theoretical basis of perinatology.

The concept of safe motherhood was formulated by WHO in the 1980s. as a set of measures that promote the birth of desired children without a negative impact on a woman’s health. In accordance with this concept, many countries have developed and adopted government programs to ensure safe motherhood. Psychoprophylactic measures carried out in our country within the framework of official medicine since the 1950s are mainly aimed at preventing pain during childbirth; their objects were the body of a woman and the body of her child. A new approach to understanding health (the health of a pregnant woman, which presupposes the state of her physical, mental and social well-being, and not just the absence of physiological abnormalities during pregnancy, mental disorders) should become the basis for the development of programs for psychological support of pregnancy (included in a comprehensive program her accompaniment). An important task facing clinical psychology in the context under consideration is the formation of new methods and forms of psychoprophylaxis for women during pregnancy and childbirth. In March 2006, the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation issued an order to open a psychotherapy room in every antenatal clinic.

Currently, perinatal psychotherapy is understood as a system of therapeutic effects on the woman’s psyche, and through the psyche, on the organisms of the woman and child [8]. However, widespread work on psychological support for pregnancy in our country has not yet been carried out, although its need is obvious. In order to provide psychological assistance to a woman, aimed at maintaining her positive emotional experiences that indicate her well-being, it is necessary to identify a system of factors influencing these experiences, as well as targets of psychological influence.

Factors of well-being/unwell-being of a pregnant woman. As a result of the analysis of relevant scientific literature, we identified factors influencing the state of well-being/distress of a pregnant woman, the indicator of which was her psycho-emotional state. These factors, in accordance with the biopsychosocial model, are divided into 3 groups:

1. Physical health factors (a group of factors that act directly and indirectly (depending on how a woman relates to them) on her psycho-emotional state):

• the level of adaptation of a pregnant woman’s body to her new physiological state;
• natural endocrine-somatic and psychophysiological changes in the body of a pregnant woman; changes in the functioning of the endocrine system, central nervous system (level of central nervous system tension, functional activity of the cortex, etc.), autonomic nervous system (its tone, etc.), metabolic processes;
• implementation of the general leading biological function of the female body - reproduction;
• exacerbation of sensitive perception, change in the pain threshold, increased irritability;
• “primary maternal concentration” (psychologically it can manifest itself in difficulty understanding information coming from outside; it can also indicate internal work, focus on the new life developing inside the woman);
• level of physical activity maintained by the woman;
• physical well-being;
• presence/absence of deviant maternal behavior (smoking during pregnancy, drinking alcohol, drugs, etc.);
• absence/presence of danger from the functioning of the body, psyche; dysfunction of the latter.

2. Social factors (a group of factors that act not directly on the psycho-emotional state, but depending on how a woman relates to them):

• the influence of a specific cultural model of motherhood on a woman;
• professional status of the pregnant woman, the level of her involvement in professional activities;
• pregnancy as a frustrator of a woman’s professional, social, economic, and cultural behavior;
• changes in the family and social status of the pregnant woman; does the environment (family members, friends, colleagues, society) confirm her exclusivity as a woman cultivating a new life within herself;
• destabilization of the structure of the family system caused by pregnancy;
• limiting social contacts of a pregnant woman;
• family crisis associated with the patterns of the family life cycle of a pregnant woman;
• possible conflict of reproductive attitudes in the family;
• reorganization of the marital holon (the husband-wife system);
• intrafamily redistribution of role functions;
• presence/absence of marital conflicts during pregnancy;
• presence/absence of a support group;
• satisfaction/dissatisfaction of a woman’s need for care and guardianship.

3. Psychological factors (a group of factors that act directly and indirectly, depending on how a woman relates to them, on her psycho-emotional state):

• general satisfaction/dissatisfaction with life;
• control of the future; the need to plan life and prepare for the birth of a child;
• forecasting excessive workload, loss of sexual attractiveness, deterioration of health, etc.;
• a woman’s value orientations, the structure of her motivational sphere, reproductive attitudes;
• methods of intrapsychic protection characteristic of a pregnant woman;
• presence/absence of intrapersonal conflict that interferes with the formation of a mature female identity;
• “war”/“peace” in relationships with your body;
• whether the pregnancy was planned or accidental;
• wanted/unwanted pregnancy; “traumatic conception”;
• motives for maintaining pregnancy;
• internal picture of pregnancy; cognitive interpretation of pregnancy, endowing it with one meaning or another;
• psychological readiness/unpreparedness for the role of a pregnant woman;
• whether a woman views pregnancy as a biological confirmation of her sexual attractiveness or only as an obstacle to sexual behavior;
• the presence or absence of maternal feelings, internal parental position; psychological readiness/unpreparedness for motherhood, presence/absence of a mature maternal identity;
• style of experiencing pregnancy.

