There is a before and after delivery and it is advisable to be realistic beforehand.
Having a desired baby is an immense happiness. But there are many mothers who go through an emotional earthquake after giving birth, which in 10% of cases can lead to true depression. And it is that the puerperium is a precious time in which you have sensitivity to the surface.
The "superwoman" is over
Fear, doubts, insecurity and fatigue take their toll on the puerperium. Even models and actresses have publicly shared their painful experience with postpartum depression.
Motherhood often triggers a crisis, in which for the first time many women feel that they can no longer cope. "But how am I so bad if I do nothing all day?", The mothers wonder. "Doing nothing" usually includes taking care of the baby all day, breastfeeding, changing diapers, answering eight phone calls, doing chores around the house, getting up three times in the middle of the night ... Caring for the baby requires great physical energy and, above all, emotional.
From fantasy to reality
In most ancient cultures, new mothers were cared for by other experts, and the needs of a newborn were known (it never occurred to anyone that babies had to get used to being alone, for example). In our culture, however, what a baby requires is unknown, which creates wrong expectations about parenting. Many women, therefore, come into conflict between what they expected and reality, between their desire to please the baby and the social discourse that babies spoil if they spend too much time in their arms, between the reality of their physique and / or that The media say about which celebrity has recovered a teenage body one month after delivery.
Above all, rest
Lack of sleep also contributes to depression. It is necessary to take advantage of when the baby sleeps to rest with him. Even short naps improve mood. Breastfeeding act to sleep every time he sleeps, leaving household chores to others is a wise decision. Babies don't need a sparkling house, not even a daily bath. Babies just want to be with their mothers.
An effective action plan.
It is time, then, to simplify life. To make motherhood a joyous experience and not get depressed, you have to know how to ask for help, accept being cared for in order to take care of the baby. Do not expect to be wrong, but be realistic and ask for support from the third trimester of pregnancy. It is also advisable to postpone visits until after the first month, to be able to rest as much as possible. And ask family and friends to give us nutritious stews or take the laundry and bring it ironed, or take the older children to the park in the afternoon.
Oxytocic, endorphins and prolactin are the hormonal cocktail of love that the brain produces in large quantities after childbirth and that make the mother feel happy, in love with her baby and that it is easy for her to raise him. When childbirth is not interfered with and the woman can be the protagonist; When everything is going well and the baby spends the first days skin-to-skin to her mother's breast, depression is almost non-existent. Traumatic delivery with forceps or urgent cesarean section, prematurity or separation of the baby favor postpartum depression.
Motherhood is a social issue
Raising a child is much easier when the mother can surround herself with friends and other expert mothers. Given that many women have their children far from their sisters, mothers or grandmothers, it is essential to have meeting spaces with other mothers.
The ideal is to maintain frequent contact with the companions of the preparation for childbirth, with whom the friendship arises almost spontaneously. Postpartum health center groups, breastfeeding and parenting support groups, or just spending time with other mothers in the park or cafeteria are precious tools.
Surrounded by other mothers and their babies, it is much easier to be able to help one another, de dramatize, be able to laugh at oneself and be more realistic in expectations.
