Post partum mood swings tend to occur during the first few week or so following childbirth. It can, however, last only a matter of hours. Such mood swings are part and parcel of post partum blues which, if not treated immediately and properly, could lead to post partum depression.
How to Know If You Are Suffering from Post Partum Mood Swings
There are several indicators you can watch out for to determine if a loved one is suffering from mood swings caused by post partum blues or depression.
Feelings of Helplessness and Hopelessness
This is prevalent with first-time mothers. Naturally, becoming a mother is new to them and its not even something they could accept gradually. Pregnancy makes the idea of motherhood somewhat concrete, but one can only fully comprehend its impact upon childbirth.
The feelings accompanying this momentous occasion can be overwhelming, enough to make a woman feel helpless and hopeless with no prior background or experience to rely on. In such cases, its easy for a woman to experience mood swings after on.
Exhaustion
Childbirth is not a painless process. There will always be an amount of pain involved in giving birth and such pain can be a tremendous burden on your body. After giving birth, its natural for a woman to feel exceptionally tired. The demands of motherhood or even the simple act of talking with your loved ones can be considered onerous and make the new mother prone to mood swings.
Tearfulness or Sadness
Hormonal imbalances occur when you are pregnant and when you give birth, these imbalances will straighten themselves out but at the expense of your physical comfort. While your body seeks to put your hormones into order, youll have to suffer from its effects in the meantime. One common effect is hypersensitivity.
The simplest things can make you cry and feel lonely. If youre left alone for a good amount of time with your emotions and thoughts, it wont be a surprise that youll suffer from mood swings later on.
Difficulties with Resuming Old Lifestyle
It often takes new mothers quite some time before they can pick up the pieces of their old lives and start living again. During the first few days following their childbirth, most new mothers would find themselves uninterested in resuming any activity in their former lifestyle unless it has something to do with the baby.
As this kind of behavior can greatly affect the relationship between partners, both parents should strive to make adjustments for each other. Men will have to be especially understanding of the needs of their partners. If both partners are unable to help each other, mood swings could be the least of their worries.
Inability to Make Decisions
The responsibilities of motherhood are definitely overwhelming the first time around. As such, you shouldnt expect new mothers to be as confident and decisive as they were before. In the early stages of motherhood, theyre prone to focus most of their attention if not all on the babys needs, leaving them no time, interest, or even the will to make decisions for other aspects of their lives.
Disconnection
Last but not the least, mood swings can also be caused by a womans inability to fully accepting the changes in her life. Women suffering from post partum blues may entertain thoughts of running away from everything that motherhood represents while feeling aghast at the same time about their ambivalence towards their newborn baby.
Nevertheless, all these will not last. Post partum mood swings and blues will cease when youve successfully proven your care and support.