A recent study by researchers A.Daley, K.Jolly and C.MacArthur Oxford University 2009 have found that exercise along with social support can help ward off postnatal depression.  Post natal depression symptoms include sadness, fatigue, changes in sleeping and eating patterns, reduced libido, crying episodes, anxiety, and irritability.

The likely cause of postpartum depression is a number of factors. The most significant is changes in a woman’s hormones during pregnancy. Couple this with exhaustion following labor and the emotional journey of becoming a parent.  

Current treatments for post natal depression has included hormone treatment, however this has been shown to not be an effective treatment. Other therapies also include use of social support groups and counseling along with anti-depressant drugs.

Exercise has been known to reduce mild forms of depression in normal populations. It has shown to be more affective for mild forms of depression than anti depressant drugs. Recent research has shown that this may also be the case for women suffering from post natal depression.

Exercise as simple as pram walking within the first 3 months following birth, can reduce the risk of postnatal depression by fifty percent. Daily physical exercise can boost mood by increasing the levels of “happy feeling” neurotransmitters in the brain.

These neurotransmitters are called Endorphins they create feelings of well being, calmness and relaxation. They are released during exercise as well as during meaningful conversations.

Regular exercise that increases your heart rate for 30min at least twice a week can help regulate mood better than low dose anti depressant drugs. This occurs without nasty unwanted side effects that anti-depressant drugs may induce.

The only side effect exercise induces are positive. The added benefits of exercise are strengthening lower pelvic floor muscles, increasing bone density, aiding with weight loss and improved heart and lung function. All of which will boost energy and capacity to keep up with the children.

One important factor to take note when starting to exercise in particular after birth is to introduce exercise gradually and slowly. Start with simply being more active around the house and short bursts of walking around the neighbourhood. Later this can be improved with a structured exercise program that includes strengthening and higher intensity aerobic workouts. Higher intensity aerobic and strength workouts could be as simple as joining a ZUMBA class or following a structured weights program.

It is important to seek professional advice if you are not accustomed to exercise. Exercise if done incorrectly can increase risk of injury and cause muscular imbalances further on down the track.

In addition to exercise, support from professionals, family and friends are also crucial to recovery. Mothers with postnatal depression need emotional support from people close to them. Often people who suffer from depression tend to withdraw from social situations, but this often compounds feelings of sadness and isolation. It causes small insignificant issues to become large and over whelming.

Joining mothers groups, inviting friends over, having parents close at hand will help build a strong social network. Not only can they provide physical help with caring for the new born, by also provide a platform for meaningful conversations. Psychologists and counsellors can also provide structured sessions to over some thought processes that may be hindering your recovery.

Post natal depression is a common mental illness that occurs within our community. It is nothing to be ashamed of and should be considered as an acute mental illness. Eating Nutritious food, exercising regularly and having a strong social support network all aid in reducing the risk of post natal depression. In addition it can be used as a suitable and safe treatment for those who are already suffering from post partum depression.

Exercise has many add on benefits and so does having people around you all the time. Not only will it make you feel great, but it can make life feel easier and more for filling. Get out there and enjoy a workout today- start changing your life!

If left unmanaged, stress may cause different health problems. And, one of these problems is depression. Women may either develop prenatal depression or post partum depression.

Prenatal depression is a type of depression that women develop during their pregnancy, while post partum depression is a type of depression that happens after giving birth to a child. Post and prenatal depression have similar symptoms. These symptoms are classified into two groups that include emotional symptoms and physical symptoms.

Among the emotional symptoms of postnatal and prenatal depression include anxiety, irritation, sadness and hopelessness. A woman suffering from depression may also tend to isolate herself from other people including her newborn baby or husband.

Post partum and prenatal depression also have physical symptoms, which include lack of focus and chronic fatigue. A woman who develops depression during pregnancy and after giving birth may also develop sleeping and eating disorder. When depressed, a woman may either lose her appetite or eat more than she used to. She may also have trouble going to sleep or she may tend to oversleep.

Now, there are a lot of things that you can do to avoid depression during and after pregnancy. First of all, you need to have an ideal diet. This means that you need to have a balanced meal, which also means that you need to eat vegetables, seafood and meat. You must also stay away from coffee while you’re pregnant and after giving birth. During your pregnancy, you may drink tea as an alternative to coffee.

