Can motherhood cause depression?

It is common to hear that motherhood is one of the most wonderful things that can happen to a woman. We have all grown up with phrases that have given us a conception of idyllic motherhood. Now, although it is true that this new role brings with it extremely positive aspects, we cannot forget that two out of ten women have problems with mental health since they decide to be mothers, during pregnancy or in the first year of the baby's life.

Very few people talk about the tsunami of emotions, experiences and new experiences that inevitably occur when a woman decides to take this big step in her life. Suddenly, they are involved in a shot of revolutionized hormones, a baby that demands a lot of attention, the family of origin, the partner, postpartum recovery, a lot of sleep, and feelings of guilt that flood the mind and appear more strongly after the maternity.

If you are experiencing sadness, anxiety, or simply feel overwhelmed since your child was born, it is important to clarify that you are not alone. In fact, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the most disabling health problem during the perinatal period is depression. More specifically, it is estimated that in industrialized countries it develops between 10% and 13% of mothers and twice as much in developing countries. However, it is striking that around 75% of cases are not diagnosed nor do they receive adequate treatment. Due to the importance of the subject in question, in today's article, we will analyze if

motherhood can cause depression.

• Related article: "Perinatal psychology: what is it and what functions does it perform?"

baby blues vs. postpartum depression

Being overwhelmed by feelings of sadness and anxiety in the first few weeks after the birth of a child is completely normal. Ultimately, we must understand and respect that we are not machines programmed to be mothers and wanting to give our best us, but at the same time, not having an instruction manual to do it properly, generates feelings harmful. However, It is important to know and differentiate the terms baby blues and postpartum depression, in order to have a more optimal vision of the situation.

On the one hand, baby blues syndrome is an emotional disturbance that involves feelings of sadness, irritability, frequent urges to cry, anguish, and mood swings. It appears in the first week of labor and can last around 15 days until it disappears. Coinciding more or less when the mother manages to assimilate her new vital state and establish a new routine with the newborn baby.

On the other hand, postpartum depression is a more serious disease that leads to anxiety, appetite disturbance and even feeling of rejection towards the baby, something that can even be dangerous, for which it requires specialized treatment to heal.

In this regard, it is crucial to know how to differentiate them well in order to be able to act in one way or another. To do this, we present the main distinctions below:

The gravity

Postpartum depression is a serious mood disorder, while baby blues is a mild disturbance. It can be affirmed that the intensity of the symptoms is greater in postpartum depression and adds the issue of anxiety, the appetite disturbances and negative feelings towards the baby, leading to the inability to care for herself or the baby.

• You may be interested in: "Types of depression: its symptoms, causes and characteristics"

The duration

On the one hand, the baby blues appears during the first week after delivery and does not last for more than 15 days. Besides, postpartum depression can arise at any time during childbearing during the first year and extend to another year in time.

The behavior varies. That is, if a mother feels sadness or weakness but is functional, that is, she can carry out her day-to-day tasks, we are talking about baby blues. However, if the symptoms you present immobilize or block you when it comes to continuing with your day to day, we would be talking about the onset of postpartum depression.

Factors that influence the development of depression in motherhood

Pregnancy and, above all, postpartum are periods of extreme vulnerability for women in which it is taken for granted that she must be fine because she must be happy. In many cases, this does not feel like that, and the woman, not feeling understood, is not able to verbalize that she is not feeling well. Now, what factors influence the development of depression in maternity? Various factors can contribute to this.

For starters, hormones play an important role. It must be taken into account that in the gestation period, progesterone and estrogen levels are very high and, after delivery, in 24 hours they drop significantly, which affects the levels of brain neurotransmitters and can cause a disorder. It is true that research indicates that this does not occur in all women, since the genetics of each one has a great weight when it comes to suffering from depression.

Added to this are social factors. If the mother is alone, if her partner helps her or not, if her family of origin supports her, if they suffer from economic and emotional problems, anxiety, stress and expectations about motherhood. After all, as we mentioned at the beginning, our society sees motherhood in a rosy color. It seems that everything revolves around what clothes to buy for the baby, comments about the newborn sleep through the night, that the relationship should stay the same and that in general, life does not change so much.

Prioritize mental health

First of all, it is of the utmost importance to prioritize mental health. After all, mental health is essential for the growth and development of oneself and of course, that of the baby. It must be taken into account that a mother ends up generating an affective disorder causes her a lot of suffering and can even put her environment and her life at risk. A mother with depression will not be able to establish an adequate affective bond with the child and according to psychology experts, establish a affective relationship between mother and child is crucial for the correct neurodevelopment of the newborn and later interpersonal relationships in life adult.

Finally, we want to close the article by stressing the importance of asking for professional help if you have felt identified throughout this writing. It should be clear that parenting and motherhood are complex, but it is not about burying her needs while satisfying the needs of others. It is a constant flow of giving and receiving. Therefore, if you feel that it is a subject that is beyond your reach, we want to emphasize that needing help does not make you a weak person, quite the opposite. It is a profound act of strength and self-love.