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Don't call it incompetence. Mothers do struggle to fight baby blues.
While baby blues were common, occurring in 50 to 80 percent of new mothers, postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis were more severe and less common
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Every delivery is a unique experience for each mother and her newborn. (Shutterstock/*)
Giving birth to a child is widely considered to be a beautiful moment and source of joy for families, especially mothers.
However, often overlooked in the celebration of a newborn’s arrival is the mother’s physical and mental state.
The body of Septiana Prihapsari, 32, was found in the Serayu River in Cilacap regency, Central Java, on Sunday afternoon roughly five hours after she jumped off from the Maos Bridge while holding her 4-month-old son, Yunus.
Septiana’s father, Kustiono, said that for months after giving birth to Yunus, her second child, in January, Septiana often seemed distant and reluctant to be close to Yunus. She also often appeared confused when others spoke to her and spent most of her time at home, away from others.
For Nur Yana, 32, Septiana’s story reminded her of her own struggles in 2013 when she wanted to end her life only nine months after giving birth to a daughter. “That was exactly what I attempted. The only difference between her story and mine was I survived. She didn’t,” Nur Yana told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
It was not the first suicide attempt for Yana, but it was her last. She later went to a psychologist and discovered that she had postpartum depression, a more severe version of the more common baby blues. She has since recovered.
“With the right help and support, postpartum depression can be improved. However, at that time, I was so confused and didn’t understand what happened to me. I didn’t know who to ask or where to go,” Yana said.
