💡 Ask the Expert👩‍⚕️: All About Postpartum Depression

Lack of sleep in general affects everyone's health in many ways. As the saying goes, sleep when your newborn sleeps. Getting help with your baby for you to catch a nap also helps. That being said, I can assure you, many mothers have an issue balancing this. However, nowadays there are options in getting a part-time nanny who can care for your baby for a certain hour and that should be able to let you catch up on some hours.

I don't think there is any actual research that concludes certain food that causes or increase the risk. The diet advice for depression is to have a healthy and balanced diet. However, there are studies that claim that Vitamin B is linked to post partum depression.

The best way I feel is having support from your loved ones. So you have a trusted person who cares for your newborn while you work on yourself. Not forgetting reaching out to counselors or professionals can be very helpful too.

It does depend on the individual. Sometimes it is due to hormonal changes, and once that settles, things can go back to normal. However, it is alright to just reach out to the right channels to get some help in coping in the meanwhile.

Yes, it can. Couples can somehow have synchronised emotions. Just like how some fathers have morning sickness when their wife is pregnant. It can also be due to the fears of being a new father. And that is why couple-time is important even after having kid(s). To talk to each other, connect and grow together in this journey.

Apparently, many mothers feel ashamed about it and that is why no one talks about it. As women are born to have babies, we are expected to be able to cope. However, there is NOTHING to be guilty or ashamed about. Everyone react differently to even the same situation. Please do not be ashamed to reach out. Seeking help is a very courageous act!

Eating healthy and exercising can help. But it would be good to have someone to talk to, someone you can confide your problems in. However, if there are very frequent lows and it gets worse, it would be good to speak to a counselor to get more professional advices.

Depression in general can have high times and low times. Technically, there are many types of depression, some can be due to the situation. Which means you only feel depressed when that particular situation occurs. That being said, it can also just be your feelings going up and down.

It is normal for people to feel disconnected to anything or everything at times, especially when things get tough, like in parenting. Once you get a hang of things, your baby learns a new trick. And this happens even when you have 2 or more kids, as everyone is different.