Post Partum Depression: Recognizing the Signs

It hit me one day during the middle of December - I may have post partum depression. Here we were, full swing into the Christmas season, it was going to be my daughter's first Christmas, and I wasn't enjoying any of it. All I wanted to do was crawl back into bed and sleep.

After doing some extensive research on the internet, and visiting my doctor, my self-diagnosis was confirmed: post partum depression. Finally, a reason for what was wrong with me!

As many as twelve to fifteen percent of women experience post partum depression, which is brought on by the birth of a baby, and diagnosed up to a year after said birth. In no way is this a weakness or character flaw, but a women's body's way of dealing with the aftermath of having a child. There are ten very significant signs of post partum depression that can occur:

1) Constant fatigue
Sure, all new moms are going to experience some fatigue after the birth of a baby as they try to adjust their lifestyles. However, if your baby is 6 months old and you're still as exhausted as the day you brought him/her home from the hospital, it could be a sign. For me, it was my biggest signal - my daughter was 8 months old, and I never felt like I was getting enough sleep.

2) Lack of joy in life
Some women may find that, even though they have a new baby, they can't find any joy or satisfaction from him/her. In the long run, this could interfere with the relationship with the child.

3). A sense of emotional numbness or failure
Many mothers feel that, no matter what they do, it's never right - they feel like they're failing their child. It's never the case, but nonetheless, they cannot help how they feel. I always felt like I was somehow failing my daughter, even though the proof that she was thriving was right in front of me on a daily basis.

4) Withdrawl from family and friends
This was never the case with me - I always wanted to be around family and friends, but merely so that I wouldn't have to take care of my daughter, someone else would. But some women begin to pull into themselves, especially if the depression has gone undiagnosed or untreated.