To Your Health
July, 2017 (Vol. 11, Issue 07) |
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Depressed After Baby? Try Exercise
By Editorial Staff
Unless you've experienced postpartum depression firsthand, you can't really appreciate it. After all, who'd be depressed on the heels of bringing a sweet, innocent, beautiful child into the world? That's an all-too-common reaction that highlights the misconceptions people have about postpartum depression, a more severe form of "baby blues" that can manifest as depressed mood or mood swings, excessive crying, difficulty bonding with the baby, withdrawal from family / friends, feelings of worthlessness, extreme fatigue, and even thoughts of harming yourself and/or your child.
Fortunately, exercise may be an effective way to protect against postpartum depression and treat the symptoms, and the mother-to-be can start during pregnancy and continue after the birth of her child to achieve protective benefits. What's more, the exercise need not be extreme; research suggests even low-intensity physical activity such as walking may help reduce the risk.
