Symptoms of Post natal depression

Often the presure of looking after a newborn means that the mother's focus is on the baby, and not on herself, and she may not pick up on warning signs of which she might otherwise have been aware. It is very common for women with PND to be very unwilling to acknowledge that something is wrong.

A women who is developing Post Natal Depression may initially have symptoms of anxiety and compulsive behavour so may not recognise her symptoms as 'Post Natal Depression' since depression is only one symptom of the illness

There are a number of warning signs which you can watch out for that may indicate that your partner is developing Post Natal Depression.

These are listed below:

• Problems sleeping, nightmares
• Negative and moody behaviur
• Palpitations
• Obsessive fears about the baby’s health or wellbeing,
• Panic attacks
• extreme fatigue
• bouts of crying over things which would not normally provoke such a reaction
• being short tempered or snappy
• headache, night sweats, stomach pains, blurred vision
• being hostile or indifferent to you or the people around her
• difficulty in concentrating or making decisions
  

Your partner may go through one or more of the experiences, although it’s extremely unlikely that she will go through all of them. If you think she has any of the warning signs try to encourage her to go and see you’re GP or other Medical Practitioner if only for reassurance. If she is developing Post Natal Depression, the quicker you receive treatment the faster you will recover.

Getting used to being a dad

Your a dad, congratulations!

When the excitement of the birth has died down, many couples find that it is all a bit of an anti-climax. In your partner this is as a result of a huge change in hormones levels, many women feel teary and down for several days even weeks. In men it usually manifests its self as feeling completely exhausted.

Just when you least feel like socialising, you've got to deal with all the friends and relatives who want to know what's happened and can't wait to see your new bundle of joy. Despite their well-meaning calls and visits, this is a time for you, mum and your baby to get use to each other. Try to be polite but firm with visitors it would be better to get the visits over as quickly as possible, so throw a little party and get it over in one hit. This will give you several weeks of peace so you can have quiet time to bond with your baby and catch up on the lost sleep. You can use their help though to catch up with all the things that you have let slip so don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Learning to cope with the demands of a newborn and adjusting to being new parents can seem a bit daunting. It is common to experience a short period of baby blues, but if this period continues it can develop into a more serious condition know as Post Natal Depression (PND). It affects around one in ten new mothers, the symptoms are similar to other forms of depression. It can also affect you, you need to talk about your feelings together, as often as you can you will both benefit and you'll both be aware of any negative emotions that could be a sign of needing help.

Positons for sex

Many people tend to prefer the missionary position for sex during pregnancy, it becomes a very difficult manoeuvre to perform as the abdomen gets larger.

So try some of these positions:

• Woman on top. This allows you to control the depth of penetration, and the majority of the movement. You can go as fast or as slow as you'd like, while controlling the depth of the penis. This position works really well throughout pregnancy and at the very end of pregnancy.
  


• Spooning. This position gets it's name from the way spoons fit together in the drawer. Usually it's best if the man is behind allowing his penis to go between your thighs and enter you from behind. This creates no pressure on the abdomen, and allows for a shallow penetration. Many women find this a very relaxing position for sex during pregnancy, and it can be used throughout.


• 
  Hands & Knees. This is a very good position for pregnant women again because of the lack of direct pressure on the abdomen, although as your get larger your belly may actually rest on the bed. Some women find this difficult at the very end of pregnancy, depending on how high they are able to hold their belly off the bed and still allow for penetration.
  


• Side lying, Lay on your side with your partner facing you, try pulling one leg up to allow room for your partner. This can get tiring after a while, and may not be easy for the last part of pregnancy.

All of the above mentioned positions also allow for manual stimulation of the clitoris either by you or your partner. . They also prevent the mother from laying on her back, which is not recommended after the fourth month of pregnancy. When you're trying to think of a good position, try it, if it doesn't work stop. Creativity will be a lot of fun during pregnancy, and it will probably carry over into your postpartum sex life as well, when creativity becomes important in a different way.

Above all communicate with your partner and be respectful of their changing hormones and physical shape and most of all don’t be offended if she does not feel sexual this will pass.