A meaningful analysis of the above factors studied and described in the psychological literature related to the psycho-emotional state of a pregnant woman indicates that a woman is most likely doomed to experience predominantly negative emotions during pregnancy (since during this period she faces many dangers, uncertainties, intrapersonal and interpersonal conflicts, she is required to rebuild many of her dynamic stereotypes - at the level of the body, mental, social, which is accompanied, as is known from the results of research conducted by Academician I. P. Pavlov, negative emotions). All this determined the primary interest in the psychological study of pregnant women by medical psychologists who study deviations in the mental health of pregnant women and offer psychological methods of preventing and correcting disorders of their mental and physical health. This approach to studying the condition of a pregnant woman, which focuses on mental disorders and possible diseases, is traditional, “pathocentric.” But a “sanocentric” approach is also possible, the focus of which is the health and state of well-being of a pregnant woman, accompanied by positive emotions.

Pregnancy as a crisis. Personality is in the process of formation throughout a person’s life. L.I. Antsiferova [2] defines personality as an individual form of existence and development of social connections and relationships, as a developing systemic integrity, for which development is the main way of existence, its way of being. Development can occur both continuously (changes accumulate quantitatively) and spasmodically (development is characterized by stages, with each stage of development reflecting qualitative originality). The transition from one stage of development to another is accompanied by a crisis. A crisis in developmental psychology is a turning point in an individual’s life that arises as a consequence of achieving a certain level of mental maturity and imposed social demands [27]. The “critical point” characterizes the moments of making progressive or regressive decisions and requires the individual to choose one or another way of responding to the problems offered by life. At these points a person achieves or fails, but in either case his future changes. To grow, you need to change something in yourself [27]. If the “critical point” is passed successfully, then this guarantees the opportunity to approach the next stage of development as a more mature personality.

As you know, translated from Greek the word “crisis” means “a sharp, abrupt change in something”; the same word, written in Chinese, consists of 2 characters: one means “danger”, the other means “opportunity”. In a crisis, everything that was the past is called into question, and at the same time new opportunities open up. This is a period of rapid development of self-identity and a revision of its boundaries [26]. Pregnancy is, on the one hand, a normal crisis that is present in most women and leads to a sharp loss of stability. During this period, the restructuring of a pregnant woman’s personality is based on psychological patterns similar to the patterns of normal mental development. Personal development proceeds both in the direction of the emergence of new aspirations, knowledge and skills, and in the direction of the emergence of qualitative changes in the structure and functioning of the personality. Pregnancy acts as a biological prerequisite for personality change.

On the other hand, pregnancy is also a so-called developmental crisis [5], a movement towards a new role of the highest importance for a woman’s development; this is a crisis that can contribute to the maturation of not only her body, but also her personality. Pregnancy, especially the first one, is a crisis period in the search for one’s feminine identity; there is no return from it, regardless of whether a child is born in due time, whether a miscarriage occurs or an abortion is performed [26]. The central psychological mechanism of personal changes in a pregnant woman is the restructuring of the hierarchy of motives according to the type of resubordination to a new main meaning-forming motive [17]. During pregnancy, a woman’s system of value orientations changes; its regrouping occurs, which is directed towards realizing oneself in a new social role [20]. Pregnancy implies the end of a woman’s existence as an independent separate being and the beginning of an irrevocable mother-child relationship [27]. Intense inner work, accompanied by trying on a new role, can contribute to spiritual maturation. Main directions of studying spirituality:

1) spirituality as the principle of self-development and self-realization of a person;

2) the search for the roots of spirituality not so much in the person himself (the characteristics of his personality, the tendency to reflect), but in the products of life, his creative activity;

3) study of factors in the emergence of spiritual states in a person;

4) religious.

