Healing Postpartum Stress & Depression

Stay at Home Mom Depression

Do you feel depressed being at home all day? Have you experienced postpartum
depression? Hormones during pregnancy and after pregnancy can greatly affect a
woman's mood. Postpartum depression deserves an article in itself, so this article will
only talk about depressive symptoms experienced by stay at home moms. First, there is
no "official" diagnosis called stay at home mom depression found in the DSM (the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). Stay at home mom depression is
technically being in a depressed mood from staying at home, which could be a
diagnosable depression disorder if criteria are met. Please seek medical attention if
needed.

Depressive symptoms moms experience can be caused from isolation and lack of a job
outside of the home. Many moms do not want to place their children in daycare, and
many moms can not go back to work because the cost of daycare would diminish any
potential wages. For example, in the Atlanta area one day of childcare at a licensed
childcare center costs around $50 a day for a toddler while infants always cost more. A
mother who has two children is probably going to spend at least $500 a week in
childcare. There are in home daycares that generally charge less. A woman who makes
$40,000 a year brings home $769 gross a week. After taxes, how much is left? Not much
after daycare is factored into the equation. Also, many moms do not have a family or
friend network to babysit their children so they can go to work.

The consequence of daycare costs lead more women to choose to stay at home with their
children until they are at age for elementary school. Despite women who can not work
due to the costs of daycare, depression is an equal opportunist. Moms who have
depression report feeling sad most of the day, feel worthless, feel tired and lethargic,
experience headaches, have an upset stomach, feel pain all over the body, have a change
in appetite, have sleep problems, and many more of the same symptoms someone with
depression may experience.

What causes these stay at home mom depression symptoms? Much of the time it is
because the woman feels worthless because she is not bringing home an income. Just like
many men, many women have a monetary drive also. Many women enjoy working to
bring home a paycheck that she earned. Another primary cause of the depression is the
lack of communication and social networking with other adults, which can cause
isolation. In addition, being around small children all day can become tiresome. Temper
tantrums, crying, screaming, constant cleanup, and kids who refuse to nap are just a few
of the daily things that can cause stress. Lack of sleep is also another major factor causing
depression. Lack of sleep can cause overeating or not eating enough.
I
t's not all rainbows and sunshine like some husbands think, and not all stay at home
moms eat Bons Bons on the couch watching soap operas (although that would be nice,
wouldn't it?). Lack of familial support such as the husband example above is just what a
woman needs after a long day of free work at home isn't it? Not only do some wives deal
with the lack of support from their husbands, many moms deal with lack of support from
other family members. Some moms have reported that their own families feel like they
are "wasting their degree" by staying with the children during the day. Some stay at home
moms report they do not have family support at all whether it is due to them not living in
the area or relatives not wanting to lend a hand during the week.

It is important to treat depression because if left untreated, it can affect the kids. Talking
to a medical provider is an option to help treat depression. There are many things a
woman can do to help lift her spirits. Finding a job at home is an option. Bringing home
an income or just to have something else to do besides child rearing can be a benefit to
working from home. Find a mother's day out program. Volunteer! Participate in
playdates. Make an effort to have a weekly or daily outing. Ask a friend or family
member to watch the kids. If a child will not nap and there is no one to babysit, enforce a
daily quiet time so mom can have time for herself. Moms should also not be afraid to ask
their husbands for help when he comes home from work. Generally speaking, they had an
equal part in the conception of the children.
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