Homeopathy & Post Natal Depression

For 9 months you waited, maybe patiently, maybe anxiously, for your little bundle.  Your birth plan (hopefully) went to plan and now you are home and cosy with your little one.  Sounds idyllic, doesn’t it? And in most cases, it is.  Except when it’s not.  Postnatal depression is one of the remaining taboos in society.  The pressure to appear perfect and put together, even shortly after birth, is ever-present and can cause some women to delay asking for help when they need it most.

It most often comes on within a year of birth.  It can also affect fathers; however, this is less common.  We don’t know exactly what the cause is, however there are some factors which contribute to it’s development. 

• Hormonal changes – the hormonal changes in the body following childbirth can, and do, affect all women differently.  Some will be impacted more severely than others.
• Depression during pregnancy – If you experienced depression in pregnancy you are more likely to develop PND.
• Personal or family history of depression
• Your birth experience – having a traumatic birth experience can bring on feelings of depression.

This list is by no means exhaustive but simply highlights some of the more common causes. 
Some of the signs to be aware of if you feel that you or someone you care about is suffering from PND are:

• Constant feeling of sadness
• Lack of interest in the wider world
• Low energy
• Insomnia
• Difficulty bonding with baby
• Concentration problems

These feelings do not mean that you are a bad parent.  It can feel daunting to ask for help, but once you make that first step you will find that you are not alone.  There is an abundance of help available from your family, friends, medical professionals and, of course, your homeopath. 
There are different approaches to treating PND.  Your GP may recommend counseling, CBT or in some cases will offer to prescribe anti-depressants.  You can also employ different methods of helping your symptoms. 

• Eat well – with a new baby to care for there are a lot of demands on you.  It’s important to ear a balanced diet.  Remember to eat regularly too.  Fluctuations in blood sugar are not good for your mood.  Try to avoid grabbing processed, convenience foods if you can.  These are really handy, but in the end, they won’t nourish you adequately.
• Gentle exercise – Don’t put yourself under any pressure to get back to your ‘pre-baby’ body.  This can be an unrealistic expectation of yourself and will make you feel worse if you don’t achieve it in the time frame you had in mind.  Things will get back to normal in their own time.
• Nap – It can be difficult to get a good sleep when you have a small baby to care for.  Nights can often be spent grabbing pockets of sleep here and there.  I’m sure someone has mentioned that you should sleep when the baby sleeps.  Listen to them.  They are right.  The housework etc. will still be there for you to do once you wake, but the difference is that you will feel much better once you have had that nap and so these day-to-day tasks won’t seem so overwhelming.
• Talk -  Often the biggest and scariest step is actually telling someone how you feel.  It is normal to feel this way.  We don’t like to portray ourselves as anything less than our best.  It’s human nature.  It’s important to know that you will not be judged.  You are not alone.  Speak to someone; your partner, a friend or family member, your GP or health visitor or homeopath.  There is help available.  It can be cathartic just to speak about it.      

 
When treating someone with postnatal depression it’s important to make sure that their treatment is gentle and most importantly, that it is the correct combination of remedy, potency and frequency.  Given the nature of the condition, it is advisable to seek help from a qualified homeopath rather than to self-prescribe. Keep in regular contact with your homeopath so that he or she can monitor our progress and make any necessary changes to your prescription. 

Homeopathy is a wonderful tool that we have at our disposal to help us to return to our true selves when we have been nudged off course. 
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You can book an appointment here if you would like homeopathic help to get back on track. 

Take care
Carmel x