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As we get hit by the second wave of pandemic, our kids were just getting accustomed to resuming school in physical presence. They were adjusting their life with the new normal. And for kids this shift change may not be easy, like the way, rearing a child in itself is handful. And pandemic is not making our life easy; it has affected overall life and life of people who were otherwise planning for kids. Giving birth is the joyous moment in parent’s life, who were longing to see the first glimpse of their child’s tiny little hands. It’s a major step in any relationship but we women, are we actually prepared for the things that come along with the pregnancy? When we are guided by the perfect world around us we do get influenced by the social and virtual world and we may be overlooking the practical aspects. . It may be a wonderful thing to be able to procreate, but as much as it sounds good, for some of us, it could take a little bit more than just time to recover. I am a mother of a five-year-old, and when I was expecting, I thought I would be overjoyed with happiness when the little one would come into this world. But, I had to accept the fact that I needed time to connect with my kid, and it didn’t happen readily.
For some new mothers, it happens gradually, and the journey may not be easy. It is during this time that your partner and family should come into the picture to guide you through this difficult time of your life. It is not unusual for the new mother to feel lonely after childbirth because of the new responsibilities, hand-fullness, sleeplessness, and hormonal changes. All these things, combined, brings emotional disturbance, which is called postpartum depression.
We celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8, a global day to celebrate women’s achievements in the social, economic, cultural, and political fields. Women have come a long way, and there is much to do apart from household chores; when it comes to women, we are multi-taskers, and definitely, motherhood by choice is a part of a woman’s life, but not life itself. With time, we realize the importance of mental well-being. Well-being looks out for the balance in life. For women, balancing home, work, and kid is definitely challenging. And, I believe when it comes to parenting, both the mother and the father have equal responsibility.
Safe motherhood and reproductive health is something our constitution has guaranteed through an Act, in which a woman’s right to safe motherhood and reproductive health is guaranteed, from family planning to delivery—from getting proper counseling to obstetric service—and the right to safe abortion. Nurturing a life inside your body in itself an amazing power a woman possesses. During this phase of her life, there are physical, hormonal, and psychological changes. And, this is also a vulnerable state, where adequate care is required; women need the right nutrition and support from the partner and other family members. As much as we care about the physical aspect of childbirth, it is equally important to ensure that the mother is coping well with her hormonal and emotional changes, and her partner or family will be the first to notice the same. While the baby blues goes away with time, in some cases, they might need to seek help.
Sonu Sharma worked as an accountant in her family-owned business. When she had a baby, she was overjoyed with happiness, but slowly, that happiness was not there. Not that she wanted to harm her baby, but she started feeling sad for no solid reason, and negative thoughts came to her mind. It started two weeks after having the baby; she started feeling sleepless and began babbling in her dreams. She was not like this before, and has a supportive partner and a family, who are helpful. But, slowly, it was not getting any better. That was when her gynecologist referred her to a psychiatrist. She suffered from mood swings; sometimes she felt better, while some days she felt very lost. She did not have a medical history of clinical depression. But she’s determined to combat it with a loving family beside her.
A patient with clinical depression may have more chances of acquiring postpartum depression, but it is not the only condition, says Dr. Rishav Koirala, Consultant Psychiatrist, Grande International Hospital, who also runs the psycho-oncology clinics at Nepal Cancer Hospital and National Cancer Hospital, where psychological needs of cancer patients are addressed.
He explains that postpartum depression is a kind of depression that some women get after having a baby. “Postpartum” being another word for the period of time shortly after a woman gives birth. He adds that most women with postpartum depression start having symptoms within a month after giving birth, but it can be up to 12 months before a woman starts having symptoms, which may include:
- Feeling anxious or irritable
- Not sleeping even when your baby sleeps
- Poor appetite (or comfort eating)
- Guilty and negative thoughts
- Being unable to enjoy things
- Feeling that life just isn’t worth living
- Finding hard to look after yourself and the baby.
After having a baby, many women get a mild type of postpartum depression called postpartum blues. Within two or three days after giving birth, women with postpartum blues might:
- Be moody, irritable, or anxious
- Have trouble concentrating or sleeping
- Have crying spells
In women with postpartum blues, these symptoms are not severe and usually go away within 2 weeks. But in women with postpartum depression, the symptoms are more severe and last longer.
The postpartum blues develop in roughly 50 percent or more of women within a week of delivery, and 10-15 of every 100 women have postpartum depression after having a baby. Dr. Koirala says that it is always good to visit a psychiatrist if a person feels a change, or has the above symptoms. Visiting a psychiatrist doesn’t mean starting medicine; it is more about getting proper guidance, suggestions, and medications, if required. Medications are prescribed if other methods, such as psychological support by family and doctor, are not adequate, or if the symptoms are severe enough to cause harm to the patient or baby. Medications can be very short-term or on as-per-need basis. Some might need long-term antidepressants, or even hospitalization, in rare cases.
Proper family support is of utmost important for these people. Regular company of family members, sharing their anxiety and feelings, and verbal support, also help a lot. Dr. Koirala emphasizes that family members should try to create an environment where the patient is able to get proper sleep, e.g. feeding baby expressed milk at night by father or other family members, hence allowing the mother to sleep. Pleasurable activities of the mother like watching movies, going to gatherings, or doing anything that the she enjoys will be helpful. Regular exercise is another important measure.
