Do read my article on the above matter, here on HAPPY
TV.
Women don’t have it easy, they have menstrual
periods every month where some of them have cramps in their stomach; and when
they have menopause, they have mood swings and get irritable. Added to
that, when women are in the family way, they may go through Postpartum
Depression. All these issues, their male partners must fully understand
so that the relationship can blossom.
Like many types of mental illness, education on postpartum
depression is also necessary to prevent the loss of life – be it for the
mother or her child. The greatest gift that God has given mankind is a
child.
A young nurse dies
It was heart-wrenching to read of how a young nurse
in Canada lost her life in what was thought to be of her suffering from
Postpartum Depression in the article “Another First-Time Mom with Postpartum
Depression Takes Her Own Life”
Our prayer must go out to her husband and all
family members as they try to cope with grief, and rebuild their lives.
Movie actress Brooke Shields struggled with
Postpartum Depression.
You would think that a beautiful woman like actress
Brooke Shields who played a lead role in the of the movie “Blue lagoon” and who
is happily married to a doting husband seemingly has it all – and there was
nothing in the world that would make her depressed. Think again.
Following the birth of her child was born, Shields had to fight the
"mother lode" of emotional battles: a crippling bout with postpartum
depression.
After giving birth two
years ago, Shields was not singing lullabies in the pleasing voice that has
earned her rave reviews on Broadway. Nor was she learning how to swaddle her newborn girl, Rowan
Francis, named after her late father, Francis Shields.
When she was struggling with postpartum
depression, Shields found herself staring out of the window of her
fourth-floor Manhattan apartment, contemplating suicide.
"I really didn't want to live anymore,"
she admitted. During that painful period, she revealed candidly that
seeing a window was enough to prompt her to think, "'I just want to leap
out of my life!” But the rational side of her told her, “You're only on the
fourth floor. You'll get broken to bits and then you will be even worse.'"
When it rains, it really pours.
There will be times when it rains, it really pours.
Another risk factor for postpartum depression is a temporary upheaval, such as
the death of a loved one. For Shields, this was her father, who lost his fight
with prostate cancer
just three weeks before his namesake was born. She was also still mourning the
death of her best friend and Suddenly Susan co-star David Strickland, who
committed suicide in 1999.
You’ve got a friend.
Sharing experiences with those who have walked the
journey can make a huge difference in reclaiming or saving a life. The words
"postpartum depression"
didn't mean much to the actress at first, but it finally hit home when a
virtual stranger told her about the guilt, shame, and reclusiveness that were
connected to postpartum depression – the same symptoms she had struggled with
since the baby was born.
Writing a good way to heal; to educate.
One of the most effective ways of raising awareness
of mental health issues is to write about it. Now, two years later and
seriously considering having more children, Shields is doing what she can to
remove this stigma in her new book, “Down Came the Rain”.
Tragedy – on home ground.
Closer to home, the tragedy that took place at a
HDB block at Fajar Road in which a 29-year-old woman and her three-month-old
daughter fell to their death, shocked many of us and brought tears to my eyes
as described in the report “I feel sad a baby is dead” (The New Paper, Nov 24,
2016).
Although life is precious and must be valued, when
people are unable to cope with challenges and do not reach out for help, lives
will be lost.
After they give birth, women could experience
physical changes and emotional issues as follows:
♦ Physical changes. After childbirth, a
dramatic drop in hormones (estrogen and progesterone) in the woman’s body may
contribute to postpartum depression. Other hormones produced by her thyroid
gland also may drop sharply — which can leave the mother feeling tired,
sluggish and depressed.
♦ Emotional issues. When the woman is deprived of
sleep and overwhelmed, she may have trouble handling even minor problems which
in other times she can handle easily. She may be anxious about her ability to
take care of her newborn. Even begin to feel less attractive, struggle with her
sense of identity or in the worst-case scenario, believe that she has lost
control of her life. Any of these issues can contribute to postpartum
depression and that includes relationship problems.
Doctors and counselors should team up to support
and educate pregnant women.
To ensure that women who are in the family way have
better coping mechanisms, there is a dire need for gynaecologists to team up
with counsellors to educate women on postpartum depression and then take the
opportunity to find out if they have any problems which they are unable to cope
with. It would also be useful to educate the spouse or other family
members on postpartum depression where printed information can be handed out.
Finally, education on this matter through other
platforms such newspapers, television and radio will prove useful to save and
reclaim lives.
Raymond Anthony Fernando
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