The bitter taste of motherhood: how postpartum depression destroys the joy of parenthood

They say that pregnancy is one of the most exciting and enjoyable stages in a woman's life. However, not all parents agree with this statement. Unfortunately, many mothers suffer from depression, which happens or during pregnancy or after the birth of a baby. Many women don't talk about your psychological state, suppressing the growing fears and anxiety.

This not only leads to moral suffering, but also to health problems, and sometimes to the destruction of family relationships. Read the story of four British women who on their own have learned the hard way how difficult it may be postpartum depression.Three out of ten mothers in the UK suffer from depression during pregnancy or in the first year after the birth of a baby. The exact cause of its occurrence install still failed. Experts believe that the unstable psychological condition can be caused by hormonal difficulties during childbirth and reduced self-esteem.

For the 32-year-old Kelly Smith of Falkirk, Scotland, pregnancy turned into a real torture. She was constantly crying and couldn't eat properly and were afraid to take a shower alone. The woman developed obsessive-compulsive disorder, everything was falling apart.

Have the expectant mother appeared convincing, she would lose the baby. Because of this, Kelly refused to buy things for the baby in advance and spending huge sums to medical examination. Gradually, this tension has led to the fact that she and her husband broke up, and now she's raising his daughter Willow.

When the baby was born, tartan felt a huge relief. Now she wants to share his bitter experience to other mothers with postpartum depression did not hesitate to seek help from specialists and non-suppressed their problems.

32-year-old Dee Featherstone lives with 31-year-old husband and two year old son Alfie in Peterborough. She got pregnant in October of 2017. On hearing this, the woman was excited and scared at the same time.

Before pregnancy Dee taking antidepressants. After learning that she was pregnant, she stopped treatment. So she had to endure and suffer from mental illness. All the time she was under medical supervision. In July 2018, the light appeared Alfie, but as a new mother has only worsened. She started to have terrible visions as a kid falls on the sidewalk or the carriage travels on the road under the wheels of a car.

This continued until the child was five months. Despite the support of the wife, Dee felt very lonely. In the end, she went to the doctor, who again prescribed her antidepressants. Since then, as British women began to improve. Now the woman did not take medications and enjoys a happy motherhood. She even started a small business and sells sets of sensory toys to play with parents with toddlers. Dee says that the baby Alfie is a key to its success.

40-year-old Rachel Mason lives with 43-year-old husband Tom and their two children in Yatton. She got pregnant elder daughter, Leila, in July 2016. The couple were over the moon with happiness and were eager to become parents.

Rachel felt exhausted but couldn't sleep. She was filled with emotions, but she could not cry. The woman was tormented by the thought that if she told anyone about their experiences, she will take the baby. Not to seem like a bad mother, the British kept secret inner fears within six months. She wanted to overcome the terrible state of their own, but nothing worked.

In the end, the British decided to talk about his depression and to ask for help from specialists. After the consultation, she was prescribed antidepressants, which greatly facilitated the painful condition of women. Despite the fact that her daughter Layla for three years, Rachel continues to take medication to maintain a stable emotional background. During this time, the couple had another child — a son of Elias.

Now a happy mother can't get enough of the success of their kids. To support other women, she published a book about postpartum depression "Not only" and advises parents to talk about their psychological problems and do not stay with the fears one by one.

37-year-old Bus Tanna Shah (Sheena Takamatsu-Shah) lives with his 37-year-old Pisem Ous (Piyus Takamatsu) and her two daughters in Northampton. For the first time she got pregnant in November 2010. The couple was very happy, but the first months of pregnancy proved difficult. Have the expectant mother was strong toxicosis, which she could not work normally. In addition, the Bus came down with an ear infection and the flu.

The bus was afraid to go out for a walk with his daughter in the parks, where there were many other children and parents. She had paranoia that others are judging her for how she looks. Self-confidence has dropped to zero, and the feeling of loneliness progressed. The Briton didn't know who to ask for help. She felt like a terrible mother, and every day, fighting with his inner demons.

Now the Tire owns Inspiring Success and works as an optometrist. It successfully combines business and motherhood. A woman wrote the book "the Perfectly imperfect Mama", which was the topic of postpartum depression and told how negatively it can affect relationships with children.

Meanwhile, 19 pregnant women have shared their stories about the difficulties of this special condition. They talked about the funny incidents from the life that surprise his irrationality.