Show notes
Welcome and thank you for listening! Our special guest is Keshia van Rooyen, a Pastor in CRC Church, Johannesburg, working within the Women's Ministry. Before full time ministry, Keshia practiced as an attorney after gaining a Master's Degree in Corporate Law. Keshia is married with two children. She is passionate about God and seeing the lives of women changed. Today Keshia will be sharing on how important Mental Health is and how she dealt with it, after her own birth trauma. Postnatal Problems Is what you are feeling postnatal anxiety, postnatal depression, or a combination? It is normal to experience 'baby blues' a few days after giving birth. This increased anxiety and emotionality can last a week or two as you recover from pregnancy and birth. However, if you don't begin to feel better, or if your symptoms are particularly severe, you may need help. Postnatal anxiety New research has shown that severe anxiety is even more common in new moms than depression. You may have postnatal anxiety if you are experiencing some of these symptoms: · Feeling overwhelmed, fearful or daunted · Insomnia and/or difficulty sleeping · Uncontrollable irritation or anger · Feeling restless and/or unable to concentrate · Avoiding situations because you're worried something bad will happen Postnatal depression Postnatal depression (PND) can develop any time during the first year of Baby's life and the symptoms, if left untreated, can last a long time. PND can feel mild, or out of control. You may have PND if you are experiencing some of these symptoms: · Feeling overwhelmed, inadequate or guilty · Difficulty bonding with your baby or feeling like you are unable to look after your baby · Feeling tearful, sad, irritable or resentful · Feeling numb, disconnected, apathetic or hopeless · Lack of energy · Loss of appetite · Thinking about suicide or self-harm Postnatal Depletion A new term being talked about by both moms and health professionals is 'postnatal depletion' – coined by Dr Oscar Serrallac, a family practitioner in Australia with a holistic approach to health. Postnatal depletion encompasses a range of symptoms – from memory disturbances to fatigue to feeling guilty or overwhelmed – which can affect moms from birth until the child is seven years old (or even longer). It is essentially the massive toll that pregnancy, birth and new motherhood can take on a woman, both physically and psychologically. Postnatal Psychosis This is the most severe of the postnatal illnesses and its duration depends on how soon the condition is diagnosed and treated appropriately. Symptoms include heightened motor activity, hallucinations, mood swings, severe depression, and mania, confusion and/or delirium. Postnatal psychosis usually requires hospitalisation and medication. Treatment Postnatal problems should not go untreated. Treatment, plus lots of love and support from your partner, family and friends, will help you recover faster, and feel physically and mentally restored. Here's how you can find help: · Contact the Postnatal Depression Support Association (www.pndsa.org.za) · Talk to a trained counsellor · Visit your doctor (if breastfeeding, you probably won't be able to use most antidepressants, but it's safe for you to use appropriate homeopathic remedies and tissue salt remedies such as Nat mur) Away with postnatal emotional problems It's normal to experience a bit of emotional upheaval when a baby is born. Most women get 'baby blues' or 'third day blues' a few days after giving birth and have a week or two of increased anxiety and emotionality before things return to normal. If symptoms don't clear up or seem particularly severe, new mother anxiety may have become postnatal depression (PND), or the more recently recognised condition called postnatal depletion. These can all develop any time during the first year of Baby's life and the symptoms can last a very long time if not recognised and treated. The symptoms can be mild or very severe, and there is no single trigger. Often it develops due to a combination of factors such as a traumatic birth, loneliness, stress, and hormonal factors. A woman is particularly vulnerable after giving birth and too many stress factors can lead to full-on depression. There are a number of possible triggers, including: False Expectations If you have unrealistic expectations or believe that you are totally prepared for birth and life thereafter, the reality of the humdrum of post-baby life can cause disillusionment and depression. Often women who are used to efficiently running their work and personal lives struggle with this, as they feel like a failure when these methods don't work in their new baby-orientated lifestyle. Women with low self-esteem are also prone to depression. The best approach is a change in attitude and it can help to talk things through with somebody else – especially a mom who has been through something similar. Hormones Throughout pregnancy there's lots of hormonal activity – and this all changes suddenly after birth. The 'hormonal crisis' often causes women to feel more emotional, weepy, sentimental, irrationally unhappy, angry, disillusioned, depressed, and even suicidal or completely disinterested in Baby, their families, or their own welfare. Often, the body adapts quickly to these hormonal changes and the result is nothing more than a brief bout of the third day blues. However, these feelings get progressively stronger in some women and sometimes only develop weeks or months after the birth. The fact that it is 'just' hormones doesn't mean that you can just 'pull yourself together'; this is a legitimate medical condition which may require medical treatment. Incessant crying A colicky or ill baby often cries non-stop, leads to sleep deprivation, and causes plenty of anxiety for new parents – all of which can trigger depression! Sitting at home all day with an unhappy baby can trigger the blues, and moms who keep busy while dealing with whatever treatment Baby needs often cope better. Try to arrange outings with other moms and make sure that you leave a bit of 'you time' as well! Relationship strain Having a baby isn't going to save an ailing relationship; unresolved relationship problems aren't a good base to start a new family on. Communication is vital so that both you and your partner understand what each of you is experiencing after Baby's birth. Be careful that you don't use Baby against each other, as a pawn in your arguments. View parenting as a team project, not as a competition; not only can this help combat depression, it will also form a wonderful foundation for raising a child. Tiredness Sleep deprivation and exhaustion is practically the norm for new moms, although some women react more negatively than others. Don't underestimate how much this can affect the psyche; it's the seat of depression. Sleepless nights aren't really preventable because Baby's sleep requirements can't be predicted or controlled. The only thing to do is change how infant sleep is approached – co-sleeping is a wonderful sleeping arrangement which can be very effective in treating PND. Anaemia Blood loss during and after birth can lead to anaemia – which can cause tiredness, listlessness, and depression. The body usually corrects this condition by itself, although it's a good idea to get a blood test at your six week check-up and use iron supplements if necessary. Chemical Imbalances It's possible for important vitamins and minerals to be depleted after pregnancy and the efforts of birth. If you develop PND, it's a good idea to get a blood test to check whether or not there's a chemical imbalance which needs to be corrected. Zinc is vital for a developing baby, but it also contributes to a sense of mental and physical wellbeing in the postnatal period. Calcium, magnesium, and vitamin B are all very necessary in the postnatal period too, and supplementation may be necessary.8. A Depressive Personality Women with a more sombre personality are sometimes more prone to depression. Remember that there is help for this from both the homeopathic and the orthodox fields. Treatment Never let PND go untreated; it doesn't get better on its own and can have quite devastating effects on the entire family. You can contact the Postnatal Depression Support Association, a volunteer organisation dedicated to supporting women going through this experience and helping them to find the help they need. You can also ask your doctor to refer you to a trained counsellor. The best way to deal with postnatal anxiety, depletion and depression is to understand your personal triggers, and to get lots of love, support, tenderness, and understanding from your partner, family, and close friends. It's also important to get real, practical help and to have some time off from caring for Baby each week, so that you can sleep in and feel physically and mentally restored too. If you found this episode helpful please leave us a review or give us a rating as that helps us get the show out to more people. And don't forget to subscribe! We'd love to stay in touch and keep you updated with all our latest content & resources to equip & empower you. So if you're a midwife or any type of birth and baby worker go to sensitivemidwifery.co.za/freegift If you're a mom, visit sisterlilian.co.za/freegift for more training and resources. That way we can keep you up to date when we release new episodes like this plus a few other bonuses. Remember you're making a big difference because you're shaping the future of humankind. Thanks for listening and I look forward to journeying with you.