'Baby Blues' or puerperal psychosis: these are the effects of postpartum in some women

Postpartum is the time that elapses after giving birth until the new mother recovers physically and emotionally from all the changes that have occurred and in which she faces her new role and different routines.

Its duration depends on each of them.

Verónica Fernández López, family and educational advisor, responsible for Micro-schools;

and Paula García Otero, a pharmacy technician and lactation consultant, understand that misinformation and taboos must be broken and more talk about the issue.

Together, and giving visibility to the issue, with data, training and accompaniment, they carry out a workshop both face-to-face and

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Fernández affirms that with the practice of the workshop they reveal certain issues that most of the time go unnoticed or are ignored by the woman's environment, and can even be hidden by the puerperal women themselves for different reasons: "There are physical changes Mental, hormonal and emotional problems of great magnitude in the postpartum period that cause many women to feel an emotional imbalance, and even surprise them.

Because of this ignorance, they may not accept the new reality and feel guilty or sad.

More information

Postpartum depression: the bitterest face of motherhood

This professional affirms that many women do not even dare to share their experiences with their peers or in their environment for fear of being judged.

“The woman can truly desire the arrival of her child.

However, this also causes her to lose an acquired lifestyle, a family structure, freedom, time... ”, continues Fernández.

"Something that, to a greater or lesser degree, supposes a duel that the woman, consciously or unconsciously, must go through."

Due to the repercussions they generate on the mother and/or baby during pregnancy and after delivery, the professional identifies three special cases:

Live the stage with fear and loneliness

García points out that, in general, society does not take care of maternity and does not give sufficient value to the postpartum stage.

And he adds that the lack of empathy and follow-up on the woman can cause her to experience it alone.

"The physical and emotional readjustment that the woman must face after childbirth can make her fears and insecurities surface," clarifies the health worker.

This lactation consultant also talks about the physiological and normal act that is that the mother does not want to be separated from her baby and that can cause clashes in the family by not understanding each other.

For the expert, the family must be at the woman's side, care for and protect the mother-baby dyad, helping to strengthen the bond.

And she is blunt: "The postpartum period does not last only during the quarantine."

For her, the root of the problem is misunderstanding.

“People forget that it is counterproductive to judge and pressure the mother with unsolicited advice.

Loneliness is the concept that the women I attend to in my counseling refer the most.

Without this accompaniment or health control, the symptoms are identified late, and in advanced stages they can lead to pathologies such as postpartum depression or physical problems, ”says the professional.

Regarding breastfeeding, he explains that, if the woman decides to breastfeed her baby, there is usually a high prevalence of cracks and mastitis that lead to early abandonment of it.

According to the expert, "breastfeeding is one of the factors that most worries women and is usually the first reason for consultation and a determining factor in the case of postpartum depression."

The role of the advisers, as in the case of García, is based on being a very valuable figure of listening and solving doubts because it also means that on many occasions it is the first filter to identify any complication in the woman's health and that recommends, if necessary, refer the new mother to the appropriate physician or specialist.

"To better cope with postpartum, the ideal is to train beforehand by attending workshops, talks on preparation for childbirth, specific advice and parenting groups in order to identify the alarm signals that may arise around our well-being at this stage," lists Garcia.

Being in contact with other families who are experiencing the same situation also helps a lot and represents a very valuable lesson: "The well-being of the baby depends directly on that of the mother."

postpartum depression

In Spain, there is a lack of preventive protocols against postpartum depression, so there is no real registry or reliable statistics on the number of women who suffer from it.

Ibone Olza, a psychiatrist and director of the European Institute of Perinatal Mental Health, shares the latest study found, dated 2008, on the prevalence and co-occurrence of psychiatric disorders in Spanish postpartum mothers: "In the context of a postnatal visit from After six weeks, 18.1% of the new mothers had one or more non-psychotic psychiatric disorders.

The lactation consultant Verónica Fernández López asserts that postpartum depression can manifest itself in the form of sadness or anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure);

Anxiety, irritability, and low self-esteem are also common, as are sleep disturbances, weight disturbances, appetite changes, or low energy.

Biological alterations, genetic predisposition or the circumstances surrounding maternity (unwanted or unexpected pregnancy, or having suffered previous depressive episodes) can contribute to its appearance.

The postpartum expert specifies that, in the most serious cases, this can affect the mother's care and hinder maternal functions such as the connection between mother and baby.

Likewise, she concludes that information for prevention is vital, without neglecting the support of the environment and professionals.

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