Psychology Lecturer: Recognize the Signs of Baby Blues in Postpartum Mothers

• 14 Mar
• 2022

Ilustrasi gambar baby blues (tribunnews)

Psychology Lecturer: Recognize the Signs of Baby Blues in Postpartum Mothers

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• By Uswah Sahal
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A woman needs to adjust herself, from initially living alone without any responsibilities in the family, to getting married, going through pregnancy, giving birth, to raising her children.

The process of giving birth smoothly, of course, is happiness for a woman. After the birth process, of course a woman has a new role to play, namely being a mother.

Andini Dwi Arumsari, Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Muhammadiyah Surabaya (UM Surabaya) explained that there are many changes that occur within women, starting with physical and psychological changes after giving birth.

“Changes that occur because of adjusting the pattern of a child's life. For example, the mother's bedtime changes because the child often wakes up at night. Physical changes such as swelling of the legs, enlarged stomach and weight gain,” said Andini Monday (14/3/22)

He also added that psychological changes were also experienced by some mothers who felt stress because they were not ready to live a new life. The term situation of unpreparedness is called baby blues syndrome.

"Baby blues syndrome is a form of sadness or depression experienced by mothers after giving birth. Baby blues syndrome usually appears temporarily, which is around two days to three weeks after the baby's birth. Baby blues is also understood as a mild disturbing syndrome that often appears in the first week after delivery and continues within 14 days after delivery.

Andini further explained that when a mother experiences baby blues she will feel anxious for no reason, irritable, suddenly cry for no reason, become impatient, have no confidence in her ability to be a mother, become sensitive, and feel worried about her baby's condition.

"Other symptoms to watch out for related to baby blues syndrome are mothers having difficulty sleeping, reduced appetite, not paying attention to the child's condition, and being afraid to touch the child," he added.

If the symptoms experienced are not treated, it can be a sign of a more severe depressive disorder. This can have a negative impact on the mother, child development, marital relations, and relationships with the whole family.

"One of the reasons a mother experiences baby blues syndrome is due to a lack of social support, both in the form of emotional support, both from the nuclear family and from the surrounding environment," she said.

At the end of his statement, he stressed that the role of the husband and family has a very important role for mothers who have just given birth, both as a prevention of the occurrence of baby blues syndrome and to reduce other negative symptoms.