Postpartum depression: Many women suffer in silence

Mrs Rayyanatu Haidara is a mother of five who suffered Postpartum Depression (PPD) when she had her first baby. “Suddenly, all attention turned to my baby, nobody cared about me or knew what I was going through,” she said. “When I would be sleeping they will wake me up to feed the baby meanwhile I […]

Mrs Rayyanatu Haidara is a mother of five who suffered Postpartum Depression (PPD) when she had her first baby. “Suddenly, all attention turned to my baby, nobody cared about me or knew what I was going through,” she said.

“When I would be sleeping they will wake me up to feed the baby meanwhile I needed rest too. This action caused me a lot of tension and I cried at every slightest action.”

Mrs Haidara said in 2005, before her first baby arrived, she used to be a happy person but after the delivery of the baby, things were no longer the same as she became moody and got angry at everything and wasn’t comfortable with her house anymore; even her food wasn’t tasting good to her again.

“I never knew all that happened to me until I gave birth to my second baby abroad where they have a culture of assigning a nurse to a newly delivered mother. The nurse will stay with you for four days to be sure you are okay.

“The nurse was with me, and tried to crack jokes but got no response. She discovered that I was moody and worried. So she referred me to a doctor and it was discovered I has PPD.”

She said her first child suffered because what she went through affected her relationship with her. “Even as a toddler I sometimes spanked her and each time I went to school to pick her, she runs away. The situation was beyond me and it wasn’t something I made up,” she explained.

Mrs Haidara overcame the situation when she opened up and was able to seek intervention.

The mother of five who said there was no awareness when she went through that experience, urged government and other stakeholders to create such opportunity through radio/TV programmes for people to be aware of the problem and know how to handle it instead of stigmatising them.

“Enlightenment is what can help mothers open up. The government should help provide psychiatrists in every antenatal session that will enlighten women on the symptoms and signs of postpartum. And also help those that are affected to live a normal life.”

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a complex mix of physical, emotional and behavioral changes that happen in a woman after giving birth. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM- 5), a manual used to diagnose mental disorders, PPD is a form of major depression that has its onset within four weeks after delivery. The diagnosis of postpartum depression is based not only on the length of time between delivery and onset, but also on the severity of the depression.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) stated that about 10% of pregnant women and 13% of women who have just given birth experience mental disorder, primarily depression.

“In developing countries this is even higher, that is, 15.6% during pregnancy and 19.8% after child birth. In severe cases mothers’ suffering might be so severe that they may even commit suicide. In addition, the affected mothers cannot function properly. As a result, the children’s growth and development may be negatively affected. Maternal mental disorders are treatable. Effective interventions can be delivered even by well-trained non-specialist health providers.

Research also revealed that in Nigeria, 1 in 7 nursing mothers suffers from PPD.

At a presentation of a discussion on PPD in mothers this weekend in Abuja organised by the Jeleosinmi Daycare in partnership with Emirrati Women Entrepreneurs Co-operative (EWEC), the partner, Jeleosinmi Daycare, Mrs Mariam Felixson-Yusuf, said the motivation into creating awareness for women going through PPD was as a result of the encounters they had with mothers who bring their children to their daycare Centre.

She said their social media discussion on the topic of PPD sparked up their interest of creating awareness in the area, having discovered that many women are suffering in silence.

Mrs Yusuf said, “according to Postpartum Support Network in Africa, 1 in every 5 mothers who just gave birth is suffering from postpartum depression in Africa. This is the reason we decided to take it upon ourselves to go around and sensitise people on this issue.

“We sensitise women on the need to speak out rather than keep quiet because it is a situation that is too real to be imagined. If you don’t speak out, nobody will know you need support.

“We also know that mothers need help when they give birth, and they need people around them so that they can rest because one of the factors that can help overcome PPD is supporting the woman.”

She added that on the stigmatization about PPD that it is neither witchcraft nor does it have anything to do with the ‘village people’ syndrome as it is a very real, rather than imagined, health issue.

“We have partnered with mental and medical health experts to provide a hotline with which such women can call in and seek assistance at a subsidised rate.

She also said they have been able to reach about 200 women who were suffering from postpartum depression since they started the sensitization programme, adding that people should understand what it is all about and know that it can be treated.

A Clinical Psychologist, Ayodele Ajeigbe at the event said, PPD is affecting lots of women of child-bearing age, adding that it is a kind of mental health disorder that starts in the second  to fourth week after delivery.

He said “once a woman puts to bed and starts having a feeling of depression, sadness, anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, loss of pleasurable activities and other related symptoms, then we can say that the individual is going through PPD.

“We are here to educate women and let them know what it means and also tell them that there is a support and treatment for those that are already affected.”

The psychologist said, creating awareness is  important because 10-15 out of 100 women are prone to PPD but most people do not know they are going through it and they don’t discuss it but you just discover that an individual that is supposed to be happy because she just gave birth is moody and sad and some go as far as having the thought of  killing or causing harm to the child, or dropping the child somewhere or giving the child out to somebody.