In our research, we adhere to the first direction.

Sanocentric approach to the development of a woman’s personality during pregnancy. A. Maslow argued that the special attention that psychology pays primarily to immaturity, ill health, and pathology gives rise to a defective psychology. In his opinion, the basis of science should be the study of a healthy personality and its growth. Choosing growth means opening yourself up to new, unexpected experiences, taking the risk of finding yourself in the unknown. Life in the direction of self-actualization also means attunement with one’s own internal nature, since a person at certain stages of his life’s journey moves, according to A. G. Asmolov [4], from an adaptive model of his development to a model of self-actualization. The reward that a person receives for this is the experience of well-being [15].

The tasks of personality development during pregnancy include the adoption of affective and semantic restructuring and changes in social roles, the achievement of maternal identity, and the acquisition of personal self-determination. Analysis of studies of maternal identity allows us to conclude that the basis for its formation is the “mother-prenate” system. This allows us to consider this type of identity as an initially social formation [6, 25]. Maternal identity may be conscious or unconscious, but a new type of identity, once formed, is important for self-presentation in interaction with others. The process of self-determination presupposes an independent choice of direction of development at any stage of maturity, which means significant value and semantic restructuring, a revision of life perspective, and a revision of the target hierarchy. This presupposes the ability to take an authorial position in relation to one’s life, which in the context of our study means healthy personality development.

Pregnancy as an actualization of the capabilities of the female body can be both congruent and incongruent with the level of development of the female personality, which will affect the psycho-emotional state as an indicator of the level of well-being of a pregnant woman.

Pleasures and positive emotional states of a pregnant woman in the context of A. Maslow’s theoretical model can be generated by both “pathological” motives, the satisfaction of “pathological” needs, and healthy ones. The first ones are not “good” [15], because they do not benefit either the woman herself or the new life developing in her. The meta-pleasures of a pregnant woman (high quality of her emotional experiences) are associated with the satisfaction of meta-needs: growth needs, existential needs (A. Maslow’s pyramid of needs [15]), which in the context of humanistic psychology is considered as an indicator of a healthy, prosperous personality. This state is not identical to those that accompany the “euphoric type of psychological component of the gestational dominant” [7], or certain styles of pregnancy experience described by G. G. Filippova [25].

The empirical study aimed to study the influence of the level of personal maturity on the psycho-emotional state of a pregnant woman. We proceeded from the assumption that pregnancy itself, as the actualization of the reproductive potential of the female body, does not automatically determine the direction of psychological development during this period of crisis for the female personality. A woman has to make difficult choices for herself, each of which will predetermine the direction of her personality development for a certain period.

The empirical study was conducted on the basis of the outpatient department of the clinic of obstetrics and gynecology of the First Moscow State Medical University named after I.M. Sechenov. The study involved 86 pregnant women aged 20 to 45 years. To test the hypothesis about the influence of a woman’s chronological age on the likelihood of her self-actualization during pregnancy, 2 experimental groups (25 people in each) were formed: 1st group - “young” pregnant women (aged 20 to 30 years), 2nd — “old-timers” (aged 40–45 years). To minimize the influence of small samples on the results obtained and their interpretation, both groups were “balanced” in terms of indicators: size, education, marital status, first upcoming birth, trimester of pregnancy, features of the course of pregnancy. All women were classified as healthy according to medical criteria.

A complex of research procedures and methods was used. The psychological examination began with the use of a clinical-psychological method, which included a psychological conversation (interview) and observation (during the conversation and outside of it); N. Pezeshkian’s standard primary interview technique was also used; The following diagnostic methods were also used: a) the “Well-being, activity, mood” (SAM) method; b) Personal Anxiety Questionnaire by J. Taylor; c) K. Leonhard’s characterological questionnaire; d) questionnaire of the level of subjective control (LSQ); e) temperament structure questionnaire (TSQ); f) Personality Self-Actualization Questionnaire (SAMOAL); g) standardized questionnaire by E. Shostrom. The first six methods are divided into 2 groups: 1) “methods of mental state” (SAN, personal anxiety by J. Taylor, characterological characteristics by K. Leonhard, OST (scales of “objective world”)); 2) “methods of self-understanding and interaction with the social world” (USK, SAMOAL, OST (social scales)).

