Postpartum Depression

You would have heard about hormonal changes during and after pregnancy, nesting, labor, delivery, postpartum care and other painful stuff but were you ever told about POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION commonly known as PPD. It is one of the painful stage after labor pain and Delivery, or I should say worst than that because those are just physical pains but PPD is mental disturbance which affects our emotions. 

SYMPTOMS:

Mothers with postpartum depression experience feelings of utmost sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion which will make it difficult for them to finish daily care activities for themselves or for others. 

• Feeling sad, hopeless, empty, or overwhelmed
• Crying more often than usual or for no apparent reason
• Worrying or feeling overly anxious
• Feeling moody, irritable, or restless
• Oversleeping, or being unable to sleep even when her baby is asleep
• Having trouble concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
• Experiencing anger or rage
• Losing interest in activities that are usually enjoyable
• Suffering from physical aches and pains, including frequent headaches, stomach problems, and muscle pain
• Eating too little or too much
• Withdrawing from or avoiding friends and family
• Having trouble bonding or forming an emotional attachment together with her baby
• Persistently doubting her ability to worry for her baby
• Thinking about harming herself or her baby.

CAUSES:

After childbirth, the amount of hormones (estrogen and progesterone) during a woman’s body quickly drop. This results in chemical changes in her brain which will trigger mood swings. In addition, many mothers are unable to urge the remainder they have to completely get over parturition . Constant sleep deprivation can cause physical discomfort and exhaustion, which may contribute to the symptoms of postpartum depression.

TREATMENT:

There are effective treatments for postpartum depression. A woman’s health care provider can help her choose the simplest treatment, which can include:

Counseling/Talk Therapy: This treatment involves talking one-on-one with a mental health professional (a counselor, therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, or social worker). Two sorts of counseling shown to be particularly effective in treating postpartum depression are

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps people recognize and alter their negative thoughts and behaviors.

Interpersonal therapy (IPT), which helps people understand and work through problematic personal relationships.

Medication: Antidepressant medications act on the brain chemicals that are involved in mood regulation. Many antidepressants take a few weeks to be most effective. While these medications are generally considered safe to use during breastfeeding, a lady should ask her health care provider about the risks and benefits to both herself and her baby.

In my next blog I will share my story with you guys. How I came to know about PPD. Who told me about PPD. Stay tuned. Share this blog with others so that new mothers could be aware about it. Share Your Experience with me and I will share it with the world.moattarbhojani@gmail.com

Teaching My Baby Sign Language

My journey of Teaching my daughter Sign language was not so difficult but at the same time not so helpful. I faced few problems in this journey but it taught me few things too.

One of the most fundamental human desires is to be understood, research has shown baby sign language can reduce frustration for babies and parents by providing a means for babies to communicate before their vocal cords have developed for speech.

I started teaching my daughter to sign when she was 6 months. I use to tell her words with action which eventually taught her to sign when I say those words. Like, PLEASE;

 the action for please is to move your hand around your chest in a circular motion.

Unlike other parents, When I heard about sign Language, and its benefits, I studied about it and find it unique. I wanted to give it a try. As she was around 6 months I started talking to her with different signs. Like, more, all done, Thank you, sorry and please. I use to sing poems to her with actions.
At 10 months she was signing different words and poems.
But Eventually There were 2 main problem which I faced. First, my society didn't have knowledge about sign language, so introducing sign language was very difficult and then it was getting harder for me to tell my family members what my daughter is signing. Second, it was delaying her speech. She was saying nothing. Other than mama, tata or baba. This is the link where you can see a year old baby saying few words and signing. (that is what inspired me)

WHEN DID I REALIZED THAT IT WAS DELAYING HER SPEECH?
One day, it was evening, I was sitting with my daughter on my bed and I was singing poem to her, baby baby, yes mama, eating sugar, no mama, telling lies, no mama, open your mouth, and she said HAA HAA HAA!!! and I was amazed, WOW she sang her first poem.
I told my mother in law that today she said the end words of her poem. And she said, "yes I taught her". And I was like, she can say, she can talk and here I am teaching her to sign. Then onwards I stop teaching her signs and Now Alhamdolillah she is 14 months old and can tell sounds of different animals and different words like WOW, NO, dedo (give me), mera hai (it is mine), dada and dadi (Grandfather and Grandmother), Kha, Pho and AAni (aunt). baboo baboo (when she has done poopoo) and many other words, which helps her to communicate with us.

Here is the link of my instagram page where I will share my daughter's video in stories, which will be saved in highlights, where she is signing at 10 months and saying words in 14 months. Follow my page, as I will be posting amazing stuff in the next coming weeks.

So in my opinion I think we as a parent we should teach our child in both the ways. It is the child who picks how he/she wants to be taught. Sign Language is very beneficial for the kids who cannot speak or are late Speakers, this language can help them not to frustrate and express their feeling. What are your opinion on this blog? Don not forget to like and Share.

Share Your Experience with me and I will share it with the world. You can ask anything regarding sign language.