Another way to avoid or deal with depression is by exercising. Many studies proved that by exercising, a person’s body produces dopamine and serotonin, which can help you feel good. It can also help regulate the flow of blood and oxygen that helps in absorbing and distributing nutrition to the whole body.

Now, there are still other ways to deal with depression and one such way is by learning how to meditate. This activity is very ideal because not only can it regulate your sleeping and eating habits, it can also help you bring harmony and balance to your mind, body and soul. To learn more about meditation, you can visit www.meditate.com.au/members or www.meditate.com.au/blog.

Although much time and effort has been expended trying to unlock the secrets of this condition, no definitive single factor can be identified that in itself leads to post partum depression. Several issues have been singled out as important factors that contribute in part to the condition. These include prenatal depression, lack of self esteem, prenatal anxiety, and chronic conflict with a spouse.

Other known conditions that may contribute to the ailment might also include a perceived lack of social support, a history of depression within the family, low social status and even the fact that the pregnancy was not a planned event. As if this list of potential factors is not long enough, several other issues are known factors common to post partum depression sufferers. Additionally, mother’s race, social class or sexual orientation have been noted conditions that are common to many sufferers.

Consider an instance where a mother may experience a lack of social support and is forced to manage the affects of these stressful events by herself. This eventually causes the mother to shift her energy to satisfy the demands of pure survival as an alternative to totally expending her energy into a new being that may be considered expendable in that over stressed mental state.

When observed and diagnosed in the early stages, intervention can successfully treat and eliminate the condition. The prognosis for a complete recovery is good when professional assistance is sought and put into practice. A key component of the treatment involves educating the women about the causes and effects associated with post partum depression.

Support groups can be found in most large towns and cities where the self-help groups work in unison with the medical community to provide highly important social support. Women either pregnant or planning to become pregnant should be screened regularly by their health practitioners so that the early detection is possible.

For any woman who has had a child, pregnancy can be a great experience excluding of course the nauseating pain that comes with child birth, but then that is an aside considering they have just brought a brand new life into the world. The problem is the pain is not the only side effect of a pregnancy, there is some degree of hair loss involved which is more of a postnatal effect as is well known by many mothers. Somewhere around 50% of women will experience this hair loss at some point in time after child birth. This usually happens within a one to five months period after child birth whereby in or around the third month is where in most cases the effect is really felt. This of course is a very distasteful situation and extremely unnerving especially since this affects their looks and their mood. What is even worst is when the person is a new or even worst yet a young mother which increases their rate for postnatal depression and lowering their self esteem.

What is the cause?

Hormones! Just that, hormones, the increase and/or loss of hair when it comes to pregnant women and new mothers is usually due to the flux in the level of female hormones, which basically is known as estrogen. Within the term of pregnancy most women would experience an increase in their scalp hair, which is because at this time there is a surplus of estrogen being pumped around the body. This causes their metabolisms to be sped up and nutrients spread to everywhere in the body including the scalp causing the increase in scalp hair.

After child birth however is the complete opposite whereby there is a decrease in estrogen in the body to return the body to its normal levels that it was before the pregnancy therefore resulting in what we deem, hair loss. Basically since the extra nutrients in the scalp can not be provided by the hormones anymore there is nothing to support the increase in hair therefore the hair gained falls out. There are also other causes that add to pack when it relates to this type of hair loss like discontinuing the use of contraceptives, miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion and hormonal imbalance resulting from various reasons.

Most women fortunately do not have to worry considering this effect is only temporary and most come out of this problem without even taking any treatment for it since the body does the work for itself. There is however some cases whereby the hair loss continues after the predetermined period and becomes something to worry about especially if the person was already afflicted with very thin hair in the first place. No real need to worry though since there are treatment options available to help out in form of hair care and hair nutrition which are the major factors in promoting healthy hair after child birth.

Hair Care

Proper hair care has been found to be in this case a major helper in the restoration of the hair to a thicker and lusher growth. Some of these methods however should be avoided during this time though because they put too much stress on the scalp such as pigtails, cornrows, hair weaves and braids. Using tight hair rollers is also not recommended. The application of essential oils is also helpful as they promote healthy hair growth which may include lavender, neroli, patchouli and sandalwood. Shampoos and conditioners containing biotin and silica are also advisable options available. What should also be noted is that wet hair should not be rubbed hard since the hair is usually brittle at this time.

