Most wouldn’t understand why you just had a baby but aren’t exactly feeling all sunny and excited. Of course, you feel that too – happiness and excitement. But then also exhaustion, worry, and doubt. As a first-time mother, you feel like you might not be doing very well.
Many women who are unable to breastfeed for some reason like not having enough milk can easily feel depressed especially when being pressured.
There are times when paralyzing extreme sadness hits you. You suddenly sob uncontrollably tears and you do not even know why exactly. One minute you are fine and then you feel that loneliness again.
You’re too sad. Even too angry at times. You feel guilty for feeling that way and sometimes for something you do not even know. But it just can’t be helped. You feel like you can not take care of yourself anymore, much more take care of your baby.
There are some times you may not even want to see your baby. You feel bored taking care of your baby and even have little to no interest in interacting with your child. And of course, that makes you feel guilty as well. You lose sleep and you don’t feel like eating. And since not everyone can understand the people around you will start to pressure you to get a hold of yourself. You have a baby to take care of after all.
You feel useless, pessimistic, and powerless. You cannot focus and you can not decide on anything. The stress and the agitation are blowing up. You feel burnt out and like you’re drowning.
There’s a name for what you are going through – Postpartum depression (PPD). A lot of changes happen after giving birth, especially having to take care of another individual 24/7. There are things you can no longer freely do. Not to mention all the physical changes you are going through. Your hormones also get affected.
Your emotional well-being is affected as well as your financial and social situation. All of these can trigger postpartum depression. You may feel very alone, and it’s your fault that you are feeling this way.
Maybe you just do not know it but up to 50% and 75% of mothers are actually affected by the “baby blues” after delivery. It is usually experienced during the first week after delivery but subsides after within 2 weeks even without treatment.
Postpartum depression however is a more serious condition affecting 1 in 7. The symptoms may be mild but they can also become severe. Like the baby blues, it comes the week of the delivery of your baby but it can also be felt gradually. But unlike the “baby blues” that clears up within 2 weeks, it can be felt even up to a year later.
Postpartum Psychosis
Postpartum depression can easily take a dangerous turn when you begin to feel the urge to harm yourself or others, even your baby. A very severe form of postpartum depression, a dangerous form of mental illness, called postpartum psychosis, demands immediate medical intervention.
One in 1,000 people after delivery is affected by postpartum psychosis. Severe agitation, feelings of helplessness and shame, paranoia, hallucinations or delusions, hyperactivity, quick speech, or mania are some of the symptoms.
Women may experience psychotic symptoms, including delusions and hearing voices that aren’t there (such as a person speaking), as well as lose their connection to reality (holding strong beliefs that are not logical).
Insomnia (inability to sleep), impatience and anger, fidgeting, anxiety, and strange emotions and actions are some more symptoms. Women who experience postpartum psychosis need to be treated straight away and almost usually need medication.
Because of the high risk of suicide and potential injury to the unborn child, postpartum psychosis requires immediate medical intervention. The common treatments for this are medication, counseling, and hospitalization.
Healing postpartum depression
With postpartum depression, you will need all the help you can get. While psychotherapy and antidepressant pills can be very effective, you can also take complementary alternative steps to help you heal and recover from the stress and strain of pregnancy and childbirth, a holistic approach like Reiki.
Following the arrival of your child, you can realign yourself and your body during a session in a warm and loving setting. The calming, tranquil energy of Reiki helps to stimulate and hasten the body’s natural healing processes. It facilitates the rehabilitation of the body and mind after a lengthy or challenging birth. For those in confinement (a traditional Chinese practice where a new mother stays indoors, usually at home, for the first month after childbirth to heal her body while getting adjusted to the new change of lifestyle with a newborn), Distant healing sessions are available too and benefits just the same as an in-person Reiki session. Reiki healing can genuinely add to support any new mother, especially a new mom experiencing postpartum depression to heal on an emotional, mental, physical, energetic, and spiritual level. For new mothers with postpartum depression, three to five sessions or Distant healing sessions would be ideal.
This type of energy healing can be helpful if you feel that there is a contradiction between the love and fulfillment you should be feeling with your new baby. You can anticipate experiencing sadness and misery after the birth of your child because our hormone levels significantly change after childbirth. The body’s progesterone and estrogen levels may be out of whack, and other thyroid hormones may have dropped. This particular tool for postpartum can bring harmony and peace back to you.
Postpartum stress can be relieved with Reiki. Reducing stress which is a major contributor to postpartum depression in new mothers, may assist in minimizing the symptoms of depression.
It might also be helpful if you are having difficulty nursing. Your milk production will likely improve, and you’ll feel more confident in your capacity to care for yourself and your baby as your worry will be reduced.
These healing sessions might help you unwind in the midst of the confusion. Many new mothers fall asleep during their sessions because it is so relaxing. It helps you focus better and frees your mind from anxieties.
Many things can make you feel bad, especially if you don’t have a lot of time for your loved ones or for yourself. Because of this, you or the majority of mothers frequently worry or experience anxiety. With Reiki, focus levels can be increased. Receiving these healing treatments can help you feel grounded, at peace, centered, aligned, and more present. Possibly by then, you’ll be able to recover from postpartum depression and relish this time of becoming a new mother. Reiki is a completely safe and natural treatment for anyone to receive in any condition so do give it a try if it’s something that resonates with you and see how it can support you.