To assess the significance of differences, the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test were used. Data processing was carried out using a computer statistical package of programs (SPSS).

The study revealed differences between 2 groups of pregnant women with different chronological ages. A qualitative analysis of the results showed that the respondents of the 1st group are mostly non-self-actualizing individuals (low values ​​on the scales of autonomy, spontaneity, self-understanding, autosympathy, general internality (Io), internality in the area of ​​achievements (Id), in the area of ​​failures (In), in family relationships (Is), interpersonal relationships (Im), industrial relations (Ip), in the field of health (Iz), social ergicity (SER), social tempo (ST), social plasticity (SP), high values ​​on the social emotional scale sensitivity (SEM)), and the respondents of the 2nd group are mainly self-actualizing individuals (high values ​​​​on the scales of autonomy, spontaneity, self-understanding, autosympathy, Io, Id, In, Is, Im, Ip, Iz, SER, ST, SP, low values ​​on the SEM scale). Differences were also detected using mathematical statistics methods (using the Mann-Whitney test, which is a non-parametric statistical method that does not require testing samples for normal distribution, significance level <0.05). Consequently, significant differences were identified between the groups in the above parameters. Thus, the predominant non-self-actualization of respondents of the 1st group and the self-actualization of respondents of the 2nd group have been proven both qualitatively and statistically. However, in the 1st group, 4 self-actualizing women (“almost self-actualizing”) were also identified, and in the group of women aged 40 to 44 years, 4 non-self-actualizing women were identified, i.e., the 1st and 2nd groups are not homogeneous.

Let us now dwell on the mental characteristics that we obtained using methods that we conventionally called mental state methods. Despite the fact that poor health was noted among respondents in both groups, according to the Mann-Whitney test, a statistically significant difference in this parameter was revealed between the two groups, but not according to the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The obtained empirical data do not allow us to assert that there are reliable differences in the scale of well-being between the two groups.

Also, according to the activity and mood scales of the SAN methodology, no differences were found between the 2 groups of pregnant women. Low activity is observed among respondents of both groups; Respondents in each group can be in both a bad and a good mood.

According to the personal anxiety scale, its high level was revealed among respondents of the 1st group and a low level among respondents of the 2nd group; the difference is statically significant.

Empirical research results:

• Respondents of the 1st group (aged 20 to 30 years) are mostly non-self-actualizing individuals: anxious, not responsible in the entire multidimensional profile (even in relation to health) of the locus of control, afraid of social contacts, have a narrow range of communication programs, are not active when interacting with the objective world, at the time of the examination they were found to be in poor health and low in activity; half of the group was in a good mood, and the other half was in a bad mood. In addition, in this group, respondents were identified who have some tendency towards self-actualization; they have higher scores on the USC and OST scales, but the level of anxiety is as high as that of other respondents in this group.
• Respondents of the 2nd group (age from 40 to 44 years) are mostly (21 out of 25 pregnant women examined) self-actualizing individuals: not anxious, responsible along the entire multidimensional profile of the locus of control, not afraid of social contacts, able to enter into them, active in interaction with the objective world; At the time of the examination, they were found to be in poor health, low activity, and in both good and bad mood. The 2nd group of respondents is not homogeneous. Among them, 4 respondents were identified who are not self-actualizing individuals; they have low scores on the USC and OST scales; in fact, their results coincide with the results of respondents of the 1st group; a high level of personal anxiety and high indicators of anxiety when interacting with the objective world and the social world were revealed (according to the OST scales).
• The studied mental state of a pregnant woman depends on whether she is an actualizing personality or not.

conclusions

1. In the study, based on the results of an analysis of relevant scientific literature, the following directions of development of a woman’s personality during her pregnancy were considered: 1) “healthy” development (implies significant restructuring of the value and semantic orientations of the individual, due to the actualization of the processes of personal self-determination); 2) “adaptive” development (involves the implementation of a model of coping behavior that frees a woman from the difficult process of personal restructuring and self-determination); 3) exit from the state of pregnancy (conscious decision-making about an abortion - a woman in a situation of crisis of her identity decides to terminate the pregnancy, so as not to radically rebuild her life, herself).