Nutrition

As with all others symptoms the body may experience a healthy diet is always the way to go and especially so for hair loss after pregnancy. Foods like fruit and vegetables are usually the most ideal for the promotion of healthy hair and growth. Also along with you doctor advice which he/she can advise you to a prescription of nutritional supplements which can include Vitamin B, Vitamin, C, Vitamin E and zinc which an excellent source of nutrients for the hair.

Did you know that you could avoid developing post natal depression just by getting support before you give birth? Or that doctors often don’t have the training to tell when women are suffering from this problem? Around thirteen percent of women have post natal depression at some point in the year after they give birth, but it often goes unnoticed and untreated. Women are unaware that they have options, aren’t able to tell what’s going on, or fear that they will be stigmatized for feeling depressed. If you’re going to give birth soon, or you have recently, you don’t need fall into this trap.

Knowing the risks and the symptoms of post natal depression, as well as how to prevent and treat it, can go a long way to making sure that you feel happy with your new baby. There are some special considerations to take into account with this kind of depression – after all, most of us who are nursing don’t want to take drugs, even if they might be effective. Psychological therapy, like counseling, can make a difference without risk to our children, and getting support from other mothers before we give birth can make a big difference, too.

In a UK study of four thousand women who received counseling (either cognitive behavioral or person centered), women who suffered from depression and received help for it were much less likely to still be depressed later on. Women who received care from specially trained personnel at six weeks had significantly fewer problems at six months than women who didn’t receive counseling at all. Both kinds of counseling seemed to be of the same effectiveness.

In another study in Canada, mothers who received peer based support (over the telephone) were much less likely to have post natal depression twelve weeks after having given birth. More than eighty percent were satisfied with the experience, too. This is one reason why talking to others about your experiences being pregnant and your hopes and fears for your child is so important. It can prevent you from being at risk for problems with post natal depression later.

Before you give birth and after, make sure you pay attention to your emotional state. Learn the symptoms of post natal depression and the things you can do to prevent or reduce them. No one has to feel bad after the birth of her baby, and no one should have to take drugs while breast feeding. Instead, make sure you know how to get help if you have problems, and remember that there are things you can do to be and feel healthier. Stay happy in your family by making sure you know what to do if you think you have post natal depression.

As much as women, enjoy the feeling of a baby growing in their wombs for nine months, the post- pregnancy period is always a new experience for most of them.

To a number of them, this period is a dramatic change from the norm and instead of being happy that the belly is free, they suffer from postnatal depression.

It is also what is commonly called the baby blues and not easily understood by other people around the mother.

Recently a mother who is my relative refused to breastfeed her two-week baby, and it got really sick and helpless.

The husband and other people who know her felt disgusted by her behavior as a mum and none thought of the possibility that what she had was postnatal depression.

Apparently, a new kid is such a big responsibility for the first time mum both emotionally and financially and she is bound to feel weighed down, but it is an innocent being that suffer in the process.

Symptoms

Some mothers feel angry and irritable, weep easily and feel extremely low. I once was a neighbor to a young woman who got really depressed after giving birth, and as a consequence, her breasts lacked milk for the child.

As if this was not enough, she would leave both of her children for a whole day and it was me who the helpless child cried to.

In fact it cried even at night when nothing came out of its mothers breasts. She at times would respond by whipping the bigger child or calling it bad names.

As people near these mothers, we need to understand that the sudden change of lifestyle they undergo is not easy, and they need medical intervention, to be able to accept their responsibility to their babies.

Some mothers do not experience the baby blues during all the times they conceive, others get these repeatedly while a few endure it with some of their children.

Also postnatal depression may be intense or mild and sleeping more or separating from the baby for short periods until this feeling is gone can easily deal with the latter.

When we notice that a mum’s mind and actions seem detached from her baby, it would be advisable to encourage her to speak up her mind with you for this can ease her tension.

When the depression in mothers is severe, they suffer from psychological problem and hormonal changes are known to take a major contributory part.

