How to Deal with Depression after Giving Birth

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After giving birth and even up through the toddler years, a mother can struggle with depression. Taking care of children can cause feelings of tiredness, anxiety, worthlessness, sorrow, anger, etc. all at once. These can drive a person to depression and tears. Here's some tips on how to deal with this...

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Time
Family and Friends

Step1

A good way to fight depression and the workload in general is to get help from family, especially from grandparents. However, it will depend on the family members temperament...some people are just not good with children.

Step2

The old saying is that misery loves company. Try to find or develop a support group among other new mothers who may be experiencing the same difficulties. Not only can they commiserate with you, but they may provide some helpful tips as well.

Step3

Find community programs that provide moms some time off (e.g., a "moms morning out"-type program). For example, a community center may be willing to watch toddlers for a few hours in the morning. During that time, mothers can take some time for themselves (e.g., read a book, sleep, etc.).

Step4

Develop a good sleep routine with the baby or toddler so that once the child is asleep (e.g., at 8am), the mother can also rest a bit as well.

Step5

Perhaps the best way to avoid depression is to get help from the father. He needs to understand that it is his job to help in anyway he can to lessen the mother's burden. It may not be clear, but the mother could be going through a lot of hormonal imbalances that are not apparent.