Physical, Emotional and Lifestyle Factors play a role for Postpartum Depression
After childbirth, your body goes through a number of physical changes that may lead to depression. Immediately after you give birth, your hormone levels fluctuate. For example, the levels of estrogen and progesterone which greatly increase during pregnancy, just as smaller hormonal changes, can lead to mood swings and tension before your menstrual period. In addition to hormone level shifts, the amount of blood in your body, your blood pressure, your immune system, and your metabolism all change after you give birth. These changes can affect how you feel physically and emotionally, causing fatigue or mood swings.
If you’re sleep-deprived and overwhelmed with the task of caring for a newborn, minor problems can seem much greater. Difficulty coping with things that were easily managed before delivery may lead to frustration and depression. Other emotional influences that may contribute to depression includes: a sense of lost identity-who you were before your baby was born, an unsatisfying birth experience, such as having your spouse called away or having medical complications that make it difficult to care for your baby, anxiety, doubts or unrealistic expectations about being the perfect mother or having the perfect baby, feeling less attractive, feeling less in control over your life.