The hormone that arouses the uterus to prepare for pregnancy is formulated slowly in some women bodies and postnatal depression results when its levels fall suddenly just before delivery.

This is called progesterone. Also deficiency in zinc and essential fats can result to the same because a mum transfers most of her zinc to the baby ahead of giving birth hence the possible deficit.

Essential fats are not made by our bodies from any other substance except what we eat that should contain them.

Several herbs that may not interfere with breast milk can be taken by the mother to balance her hormone levels.

If she visits the doctor, who is very important, he or she will recommend medical prescription best to treat her case of depression.

It is not that such women hate their new babies but the condition they suffer from is triggered by many factors that she and her gynecologist can work out together and come up with solutions.

Sara is a happy mother with a new baby. She was able to have a natural childbirth, at home with a midwife assisting. With no anesthesia dulling her experience she was able to fully bond with her little girl right away. She recovered quickly from her birth, and was able to delight in her precious addition to the family. Her first childbirth was a vastly different story, however. She had been induced into labor with drugs by her physician. The labor had been long and arduous and she had lost a lot of blood.

She was tired for a long time. But the worst aspect was that she was not happy with being a mother. It took a year before she could really say she loved her new baby. She never told anyone how she felt, however, she just felt like a bad mother. It wasnot until she had a healthy delivery that she realized that you could love your baby instantly. Then she could talk about her experience with her first child.

Many mothers feel inexplicably “down” after birth. This feeling can manifest as lethargy, moderate depression, or even the feeling that their life is ruined – or worse. Post partum depression (PPD) affects many mothers to varying degrees, but is greatly under-reported by many physicians as it is poorly understood in allopathic medicine. Too often, it is “treated” with a “pep talk.” But to a mother who is suffering from PPD it is very real: symptoms can range from nagging guilt over not feeling strong enough to be the mother they want to be in mild cases to severe depression including suicidal thoughts, disturbing dreams, and even thoughts of harming or killing their newborn babies in the most severe cases.

My training and experience in acupuncture and osteopathic medicine has led me to understand that PPD has understandable and treatable causes. In most cases, PPD is strongly linked to a stressful childbirth. To fully address PPD, you should start with proper prenatal care designed to prepare the mother for a healthy, quick labor. And then follow up with therapy that can effectively help the mother recover from the labor and birthing process.

One of the differences between Saras first childbirth experience and subsequent PPD and her recent uplifting childbirth is that she came to see me while she was pregnant. Her first visit was at about seven months. She was experiencing back pain, tidal fevers, night sweats and was showing some signs of gestational diabetes. After one session using the The BodyTalk System(tm) her all of her symptoms disappeared and she was sleeping restfully at night.

A follow up BodyTalk session two weeks before her delivery addressed mobility of the pelvic joints as well as synchronization and balancing of blood and nerve supply to the muscles of the uterus. Sara reported that her experience of her contractions was very different from her first birth. She described them as very productive, efficiently moving the baby into position for final stage labor and effecting cervical dilation. The entire labor was about three hours from start to finish.

Saras most recent birth is of course exemplifies the best goal in addressing PPD: take steps to maximize the chances for a healthy birth process, and hence avoiding the need for postnatal therapy for PPD. But even in the best of circumstances and preparation, complications can develop resulting in an inability of the mother to recover quickly from the birth. Fortunately, effective in post-natal care is available to address PPD in these cases.

I have found in my practice that the best way to address prenatal and postnatal care is by using The BodyTalk System(tm). BodyTalk is a system of health care founded on the observation that the body is complex system of interacting parts and functions that must work together to produce health. In order to work together, all the various parts of the body must be in communication with each other. BodyTalk focuses on restoring communication in the bodymind using light hand contacts and a gentle tapping technique.

It is gentle, non-invasive, safe and yet extraordinarily effective. The communication “links” that are necessary to restore health in a particular client are discovered by following the innate wisdom of the clients body by using a comprehensive protocol of questions and neuromuscular biofeedback in the form of light muscle testing. In my practice, I have virtually stopped using acupuncture and manipulative therapies, and yet my results are faster and longer lasting in all types of cases, from musculo-skeletal disorders to internal medicine issues to disorders that are considered more psychological in nature.

