Children are a gift. This is a statement we have heard at least a couple of times in our lives. Dare say otherwise and people look at you differently. Children are indeed a gift but an expensive gift. Post partum depression is the overwhelming feeling that comes after child birth. This can happen whether the pregnancy was planned or not, young or older mothers. The symptoms (such as anxiety and feeling of sadness) usually arise due to frustrations that come with a new born (the lack of sleep for example) as well as the changes that occur both physically and routinely. These symptoms are severe in mothers who have undergone caesarian section since they have a wound to heal and a child to take care of.
The burden of motherhood falls a lot on the woman. I know one will consider this obvious but a small percent of default parents are fathers. From the moment a woman discovers she is pregnant and decides to keep the pregnancy, their mental health goes under pressure. This is because their life shifts from their known normal to planning clinic visits, taking supplements, checking on their diet, morning sickness, changing their wardrobe and a lot more. Studies have shown that mothers experiencing morning sickness have higher thoughts of terminating it due to the effects it has on the quality of their life.
Imagine walking around with a bottle for spit. This becomes very difficult because many still have to go to work to earn a living to raise this child while “boda boda” guys make fun of how they got pregnant. The constant worry of how they are going to raise a human, finances, what if they are carrying a child with a disorder like autism and we are yet to talk about the fear of labour. This all has already taken a toll on the woman even before the child is born.
Now I know we are discussing depression after birth but the depression begins to build up way before. Mothers undergoing PPD require a lot of support from spouses, parents, siblings and friends. Becoming a mother and especially first-time mothers can be very overwhelming. From the healing after delivery to breastfeeding to the sleepless nights, these mothers need all the help and support they can get. Most of these mothers do not have official maternity leaves and this mean if they do not go to work, they do not get paid. If you have a friend or family who just had a child, constantly check on then, visit and make them food, hold the child while they sleep until they get a hang of things.