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.