Before I can discuss how BodyTalk applies to PPD, I need to briefly present some of the major causes of PPD. Although there can be many causes, I will focus on just two major factors that account for a great deal of PPD as away to illustrate that help is possible and how BodyTalk can apply. The two main causes of PPD that I see in my practice are blood deficiency and distortions or fixations in the cranial-sacral system. Blood deficiency is a major cause of depression in traditional Chinese medicine. This term is broader in scope than the western concept of anemia. It includes anemia, but it also covers deficiencies of other blood constituents and nutrients as well as deficient blood volume. Osteopathic research has traced an extremely strong correlation between compression and fixation/or of several key joints in the axial spine and depression.

Some blood deficiency is to be expected even after a healthy childbirth, but a difficult or prolonged labor will often result in severe depletion. Symptoms of blood deficiency include weakness, fatigue, lethargy, low immune function, general debility, lack of motivation and/or depression, visual disturbances including hallucinations, poor sleep and very often disturbing dreams of a violent nature.

Obviously, if a mother is suffering from even just a few of the above symptoms caring for a newborn is going to seem more overwhelming and burdensome than joyful. Factors that contribute to blood deficiency are poor balance of electrolytes and other blood factors that control how much of the water in the body is held in the blood vessels rather than in the tissues. The ability of the digestive system to work effectively to digest food and assimilate nutrients is obviously a major factor in the ability to rebuild the blood and hence strength. And inability of the endocrine system to properly adjust to the new needs of a nursing mother after the extreme hormone swing during pregnancy is another major factor.

All of these causes of blood deficiency are the kinds of issues that BodyTalk works very well with: helping to restore communication within the body to restore adaptability and recovery. And the best thing is that a BodyTalk practitioner does not have to be able to diagnose which of the synchronization issues are relevant in order to offer help: they can just ask the innate wisdom of the body using the BodyTalk protocol. For example, the first day of BodyTalk training covers a procedure that addresses balancing water distribution in the body by combining a series of hand contacts over various areas of the brain with gentle tapping to stimulate the nervous system to address all of the many aspects of the this complex and delicate balance.

In birth, a womans pelvis goes through quite a dramatic distortion to allow for the passage of the baby through the birth canal. During pregnancy a hormone is produced to relax the ligaments that connect the pubic bones in the front as well as the joints between the sacrum and the hip bones in the back. This allows the pubic bones to spread apart and also allows the sacrum to tilt back and away. This allows a significant widening of the space available for the babys passage.

Ideally, the bones return to their natural position within a few days after birth. When this doesnot happen, the resulting distortion of the pelvis causes compression of the lumbo-sacral joint and produces too much curvature in the low back, producing back pain. The stress of living with back pain (that was supposed to go away once the baby was born!) is hard enough. Osteopathic research has also shown that compression of the lumbosacral joint often leads to depression.

Unfortunately, the effects of pelvic distortion are not limited to low back pain. There is a complex mirroring of movement between the pelvic bones and certain bones in the cranium. This correspondence is part of both the natural movements of respiration as well as the symphony of coordinated upper body and lower body movements that happen when we walk. So when the ability of the pelvic bones to maintain proper alignment and flexibility is compromised, this will produce restrictions in the cranial bones.

Symptoms of the resulting cranial restrictions include restricted breathing, low vitality, headache, sinus infections, visual disturbances, TMJ, poor digestion, poor ability of the hypothalamus to moderate acidity in the digestive tract, poor endocrine regulation, mental fogginess, and depression. So lets imagine what that would mean: your back still hurts so it hurts to pick and carry your baby. Your digestion isnot very good, you get headaches, you feel hormonal swings all the time, you are tired all the time, and you canot think straight. And your baby still needs you 24/7. I am depressed just thinking about it.

The good news is that BodyTalk is superb at addressing just these kinds of musculo-skeletal distortions. The understanding of the importance of these reciprocal relationships between the various parts of the body that need to coordinate to allow smooth breathing and balance of the postural muscles in standing and walking is very strongly integrated into the BodyTalk system. As a case in point, just last week I had a woman referred to me who was 7 weeks pregnant.

