Contents:
- Medical Video: Coping with Anxiety and Depression During Pregnancy
- A glimpse of the baby blues and its impact on new mothers
- What a husband can do to help his wife overcome the baby blues
Medical Video: Coping with Anxiety and Depression During Pregnancy
For couples who have just had children, congratulations! Now your little family is getting one cute and adorable member. marriage is usually met with a lot of changes in life. However, the birth of a baby can also be followed by new problems that come along, such as the baby blues syndrome experienced by the mother. What should a husband do to help overcome his wife's baby blues?
A glimpse of the baby blues and its impact on new mothers
According to Dr. Dr. Irawati Ismail Sp.Kj, MEpid who is an expert from the Psychiatry section of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, who was quoted in The Asian Parent, the baby blues is a "side effect" postpartum that is very common. About 50 to 75 percent of women around the world experience baby blues. In fact, American Pregnancy states a higher number, which is 70 to 80 percent of all new mothers.
Baby blues usually attack the mother in four to five days after the birth of the baby. Mothers can feel sad and cry for no apparent reason, feel tired and not energized, anxious and have trouble sleeping, and have difficulty concentrating. Usually, the impact of this syndrome will be felt when the first baby is born. After surviving for 14 days after birth, this syndrome will disappear by itself.
Usually this is related to changes that come after the birth of the baby. For example, sleep is not sound because it is often disturbed by the crying baby and changes in the routine felt.In addition to the above, hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy can also be the cause. When the baby is born, it means the hormone will return to normal and will decrease sharply within 72 hours after giving birth. This change produces chemicals in the brain that cause various symptoms above.
Baby blues that are not immediately treated can develop into postpartum depression. Postpartum depression is a chronic mental illness that makes the mother feel "distant" and may want to hurt her baby, and even want to commit suicide. In fact, PPD can continue for the next 2 years.
What a husband can do to help his wife overcome the baby blues
There are several ways you can do as a husband for your wife when overcoming the baby blues.
Be friends confide in your wife. You must be able to be a good listener for complaints that your wife spends. Turn off the TV and close your smartphone or laptop. Sit together and invite your wife to talk. When talking, look at his eyes. In addition, of course not to do debates is less important because it will only aggravate the wife's syndrome.
Make sure the wife gets balanced and nutritious food. Mothers can lose a lot of energy and various nutrients. In fact, too much carbohydrate actually makes mood changes more and more. If your wife is busy with the baby, then who else will make sure your wife gets nutritious food? Of course you are her husband.
Invite your wife to go out to enjoy the fresh air. Of course, daily dealing with baby diapers and breastfeeding will make your wife bored, especially if done continuously at home. However, you should not take a walk to meet friends, neighbors, or extended family. Meeting with people who are already known can overwhelm your wife bombarded by a million kepo questions from fad mouths. This will make the situation even worse. Both of you and your wife need a place that is foreign and different from the places that are commonly encountered everyday to be able to overcome the baby blues.
Help with homework that is usually done by a wife. By reducing the workload of your wife, you will lighten the burden in her mind too. Take time to do various homework such as cleaning the house such as sweeping and mopping, washing and ironing clothes, to cooking. Imagine if your wife is in a heavy state but still has to do everything herself.
Be honest and get your wife to know more about her situation. Well-known, there are some good words that if said when your wife is depressed it will not help at all and even make it worse. According to Karen Kleiman, a psychotherapist and founder of The Postpartum Stress Center, explained in Psychology Today about various words that you should not say when your wife experiences a baby blues. The following is an example.
- "I love you for who I am." - He may not believe
- "You are a good mother." - He would think that you were only talking to calm him down
- "You look beautiful." - He would think you were lying
- "I leave the office home first to help you at home this afternoon." - He will feel guilty
- "Sorry I have to go home late tonight." - He will feel you don't care about him
However, try to be honest and open by saying like this:
- "I know you're feeling bad now. Will you tell me? We will definitely pass this together. "
- "I know you are doing your best now. Everyone must have made a mistake. It doesn't have to be everything that's perfect every time. "
- "I, you and our baby will be fine. What you are doing now to overcome the problems we face is correct. (eg therapy or treatment)
If needed, make an appointment with a doctor. Going to see a doctor is not a shame to overcome the baby blues. Tell your wife about baby blues syndrome until post partum deppression. Don't tell your wife to contact a doctor. Your help is urgently needed at this time, whether it's contacting a doctor until accompanying you to the doctor. According to Staci Lee Schnell, a licensed therapist from the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy which was reported in Psychcentral, the existence of a husband is very much needed.
