Having a baby is one of the most beautiful things in the world that expectant mothers anxiously await. However, there are challenges that come with a newborn in as much as the feeling is thrilling and rewarding. Some women feel challenged and distressed and, therefore make the transition with great complexity (Clark 2010). Such is the case when a woman goes through postpartum depression. There are a number of physical and emotional changes that occur to a woman that may lead to postpartum depression which in return will leave a woman drained, stressed anxious, confused and even sad. In the article Symptoms of Postpartum Depression Wide- ranging, the author Doug Brunk, talks about a sad experience of a woman who battled the problem for quite some time before the doctors could actually deduce what the problem was. He gives his expert analysis of what postpartum depression is all about and the importance of dealing with it early.
Postpartum depression can be so severe to such an extent that a woman can be hospitalized for a very long time. There are times when the problem may go undetected for a very long time like in the example that gives; the story of Diana Lynn Barnes. Patients end up being treated of illnesses they are not suffering from without the doctors realizing that they have made a wrong diagnosis. Brunk highlights this matter and goes on to say that many clinicians find it difficult to recognize the illness. It is even harder, according to him, to draw the line between baby blues and postpartum depression. Stress can begin early from the time when the mother becomes pregnant and this stress can go on up to the time after giving birth (Rosenfield 2007). This stressful situation can be dangerous to both the mother and child and that is why Brunk recommends that mothers seek medical intervention before the problem gets out of hand (Para 8).
In the article, statistics are given concerning the way mothers change the moment their bundle of joy arrives. Many of these mothers experience some mental changes that overwhelm them. They never notice until these changes escalate to something more serious. It is clear that about 50- 80% 0f women will experience mental changes within the first year of child birth (Brunk para. 2). Out of all these, about 10- 15% of these women might sink into postpartum depression. With such statistics, it becomes evident that postpartum depression is a very serious condition that needs to be addressed with a lot of seriousness in order to save both mother and child from further problems.
There are a couple of recommendations given in the article about how postpartum depression can be addressed. It is for sure that when a woman is suffering from this condition suicide can be an option for them but there is a remedy that Brunk offers in order to avert bigger problems. One of those is group therapy and other forms of treatments and therapies that are recommended by doctors. The earlier the treatment commences the better for mother and child as well as their families. When women with this problem relate with others who have issues of the same nature interact, there are very high chances that they will start their journey towards recovery because then, they will know that they are not alone (Para. 12).
References
Brunk, D. (2013). Symptoms of Postpartum Depression Wide- ranging. PDF File.
Clark, J. (2010). Living Beyond Postpartum Depression: Help and Hope for the Hurting Mom and Those Around Her. Colorado Springs: NavPress.
Rosenfield, A. I. (2007). New research on Postpartum Depression. New York: Nova Publishers.
