Postpartum depression in mothers after childbirth and treatment

KABUL (Pajhwok): Many new mothers experience postpartum depression during pregnancy and after childbirth due to anxiety, anemia and weakness and this condition lasts for more than two weeks, says a specialist doctor, who advises such mothers to visit a psychologist.

Why mothers experience depression after childbirths?

Dr. Yasmin Yazdani, a gynecologist in Kabul city, told Pajhwok: “Postpartum baby blues is a condition that every woman experiences after giving birth. This condition starts two to three days after delivery and continues for up to two weeks. It is a normal condition and every mother can experience it”.

In some cases, she said, the condition could continue for up to three months due to physical and mental stress the mother endured during childbirth.

“Other factors can be hormonal, biological and psychological. In this situation, women feel overwhelming tiredness, take less interest in work and other activities,  unable to sleep and withdraw from friends and relatives”.

She said wife-husband relationship, if not good before having a child, could cause the depression because the mother would be worried about her child’s future.

“It is unfortunate that this problem [postpartum depression] is high in our country and one reason is anemia … a condition in which the mother feels tired and stays away from others because she is not in good condition and is weak.”

Dr. Yasmin continued often new mothers faced the depression problem because they went through situations they had never faced before. “They are under mental pressure how to take the responsibility of becoming a mother.”

She advised families to support women during pregnancy and after delivery and consult a psychologist if depression symptoms appeared in a mother.

Psychology teacher and author of psychological issues Nimatullah Ebrahimi told Pajhwok: “Postpartum depression is natural and it lasts from a week to 15 days, but if not treated, it can prolong for years and difficult to cure.”

He said nearly 45 percent of mothers got depressed before giving birth because some women carried bitter memories of others before giving birth.

“Women can become deeply depressed before childbirth due to domestic violence, economic problems, lack of support from families, especially husbands”.

According to him, feeling tiredness, mood swings, feeling worthless, inferior and guilty, crying, trouble sleeping and appetite problem are signs of postpartum depression.

He said if the depression lasted longer than six months or one year, the mother could possibly harm herself or her child.

Ebrahimi said such patient should be treated well and supported until her condition improved.

Mothers who experienced severe postpartum depression

Guldasta gave birth to a child two months ago and after that she developed depression and had trouble sleeping.

“I’m always worried about how to raise my child. I see it as a big problem that’s why I developed anxiety.”

Fawzia Mehrabi, a mother of six children, said she experienced heartache, fears and insomnia for a long time after every birth.

She added: “When I give birth, I develop anemia, my hands and feet tremble.”

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