What defines recovery from a postpartum depression?
Recovery can organically happen after the first three years of your child’s life. Though it is easier on yourself to seek healing before then. Usually when a parent emerges out of a postpartum depression, they say things like “I feel like myself again.”
One way to get out of the ditch quickly, is to take medicine. Anti-depressants do not need to be taken for a long period of time. But for a short period of time, it can be very effective. One pressure, that mothers have is to fully recover in body and mind in a short period of time, but actually it takes quite awhile to feel fully recovered from the child birth. I do not think it is a year, but providing yourself that time eases the pressure we place on ourselves to be fit and back to “normal,” again. When actually, it is a new normal that is established.
Link to interesting study
Below is a link to an interesting study that encourages mothers to readjust the unrealistic expectation to be back to normal after a few weeks. I think we carry this subconsciously.
“Women need a whole year to recover from childbirth despite the ‘fantasy’ image of celebrity moms, study claims.” This is an insightful article highlighting that not only do we really need longer than 6 weeks to recover, we actually need a year, to adjust both physically and psychologically to child birth. Celebrity moms have resources (and trainers) that we do not have access to. Hence some of them appear stellar after 6 weeks, while the rest of us feel not up to par so to speak.
By recognizing that and allowing ourselves that time, we can breathe a bit easier. Be gentle with yourself.
“A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.” Ghandi