In adaptive development, 3 options are identified: a) successful adaptive development, ending with adaptation (physical, mental, social); b) painful adaptive development during pregnancy (appearance, exacerbation of mental and physical diseases); c) maladaptive development, expressed in miscarriage (spontaneous abortion).

2. During pregnancy, a woman has a chance to acquire many traits characteristic of self-actualizing individuals, which will indicate her healthy development during this period. Self-actualizing pregnant women, according to the results of our empirical research, are statistically significantly different from non-self-actualizing pregnant women in terms of: a) anxiety (they have a low level of personal anxiety); b) activity (they are highly active when interacting with the objective and social world, they successfully self-realize). At the same time, like non-self-actualizing pregnant women, they can have both bad and good health, as well as both bad and good moods (in approximately equal proportions).

A number of pregnant women (14 out of 50), classified as self-actualizing, had peak experiences, 3 of them felt absolutely happy during pregnancy (since such an emotional state had a significant duration, it is more appropriate to talk about plateau experiences). According to the results of our theoretical analysis, the need for procreation can be attributed both to the basic needs of a woman and to meta-needs (in A. Maslow’s classification); it can also be attributed to a special form of manifestation of the need for self-realization. Satisfaction of this need can lead a self-actualizing pregnant woman to meta-pleasure, an experience of the highest level of happiness.

3. Hypothesis that self-actualization occurs only in pregnant women who have reached adulthood (2 groups of pregnant women were examined: “young” aged from 20 to 30 years, and “old-parous” aged from 40 to 44 years; both were facing their first childbirth in their lives) was not confirmed: both in the group of “young” and in the group of “old-timers” there were both self-actualizing and non-self-actualizing individuals, although in the 2nd group there were significantly more of them. Self-actualization during pregnancy, according to our data, is affected not so much by a woman’s chronological age as by her unconditional acceptance of her pregnancy, joyful anticipation of motherhood, and unconditional acceptance of her unborn child.

Thus, psychological support for pregnant women should assume as its target the woman’s personal growth, development in the direction of self-realization, which will affect the quality of her life.
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Treatment of prenatal depression

The difficulty in treating this type of depression is that the list of medications and treatment methods for pregnant women is very limited. First of all, the relatives of a pregnant woman must create psychological and comfortable living conditions for her. You should talk openly with your spouse about problems. If independent conversations are ineffective, conversations can be moved to a psychotherapist’s office. Psychotherapeutic methods have a positive effect: art therapy, auto-training, Gestalt therapy, psychoanalysis, etc. There is also information that light physical activity reduces the manifestations of prenatal depression and normalizes the course of pregnancy.

To cope with postpartum depression

One of the important stages in the fight against postpartum depression is communication. Many mothers susceptible to this condition negate communication with loved ones and friends. Under no circumstances should you do this! When communicating with close family members, do not be afraid to show your weakness. Don’t try to do all the chores yourself; calmly transfer most of the work to your husband and grandmothers. In addition, make acquaintances with young mothers at the playground, in the park or at the clinic. In addition to communication, you will probably receive valuable advice gleaned from personal experience. If you cannot open up to new people, create an account on one of the social networks that unite pregnant women and young mothers. On such sites you can calmly chat with “virtual” mothers and share your most intimate problems. How to cope with postpartum depression?

The birth of a child is such a global event in the life of a young mother that not all of them are able to cope with the new way of life. According to statistics, approximately a third of women in labor are susceptible to the phenomenon of postpartum depression. Unfortunately, very often the seriousness of this condition is underestimated by a young mother and her loved ones, but it can cause serious damage to the health of not only the mother in labor, but also the child.

Differential diagnosis

The symptoms of postpartum depression are very similar to the usual hormonal changes in the body, when a woman tends to have a fear of not being able to cope with the responsibilities of a mother, irritation from lack of sleep and constant crying of the child. In addition, many mothers do not realize how difficult the first months after the birth of a baby are: constant washing and ironing, boiling bottles, bathing, changing clothes... The stream of responsibilities is endless. In most cases, the initial tension and fear disappears, but if postpartum depression occurs, then the symptoms not only do not subside, but also become more unpleasant and depressing. If you have noticed persistent anxiety for more than two weeks, then it’s time to ring the alarm bell and start fighting this illness.

You can contact the clinic’s specialists by phone in Moscow.