Pregnancy and childbirth are emotional and meaningful periods. The transition to motherhood is a complex phase that involves physical, emotional and mental changes.
During and after pregnancy, you may experience dramatic mood swings and feel negative emotions such as sadness, fear, anger or frustration. These emotions are natural and are not indicative of anything. Having said that, 10% of women during pregnancy or after childbirth will cope with depression, anxiety or other emotional states that require professional treatment and care.

Occasionally, the couple, relatives and friends are the first to identify the difficulties and behavioral changes. It is therefore important that you know how to support, help and direct the person to professional help. Familiarity with the signs and symptoms will help you understand what is going on and to contact help when necessary.

Postpartum depression may occur immediately after birth but may also occur one year later. Depression generally occurs in the first months after childbirth. It is important to be familiar with the symptoms so that help and treatment can be obtained as soon as possible. Without treatment, the situation may deteriorate.

Women frequently protect their privacy or are ashamed of the emotions, fearful of speaking about them to relatives or friends. The stigma that accompanies depression plays a key role in their refusal to share, but it is important to know that depression is an illness like any other illness. It is an illness over which you have no control: you cannot cause or prevent it, but identification and treatment are critical for your ability to alleviate it and improve the quality of your life while also helping you maintain the bond with your baby.

Depression can also appear during pregnancy and it should be treated before the birth of the child. Furthermore, postpartum depression can occur in every mother, regardless of age, ethnicity or socioeconomic status. Depression may also occur for the first time after the birth of the second child or later, even when there is no particular distress or history of mental disorder of any kind. It is not uncommon to discover that women who are generally successful in coping with the burdens of everyday life find it difficult to cope with pregnancy or the appearance of a baby into their lives.

Risk factors for postpartum depression

• Psychological factors: history of depression or anxiety (including previous postpartum depression), premenstrual symptoms (PMS), dissatisfaction with the sex of the infant or with the infant itself, history of sexual abuse by the mother.
• Obstetric factors: high risk pregnancy, including emergency C-section and hospitalization during pregnancy, premature childbirth, meconium in the water, prolapse of the umbilical cord and anemia of pregnancy.
• Social factors: lack of social support, physical, sexual or verbal violence, use of drugs or smoking.
• Health factors: your medical problems or that of your infant, sensitivity to hormonal changes, as manifested in mood swings.
• Lifestyle: diet and sleeping habits, lack of exercise, lack of sleep can all affect development of the disease.
• Life events: serious life events during pregnancy or after childbirth (such as death or disease of a relative), relationship issues.

Other possible symptoms of postpartum depression

• Endless crying.
• Lack of interest in sex.
• Sense of despair and hopelessness.
• Sense of detachment from the baby.
• Overanxious about the well-being of the baby for no justifiable reason.
• Negative thoughts towards the baby to the point of thoughts of harming the baby.
  An extremely small percentage – 0.14%-0.25% - of women may develop puerperal psychosis. Psychosis is a severe disease that generally occurs in the first two weeks after childbirth and frequently in the hours after childbirth. Depression is a disease that is defined as a medical emergency.

To prevent tragic situations or deterioration, if you are experiencing one of the following symptoms, immediately seek medical attention.

• Hallucinations.
• Delusions – unrealistic thoughts or beliefs.
• Mania – extremely rapid speech or thoughts, sense of unreasonable elevation in mood
• Depression, crying, lack of energy or appetite, anxiety, difficulty falling asleep, sense of hyperarousal.
• Loss of inhibitions.
• Suspicion or fear.
• Unrest.
• Confusion.
• Atypical behavior.

Professional help

If you suffer from depression, it is particularly important that you seek professional help. It is important for you and for your baby that they have a mother who is feeling good. You may feel a sense of shame or guilt, but you are not alone. It is critical that you know that depression can be treated, and it is important that you seek help as soon as possible.

Family Care Center (Tipat Halav): the nurse at the Family Care Center will take interest and ask you about your emotional well-being. You can also involve the nurse with how you are feeling and receive support that you need, as well as legitimization of emotions that you are feeling. At the Family Care Center, you will also receive counseling and education on the important role of motherhood as well as coping with the accompanying emotions.

You can contact the Family Care Center hotline *5400 on Sunday-Thursday between 16:00-21:00 and on Friday between 8:00-13:00.

HMO: you can receive assistance and direction at your HMO as well.