The time after giving birth is very special time for women. Pregnancy, giving birth and breast feeding make the women’s body deficient of energy, blood and Qi. After all the stress the women’s organs become dry. Early detection is very important. Signs for arising postnatal depression in a woman can be grumpiness, being emotionally unstable and moody. A lot of women are also very tired and yawn very often.

One of my patients tried IVF for many years. After five years she finally had a gorgeous baby girl but felt very depressed and the baby meant nothing to her. In today’s society women have babies at a later stage of their life which can be problematic. Many women work very hard and long hours when they get pregnant and are very busy and stressed. Their body becomes deficient and postnatal depression is more likely to happen. Postnatal Depression has become a very common problem. Chinese Medicine believes that women who have had Depression or suffer from it during their pregnancy are most likely going to have postnatal Depression. Stressful life and overuse of the body can also be the cause. The pregnancy experience can play a big role in this. Stressful pregnancy and birth can cause those problems too.

How to prevent Postnatal Depression

Having a good pregnancy is an obviously important factor. Experiencing those nine months being healthy makes it easier to have more energy. A difficult long labour with lots of blood loss can make a woman lose a lot of energy which can be followed by Postnatal Depression. It is very important to watch your diet. In today’s society women very often try to lose weight very quickly after birth which is not advisable. After birth the body needs more energy for breastfeeding and recovering. When on a diet the body becomes more deficient and Postnatal Depression can appear. If you have experienced Postnatal Depression after your first baby it is very important to figure out why and what caused it before having your second baby. This way you can eliminate all factors and try to avoid having Postnatal Depression again. Kidney deficiency, spleen stomach deficiency, or blood deficiency are very likely causes. Try to look after yourself before becoming pregnant, during and after birth and especially the breastfeeding time to prevent Postnatal Depression. Exercise is a great help but should not be done straight after birth. Gentle exercise like Tai Chi and Qi Gong are recommended. Chinese herbs can also be a great help. Contact your Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner or Herbalist.

Prevention and wisdom are the two principles of Traditional Qi.

Written by Angela Zhu, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, Qi Gong & Tai Chi instructor.

© Copyright Angela Zhu 2010

Enjoy this article?