Post Partum: Symptoms,Sign and Causes

The first six weeks of the post partum period is referred to as the puerperium. The first two to three days are spent bonding with the baby and waiting for the true milk to come in. Milk usually comes in at about 72 hours after the birth. Multiparous women will have significantly more intense after pains or uterine contraction to facilitate involution of the uterus to its pre-pregnant state. Early in the puerperium there is loss of blood and later discharge from the vagina. Fever and foul discharge is indicative of uterine infection. Generally if a woman does not nurse, she will menstruate 6 to 8 weeks following birth.

Nursing women menstruate anywhere from 6 weeks after birth to 2 years after birth, however nursing is not an adequate method of birth control as most women ovulate before they menstruate, and a woman can become pregnant before her period returns. If the woman is lactating she will secrete prolactin, which is actually stimulated by the sensation received by the nipple when a baby nurses. Prolactin is a mild relaxant/depressant. At the same time prolactin levels are rising, the high levels of estrogen and progesterone maintained throughout the pregnancy have dropped abruptly.

Symptoms of Postpartum depression

Emotional let-down following the excitement and fear experienced during pregnancy and labor and delivery.
Discomforts of the puerperium.
Fatigue due to loss of sleep.
Anxiety over the ability to care for a dependent infant.
Isolation.

Signs of postpartum depression

The signs of postpartum depression include: The core symptoms also should include sadness, depression, and loss of energy.

Feeling restless or irritable.
Feeling sad or crying a lot.
Having no energy.
Having headaches, chest pains, heart palpitations (the heart being fast and feeling like it is skipping beats), numbness, or hyperventilation (fast and shallow breathing).
Not being able to sleep or being very tired, or both.
Not being able to eat and weight loss.
Overeating and weight gain.
Trouble focusing, remembering, or making decisions.
Being overly worried about the baby.
Not having any interest in the baby.
Feeling worthless and guilty.
Being afraid of hurting the baby or yourself.
No interest or pleasure in activities, including sex.

Causes postpartum depression

Feeling tired after delivery, broken sleep patterns, and not enough rest often keeps a new mother from regaining her full strength for weeks. This is particularly so if she has had a cesarean (C-section) delivery.
Feeling overwhelmed with a new, or another, baby to take care of and doubting your ability to be a good mother.
Feeling stress from changes in work and home routines. Sometimes women think they have to be "super mom" or perfect, which is not realistic and can add stress.
Having feelings of loss - loss of identity (who you are, or were, before having the baby), loss of control, loss of a slim figure, and feeling less attractive.
Having less free time and less control over time. Having to stay home indoors for longer periods of time and having less time to spend with the baby's father.

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