Contents:
- Medical Video: This Is What It Feels Like To Be Depressed
- Why do new women often feel depressed?
- According to research, babies can also feel when their mothers feel depressed
- Why did this happen?
Medical Video: This Is What It Feels Like To Be Depressed
Being a mother is a noble role, but has a big responsibility behind it. It is estimated that 1 in 9 women who have just given birth feel depressed. This condition is on average characterized by changes in mood, fatigue, and reduced interest in daily activities.
However, the feeling of stress and stress is not only felt by the mother. The little baby still feels the same way with his mother. Why is that?
Why do new women often feel depressed?
Depression that often occurs in women who have just given birth is also known as postpartum depression (PPD) or postpartum depression. There are three factors that cause a mother who has just given birth to experience PPD, namely hormonal changes, social factors, and also psychological disorders.
Drastic hormonal changes will occur after childbirth. Although the relationship is not known with certainty, levels of estrogen and progesterone that increase 10-fold during pregnancy suddenly drop sharply when the baby is born. Changes in both reproductive hormones can affect mood.
PPD is also very vulnerable when a mother has experienced depression during pregnancy, lack of family support, or has medical problems during pregnancy or after childbirth.
According to research, babies can also feel when their mothers feel depressed
Quoted from the Scientific American page, a study conducted by Nick Allen, a professor of psychology at the University of Oregon and his team examined how the mother's depression could affect children's health. In addition, they also see how the baby responds to the stress felt by the mother.
48 mothers and their 12-week-old babies became participants from the study until the baby's age reached 18 months. At the age of 6 and 12 months, babies are taken to the laboratory to take part in experiments, such as playing expressions.
The mother alternately responds and plays cheerfully with the baby. Then, be indifferent when the baby begins to carry on with a pleasant atmosphere. In addition, the researchers also measured the stress of babies from saliva samples to see changes in cortisol levels, which are stressful hormones.
From the study, researchers concluded that depressive symptoms felt by the mother can affect cortisol levels in infants. If the mother does not get treatment, the stress level in the baby will also increase. In the end, stress will damage healthy cells in the body and adversely affect the health and development of the baby.
Why did this happen?
Infancy is a very sensitive period. That is, babies are very easily affected by whatever is in their environment. Babies need warmth and attention from the people closest to them, especially the mother. However, when her mother has depression, her symptoms can make it difficult for the mother to establish strong bonds with her baby.
Bad effects of depression that can damage the health of the mother and also the baby, require the mother to do immediate treatment. The doctor will provide PPD treatment and care that is safe for the mother during breastfeeding.
In addition, changes in the lifestyle of the mother can also suppress postpartum depression symptoms, such as having enough rest time, regular physical activity, and staying in good relationships with family and friends or just taking the time to do things that are liked.
