After Delivery - Postnatal - The Puerpirium

Coping with baby
After the excitement of being pregnant, after the ecstasy and anxiety of labour and delivery, after the indescribable joy of seeing your own child alive in your arms, you realize that you have a living human who you are responsible for, an awesome challenge. There are major changes in lifestyle as you learn to adapt to your new situation. Both parents will be shocked by the extent to which their life is altered, an even greater challenge for the single parent. It is important to recognize the strain and keep talking to each other about the change in your life, especially in the first few months of the baby's life. Within months everyone adapts and life becomes more enjoyable.

Postnatal depression
About three days after birth, when the hormone levels from pregnancy rapidly return to their normal pre-pregnancy values, the new mother may feel weepy for no particular reason. This is called 'The Blues' and usually only lasts a day or two.

Many women feel mildly depressed in the first few months after birth, reflecting the great strain brought about by becoming a mother. For some women many repressed issues surrounding their own personality and childhood experiences can no longer be hidden away and must be addressed. (continued next page)