Postpartum depression is a serious and often misunderstood condition that occurs to some women after childbirth.
The postpartum period generally includes the first 4 – 6 weeks after birth, but PPD can also develop during pregnancy and up to 1 year after giving birth, so don’t discount your feelings if they’re happening outside of the typical postpartum period.
Many women don’t seek out postpartum depression counseling because they aren’t sure how counseling could help them or if it’s worth the cost.
Your body and mind go through many changes during and after pregnancy. If you feel empty, emotionless, sad most of the time, or you feel like you don’t love or care for your baby, you might have postpartum depression.
How do I know if I need counseling for postpartum depression?
Here’s a list of some signs and symptoms of postpartum depression:
- feeling sad most of the time / cry often
- insomnia
- loss of appetite
- intense irritability
- worrying excessively or feeling on edge
- difficulty bonding with baby
- lack of interest in your baby
- thoughts of hurting your baby
- feeling like you don’t want your baby
- trouble with concentration / memory
- you don’t enjoy activities that used to make you happy
- thoughts of suicide or wishing you were dead
Some people feel ashamed about their symptoms or feel they are terrible parents for feeling the way they do. You’re not the only person who feels this way, and it doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.
Counseling services are available if you feel that you need them. If you experience postpartum depression (PPD), then the best thing for you to do is speak with someone who can help.
Counseling can be helpful in many ways:
● Helping women deal with their fears
● Discussing how they’ll handle responsibilities
● Teaching new mothers to care for themselves & their children
What should I expect at my first appointment?
Your therapist will spend time getting to know you. Your counselor may ask questions about whether or not certain things happened during pregnancy—did anything stand out? Did anything happen during labor itself? How has life been since becoming a parent? Do any particular issues come up for either one of them?
These are all important questions that help therapists form an idea of what direction they might take when helping clients deal with postpartum depression symptoms such as anxiety attacks, loss of interest in life, sleeplessness, etc.
If you’re struggling with PPD, a counselor can help you learn how to cope with these feelings and communicate better with others in your life. Counseling can also help those who care about someone dealing with PPD by teaching them how best to support their loved one during this difficult time.
Counseling is an important way to address depression.
Counseling is important in treating postpartum depression because it helps you learn how to cope with your feelings and manage your time, energy, relationships and responsibilities. It can also help you develop strategies that will keep the symptoms of postpartum depression from interfering with your life or the lives of your family members.
