Twenty-eight-year-old Ms. Tang just had a baby one month ago,
but the new mom even doesn't want to look at her child.
She describes her current emotional state: "My cut is so
painful, and he keeps on crying and crying. I have to nurse him
every one to two hours, no matter day or night. I don't know why
things turn out to be so depressed, I was once so expectant for his
arrival."
Tang is not the only mom who is upset by the unexpected feeling
after having a baby.
Zhan Shuqin is a psychologist from the Beijing Xuanwu Hospital.
She says that nearly half of new mothers suffer from postpartum
depression.
According to a Beijing Morning Post report, the city is
going to welcome over 150,000 newborn babies this year.
Experts warned that depression may accompany or even replace the
happiness of having a child, and families should be sure to pay
attention to those new mothers' mental health.
The depression can happen anytime within the first year after
delivery. Tiredness, sleep disorders, hotter temperament, and
changes in body weight would typically occur during pregnancy and
after pregnancy. But these symptoms may also be signs of
depression.
Jiang Hong from the General Hospital of Chinese PLA explains that
depression could be caused by hormone changes. But the stresses of
real life, such as pressure from work or the anxiety of raising a
child, are the major factors that could lead to the disease.
Jiang adds that new moms in China are also at a unique risk for
depression. Most of China's new moms are from the only-child
generation, who are always at the center of their families.
However, the family's focus may transfer to the baby, which could
make the moms feel being left out and become depressed.
The matter can be exacerbated since depression is usually not
diagnosed or treated properly. Currently, only a few maternity
hospitals have psychological aid services, and those suffering
depression are sent to the hospital only when they are severely
affected and have lost almost all self-control.
(CRI March 26, 2007)