The range of symptoms experienced may include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- low self-esteem and lack of confidence<\/li>
- feelings of inadequacy and guilt<\/li>
- negative thoughts or feeling that life is\nmeaningless<\/li>
- tearfulness and irritability<\/li>
- difficulty concentrating or remembering things<\/li>
- changes in sleeping patterns or difficulty\nsleeping<\/li>
- low sex drive<\/li>
- anxiety or panic attacks.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
The exact causes of PND are still not known. Some\ncontributing factors might include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Physical changes<\/strong> \u2013 even a relatively easy birth is an overwhelming experience for a woman\u2019s body. <\/li>
- Emotional changes<\/strong> \u2013 adapting to parenthood is daunting. <\/li>
- Social changes<\/strong> \u2013 society puts lots of demands and expectations on a new mother.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
A woman with PND withdraws from everyone, including her\nbaby. This is a symptom of the disorder and does not mean that she is a \u2018bad\u2019\nmother. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
PND can put an enormous strain on any relationship, even\nwhen the partner is patient, loving and supportive. Suggestions for a couple\ndealing with PND include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Find out as much information as you can about\nPND.<\/li>
- Try to recognize that PND may cause relationship\nproblems.<\/li>
- Keep the lines of communication open.<\/li>
- Try not to take each other\u2019s moods or criticisms\ntoo personally.<\/li>
- Avoid making big decisions about your\nrelationship or career.<\/li>
- To prevent arguments and resentments, talk about\nsharing the household duties.<\/li>
- Try to arrange at least an occasional night out\ntogether, away from the baby.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/FKSG-Post-20212-1024x204.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIf you are the partner of a woman with PND, suggestions\ninclude:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Be patient.<\/li>
- Encourage your partner to talk about their\nfeelings. <\/li>
- Accept that their feelings are genuine, try to\nunderstand their point of view.<\/li>
- Limit visitors if they do not feel enjoy\nsocializing.<\/li>
- Provide emotional support, baby care and\nhousework. <\/li>
- Tell them often that you love them and that you\nappreciate what they are doing. <\/li>
- Do not criticize their post-pregnancy body or\nsuggest they lose weight.<\/li>
- Stay in touch throughout the day if you spend\nworkdays apart. <\/li>
- Share caring for your baby to promote your\nparent\u2013child relationship and give your partner a much-needed break.<\/li>
- If it worries you, encourage your partner to\ntalk to their doctor or midwife.<\/li>
- Go to the doctor yourself for information and\nadvice if your partner initially refuses to go.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Support and patience from a partner, family and friends are\nperhaps the most important factor in a woman\u2019s recovery from PND. Talking about\nher feelings, particularly with other women in support groups or with a\nprofessional counsellor can be helpful. In more severe cases, anti-depressants\nand other medications might help bring about a change in mood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is important to remember that PND is a temporary\ncondition that will improve with time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PND is a depression that comes on within 12 months of having a baby, usually during the first few weeks or months. PND is most common after a woman\u2019s first pregnancy. It can start slowly or suddenly, and can range from very mild and transient, to severe and lingering. For most women, it passes quickly,… Read More »Helping a Partner experiencing Postnatal Depression<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4840,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[141],"tags":[404,659,677,687,693,820,949],"class_list":["post-3379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mental-health","tag-emotional-changes","tag-partner","tag-physical-changes","tag-pnd","tag-postnatal-depression","tag-social-changes","tag-woman"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3379"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5351,"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3379\/revisions\/5351"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Emotional changes<\/strong> \u2013 adapting to parenthood is daunting. <\/li>
- Physical changes<\/strong> \u2013 even a relatively easy birth is an overwhelming experience for a woman\u2019s body. <\/li>