Dr. Koirala also explains that, during and around the period of pregnancy, the mother goes through hormonal changes. This predisposes the mother to several kinds of mental illness. Postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis, and postpartum blues are the most common types. A mother who had mental illness in the past, or with a strong family history of mental illness, is more vulnerable. Unplanned or unwanted pregnancies and lack of proper social support to the mother are also contributing factors. Many times, even without these factors, the mother may suffer from mental illness.
Fitness and wellness enthusiast Doma Bajracharya’s Rx for dealing with postpartum depression.
Doma Bajracharya, a certified corrective exercise specialist from NASM FRC, Canada, is a Group fit instructor since 1998 and a personal trainer certified to teach group exercise such as power pump, Pilates, yoga, advanced step, gladiator workouts, and Zumba etc. She also runs self-designed classes for fitness of the elderly.
Talking about regular workout, yoga has been popular now a days and anybody can opt this unlike other heavy workout regimes. And here we talk about its benefits on women health.
Yoga and its health benefits are popular from Vedic times. How do we find a connection between yoga and women’s health?
There are techniques in yoga that could help a woman, especially after delivery, to deal with the stress and new style of life. Those can be through Pranayam. Nadhi sodhana pranayam, Ujjayii pranayam, Sukshma vyayam,Yoga nidra with deep relaxation, Trataka, and gentle asanas for stretching and relaxation are excellent exercises to deal with her postpartum depression. In daily life, generally talking about woman health and yoga, this will greatly help if a girl at an early age starts practicing yoga. Her physical and mental condition during womanhood will definitely be healthier, because Pranayam helps in regulating her hormones, her digestive system, and her reproductive and nervous systems. In general, breathing techniques in classical Hatha yoga brings balance to our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, which means she is in harmony with her body and mind during her womanhood, her pregnancy, and postpartum. When a woman in a family is healthy and positive, the family is filled with happiness.
Let’s talk about pregnancy and postpartum depression and effects of workout.
Exercise is a medicine without any negative side effects. Talking about pregnancy and postpartum, a woman who has been active even before pregnancy and exercising regularly will always have an advantage in her emotional and physical well-being than one who was sedentary before pregnancy. Nevertheless, during pregnancy and postpartum, a woman goes through a lot of changes in her body—physically, emotionally, mentally, metabolically, hormonally. The lifestyle and eating habits during pregnancy will greatly affect the condition/state of mind after delivery (postpartum). And, also during pregnancy, the influence of people around her may have great impact on her after delivery. Exercises like Yoga mudra, gentle stretching, gentle back relief exercises, and breathing exercises will have therapeutic benefits during postpartum. Yoga and breathing exercises will bring balance of energy in her body. Those who had been actively practicing yoga and other forms of exercises before pregnancy will experience less chances of medical conditions like postpartum syndrome. If the woman is active and exercises regularly and practices yoga before pregnancy, it will definitely help reduce the stresss, as yoga’s mindful breathing techniques with asanas is extremely helpful In balancing her body and mind during her pregnancy and postpartum. As for active women out there, you definitely have the advantage of being happy and in harmony during and after pregnancy!
How does exercise help us keep mentally fit?
In today’s world, everyone knows, and it is scientifically proven that regular exercise releases happy hormones. Serotonin and endorphin are released when you exercise. Our physical and mental health are intertwined, so staying active is one of the fundamental ways we maintain emotional and cognitive resilience. Also, bringing variety in your exercise or activities will cause the brain to make new brain cells. The brain is the only organ you can’t overtax, and you’re not going to have a meltdown if you start challenging your grey matter by introducing new ways of moving. Yogic breathing in yoga-based exercises has a powerful affect of stabilizing the emotional condition. As soon as one practices mindful breathing, it can bring balance in the system of the heart and the tissues. Similarly, right techniques will bring balance n our energy channels. We are focused, less tired, and less depressed when we talk about exercising for mental fitness. For most people sticking to an exercise on regular basis is still a drag, Opt for variety in exercise and embrace the one you can stick to for a long period of time. Another tip is: exercising to music is a great mood booster and relieves stress. In yoga, mindful breathing is associated with it and can be used to ease the symptoms of depression. When it comes to mental health benefits, group-based activities are preferable. After all, we are social animals.
Conclusion
One study of 10,000¬ moms with newborns found that about 1 in 7 get postpartum depression. There’s a sudden change in hormones level of estrogen and progesterone. The rapid decrease in these hormonal levels causes a lot of changes leading to depression. Medication helps to raise the level of these hormones. Depression causes symptoms like sadness, getting overwhelmed, hopelessness, and negative thoughts. Hence, it is important to check the medical history of the patient for past clinical illnesses. Family background, any major issues during pregnancy, and postpartum screening is a must. New moms need to be educated regarding the same. They should know when to seek medical attention. Doctors can monitor for early signs and symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum check up. Luckily, this can be treated. Similarly, adhering to a regular workout regime will help to release endorphin hormones that are helpful for functioning psychologically. Apart from all these things, will power of an individual helps the person overcome many difficult situations.
