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Moms lift each other up to beat post-partum depression
Society commonly believes childbirth brings only joy, overlooking that mothers who have recently given birth can also suffer fear and depression triggered by the experience.
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A new study found that parents to newborns are getting only four hours and forty-four minutes of sleep on an average night. (Shutterstock/Valeriya Anufriyeva)
N
i Nyoman Meysavitri, 39, could not hold back her tears as she read through the messages she received on the Mother Hope Indonesia WhatsApp group in early 2016.
The messages, sent by community founder Nur “Yana” Yanayirah, contained information on signs of postpartum depression, a depression that may last from pregnancy until a year after childbirth. “I felt like I was going toward depression,” Nyoman told The Jakarta Post on Sunday,
One year after the birth of her first child in 2015, Nyoman realized she had begun to detach herself from people; something the former journalist and backpacker could never imagine going through.
She recalled that she would find herself crying for no reason as she lost the passion to do anything. She was sometimes caught up in anxiety, thinking that her baby might be bullied in junior high school. The worst part of all, she said, was the thought of harming her son — something she feared would come true. She then went to see a psychologist in the community.
“I cried throughout my session. I went through a series of tests before that and only then did I realize [that I was suffering from depression],” she said.
Diagnosed cases of postnatal depression remain the tip of an iceberg in Indonesia, as the issue is often not considered a serious mental health condition. Society commonly believes childbirth brings only joy, overlooking that mothers who have recently given birth can also suffer fear and depression triggered by the experience.
Nyoman and her husband started attending support group sessions held by Mother Hope Indonesia throughout 2017, for which they opened their house in South Jakarta as a meeting place. At least four other couples joined the sessions, held once in three months.
“Meeting the others allowed us to express support for each other,” she said of the meetings.
Support groups is one of numerous programs run by Mother Hope Indonesia. Founded in 2015 and based in Cisauk, Tangerang regency, Banten, the community aims to raise awareness for new mothers’ mental health. The community has been holding online and offline educational programs to raise awareness on baby blues — mood swings within two weeks after childbirth — and postpartum depression.
It has also worked closely with other mother communities, as well as maternity hospitals and clinics, in holding seminars and training sessions directed not only at mothers but also their families, midwives and obstetricians.
It has also offered online counseling services through Facebook, email and WhatsApp, where mothers and their families could seek professional help from psychologists and psychiatrists, aside from sharing their problems with other community members.
The community had at least 25,000 members throughout the country, founder Yana said — not only mothers, but also family members, psychologists and psychiatrists.
Five psychologists and three psychiatrists in Greater Jakarta, as well as professional networks built by the community outside the capital, are ready to offer free online counseling.
“It was very difficult for me back then, because there was no one to tell me about the baby blues and postpartum depression […]. I want mothers going through what I went through to be able to seek help and receive social support,” Yana said.
Yana had gone through postpartum depression herself after a stillbirth in 2011. Her depression continued when she was pregnant with a girl in 2012 and after she gave birth to her daughter in 2013.
“I was afraid that my baby would be taken away from me if I went to see a psychiatrist,”she said.
However, things took a turn for the worse when she attempted suicide several times in 2013 — not only harming herself, but also her daughter. She started seeing a psychologist until 2014, along with her husband.
Yana acknowledged that not many women would be open about their condition because of the stigma surrounding depression, as people close to them may dismiss it as an overreaction.
“We cannot know the real number of mothers going through postpartum depression, because there are not many who speak up.”
Anisa Cahya, a psychologist and member of Mother Hope Indonesia, said at least 10 percent of mothers suffered from postpartum depression in the country.
Drastic hormonal changes and hormonal imbalance may lead to postnatal depression, she said, on top of exhaustion of mothers who lack family support. Family members often dismissed symptoms, instead considering the new mothers overly dramatic or ungrateful, she added.
As early detection of the symptoms was necessary, Mother Hope Indonesia has also been encouraging midwives and obstetricians to ask the mothers about their mental health during check-ups. That way, mothers can be referred to psychiatrists as early as possible.
“Obstetricians and midwives need to conduct tests that include sensitive questions, such as whether the mothers have a tendency of attempting suicide or self-harm,” she said. (ars)
This article was originally published in The Jakarta Post's print edition on Jan. 22, 2019, with the title "Moms lift each other up to beat ‘baby blues’".
