A baby is born!
Post partum depression in lay mans language means anxiety, restlessness, sadness, frequent changes in mood and finding difficulty in sleeping.
A mother is also born along with the baby. She is also as vulnerable as the new born. She needs her loved ones immense care and support as she has just entered a new phase of life where she is both emotionally and physically weak.
Lets see what happens in the life of Abhipsha, the new mother.
Everyone’s attention was on the baby and Abhipsha has to now struggle to feed the baby. All the instructions and advices began to pour in for the baby care ,feeding and sleeping.
Abhipsha was wondering how she should feel now happy or sad. She wanted to be extremely excited and happy to be getting into this motherhood but on the contrary, she was anxious, stressed, and worried.
She has heard about postpartum depression and was in dilemma whether she was one of its victims. She was unable to figure it out. To make it worse for her was her struggle to feed the baby. For the first time, she came to know about latching the baby.
What's bothering Abhipsha?
The little one was unable to latch to feed and so Abhipsha was helpless making all possible efforts to feed the baby. The doctor would constantly check whether the baby is able to have mothers milk and the grandmother worries and stress for this failure made Abhipsha much more stressed and frustrated.
She wanted to cry and tell that she is trying hard but couldn’t do it. She was still in hospital bed notable to get up completely. All they wanted for the mother to feed the baby.
“Mother’s milk is the best for the baby” said someone from the family. Abhipsha thought that she already knew it but she was unable to do it in spite of struggling for hours. The baby can be bottle fed as the Abhipsha is not able to lactate. That doesn’t make her any less of a mother just like c-sec surgery is not any less than normal delivery.
How will Abhipsha manage?
Abhpsha was stressed more than being upset. She came under pressure to feed the baby. And her stress aggravated this problem. She tried hard but in vain.
She felt that no one understood her and wanted her loved ones to assure her that its completely okay and everything will be fine and better. There is nothing to bother if she cannot breast feed her baby. It will not demean her as a mother. And she is constantly making efforts but not of much result.
She was getting restless and frustrated .She knew that there are other alternatives present though not as good as mother’s milk.
She talked to her mother, her best friend and vented all her annoyance and disappointment. Her mother assured her that the first priority is to get physically and emotionally fit. Other things will automatically fall in its place.
She was comforted felt much better. She snug in the bed with her baby and closed her eyes.
From Dull to Sunny
A baby is born, Party mode is one
Everyone has forgotten in the midst of bustle
A new mother’s hustle
She has got a new life, promoted to mother from a wife
She needs extra pampers with loads of love hampers
She is in a fix
Engrosed
There are a variety of factors that can contribute to a mother’s feelings of distress and inability to provide care for her child, including social and economic factors, lack of support, and past trauma. It is important to approach each case with compassion and understanding, rather than jumping to conclusions o