This was to be her second child. It turned on that her sacrum had been stuck back ever since the first birth six years ago. She had low back pain all the time, her breathing was restricted, she had lots of sinus trouble, and she had stomach ulcers. While she was lying face up on my treatment table I could slide my hand completely under her low back due to the exaggerated arch in her lumbar spine. During her session, BodyTalk addressed restrictions in the sacrum, restrictions in a key joint the cranium, and balancing the relationships between key pelvic and cranial bones.

By the end of the session, her back was flat on the table, the back pain was gone, her breathing had freed up tremendously, and her stomach pain was almost gone. Needless to say, she was pretty excited about the changes after six years of living with these issues. Ideally, these problems could have been addressed right after he first birth, but better late than never and she is certainly in a better place for a healthy pregnancy with her second child.

There are other factors that can affect PPD, of course. But I hope this brief article has presented that case that the causes are understandable and treatable. And that this help can be fast and gentle when the therapy of choice is BodyTalk. Having a baby should be a magical experience. I deal with a broad range of health issues in my practice, and yet it is hard to think of any branch of my practice that is as rewarding as my work with mothers in prenatal and postnatal care. Except of course, working with babies.

Post partum depression is a condition that manifests itself in women following the birth of a child. The most notable symptoms experienced by sufferers of post partum depression include sleeping disturbances, recurrent sadness, loss of appetite, loss of energy, hopelessness, frustration, exhaustion, guilt, low self esteem, social withdrawal, and many other negative experiences.

The key symptom contributing to the classification of this type of depression is feeling lack of affection for the new born baby. Experts contribute a variety of views regarding facts that you should know about post partum depression.

Risk Factors

Although much time and effort has been expended trying to unlock the secrets of this condition, no definitive single factor can be identified that in itself leads to post partum depression. Several issues have been singled out as important factors that contribute in part to the condition. These include prenatal depression, lack of self esteem, prenatal anxiety, and chronic conflict with a spouse.

Other known conditions that may contribute to the ailment might also include a perceived lack of social support, a history of depression within the family, low social status and even the fact that the pregnancy was not a planned event. As if this list of potential factors is not long enough, several other issues are known factors common to post partum depression sufferers. Additionally, mother’s race, social class or sexual orientation have been noted conditions that are common to many sufferers.

The Evolutionary Hypothesis

Evolutionary theorists believe that post partum depression is an inherent and natural response by the human body. They state that it is the natural response of the parents, either human or non-human, to instinctively decide subconsciously when the potential benefits outweigh the liabilities of caring for the offspring. On that basis negative responses to the birth may subconsciously exist and as a result natural parental care will simply be reduced or totally terminated.

A practical example of this hypothesis in action may support that theory. Consider an instance where a mother may experience a lack of social support and is forced to manage the affects of these stressful events by herself. This eventually causes the mother to shift her energy to satisfy the demands of pure survival as an alternative to totally expending her energy into a new being that may be considered expendable in that over stressed mental state.

The mothers suffering post partum depression demonstrate a higher degree of negative emotions and lesser degree of positive emotions toward their children. Subconsciously their responses to child’s needs are significantly negative.

Prevention

When observed and diagnosed in the early stages, intervention can successfully treat and eliminate the condition. The prognosis for a complete recovery is good when professional assistance is sought and put into practice. A key component of the treatment involves educating the women about the causes and effects associated with post partum depression.

Support groups can be found in most large towns and cities where the self-help groups work in unison with the medical community to provide highly important social support. Women either pregnant or planning to become pregnant should be screened regularly by their health practitioners so that the early detection is possible. In Canada, the screening test is conducted by professional public health nurses.

Treatment

In summary, post partum depression is treatable. Medical evaluation of women that are exhibiting some of the signs of the condition is a necessity. Early detection is key to successful treatment to realise short term as well as long term relief from the ailment. On positive diagnosis, it is commonly recommended that the suffering woman undergo cognitive behavioural therapy, medication, and maintain a healthy diet.

In many areas the health practitioners in co-operation with the mother, can determine a treatment plan. Although many of the symptoms are similar among most sufferers, the treatment plan needs to be specifically individualized for post partum depression.

The effects of this condition can promote highly undesirable subconscious activity. Recognizing the symptoms early and seeking professional assistance can save more that one life.