The Secret Diary of The Beautiful Mind

Experiencing the loss of a pregnancy, infant, or child brings unimaginable pain and grief, and can make you feel alone and lost. Everyone grieves in his own way. Men and women often show grief in different ways. Even if you and your partner agree on lots of things, you may feel and show your grief differently. Different ways of dealing with grief may cause problems for you and your partner. For example, you may think your partner isn’t as upset about your baby’s death as you are. You may think he doesn’t care as much. This may make you angry. At the same time, your partner may feel that you’re too emotional. He may not want to hear about your feelings so often, and he may think you’ll never get over your grief. He also may feel left out of all the support you’re getting. Everyone may ask him how you’re doing but forget to ask how he’s doing. Showing grief doesn’t have any rules or instructions. Men and women often may show grief in these ways. But there’s really no right or wrong way f

  Postpartum psychosis (or puerperal psychosis) is a severe mental illness. It starts suddenly in the days, or weeks, after having a baby. Symptoms vary, and can change rapidly. This condition causes a woman to experience symptoms that can be scary for her. She may hear voices, see things that aren’t reality, and experience extreme feelings of sadness and anxiety. These symptoms warrant emergency medical treatment. It can happen to any woman and often occurs ‘out of the blue’, even if you have not been ill before. It can be a frightening experience for a mother, her partner, friends and family. It can last several weeks or longer – but you will usually recover fully. It is much less common than baby blues or postnatal depression. Causes - Several things seem to play a part in postpartum psychosis. Your family history and genetic factors are important. Hormone levels and disturbed sleep patterns may also be involved. An estimated 31 percent of women with a history of postpartum psychosi

  Postpartum panic disorder is a condition that new mothers may experience during the months after giving birth. Postpartum panic disorder is a triggered condition that results in excessive worry, fear and anxiety. The odds are about 1 in 10 new moms will experience postpartum panic attacks. Panic attacks may happen frequently or sporadically. There are different triggers that cause panic attacks to happen, but they center on thoughts and fears regarding the health or well-being of the baby. Many women ignore or avoid their symptoms and therefore do not seek help or treatment. Additionally, many women who share their symptoms with loved ones are told that mothers are naturally nervous and not to worry. However, when panic attacks cause disruptive physiological, mental and emotional distress, it is more than just nerves. While the exact causes of panic attacks remain unclear, severe stress, medical conditions, and other physical causes have been indicated as triggers for panic attacks.

  After giving birth, you must adjust to an entirely new life and cope with a lot of related stress. Pregnancy and the postpartum period can be a trigger for OCD. Symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder that develop in the postpartum period typically focus on the baby and her wellbeing, and can include the following types of obsessions and compulsions: Extreme worry that your baby could fall, choke, be dropped or die suddenly Fear of being alone with your baby Intrusive thoughts of something terrible happening to your baby An extreme need to keep your baby's clothes and accessories tidy and symmetrical Checking behaviors, such as constantly looking in on your baby while she's sleeping Obsessively praying to protect your baby. These thoughts are intrusive and make caring for your child very difficult. You don’t have the intention to harm your child, but you’re very much afraid that you will do so accidentally. Fortunately, postpartum OCD is very treatable. Treatment may inclu

  The wait is finally over: after 40 weeks of medical appointments, nursery planning, and anticipation, your baby has finally arrived. She is perfect in your eyes, healthy and adorable. Yet over the next few weeks, your initial joy is replaced by all-consuming worries: Is she feeding enough? Why is she crying so often? Is something medically wrong with her? These worries are constant during the day and keep you up at night. You feel tense and irritable, your heart races, and you feel panicky. Your family members start to express their concern —not just about the baby, but about you. You wonder whether your anxiety is normal. Postpartum anxiety is even more common than postpartum depression, with some research suggesting that it affects 20-25 percent of new mothers. Postpartum anxiety often occurs alongside postpartum depression. It can occur anytime within the first year after giving birth. Everyone experiences anxiety differently. But people with postpartum anxiety experience thoughts

  Postpartum or perinatal depression is a form of depression that occurs following the birth of a baby. It’s a relatively common but serious medical condition, affecting up to 1 in 7 new mothers after birth. Postpartum depression can make you feel empty, emotionless, and sad. It can cause changes in mood, exhaustion, and a general sense of hopelessness for a long time after birth. Postpartum depression can affect people of all gender and all types of parents and their partners, be they birth, surrogate, or adoptive. There’s no singular ‘normal’ way to be a parent. Feelings of postpartum and perinatal depression are always valid and are never your fault. Postpartum depression goes well beyond the fews days of 'baby blues', lasting for weeks after giving birth. Its symptoms can be severe and interfere with your ability to function. Symptoms of postpartum depression can vary from person to person and even from day to day. While symptoms can develop anytime after childbirth, they o

  Although delivering a baby is typically a happy event, many postpartum women develop depressive symptoms. These symptoms may manifest as the postpartum blues, which consist of mild depressive symptoms that are generally self-limited, but may be a risk factor for more severe syndromes of major depression. Up to 85% of new mothers are affected by postpartum blues, with symptoms starting within a few days after childbirth and lasting up to two weeks in duration. Presentation - Symptoms of postpartum blues can vary significantly from one individual to another, and from one pregnancy to the next. Many symptoms of postpartum blues overlap both with normal symptoms experienced by new parents and with postpartum depression. Individuals with postpartum blues have symptoms that are milder and less disruptive to their daily functioning compared to those with postpartum depression. Symptoms of postpartum blues include, but are not limited to: Tearfulness or crying "for no reason" Mood