Table of Contents Post Partum Depression Table of Contents Introduction Symptoms Causes of PPD Doctor, Can You Please Help Me? Who Can Get PPD? - Risk factors Suffering from PPD Duration Conclusion Author Bio Publisher Introduction It may be an emotional or well-known sentimental cliché that a mother is not really a mother until she has held her baby in her arms, for the first time. Since ancient times, this is the statement which has been followed in societies that a woman can never be fulfilled until she has become a wife and a mother. In fact, nature has programmed a woman to be the mother of future generations, and that is why there is always a feeling that only when she holds her bundle of joy in her arms when she really understand what it really means to be a woman and a mother. Nevertheless, putting emotion aside, pregnancy and childbirth are going to result in a complex mix of hormonal, physical, emotional, spiritual, and behavioral changes taking place in a woman. This whole package is going to affect her in various ways at different times. In fact, a woman may recognize the fact that she is expecting, when she finds herself with mood swings in the initial stages of pregnancy. During the pregnancy, she is going to feel excited, full of energy, and deliriously happy. At other times she is going to feel headaches, flustered, and feel tired and overwhelmed. In the East, since ancient times, women know all about these particular hormonal changes which are going to affect an expectant mother. That is why traditionally an expectant mother was always kept in seclusion with old wise women to take care of her. She was given the task of reading holy books so that her mind could keep calm, peaceful and tranquil. The belief was that in this manner, her child would also be a spiritually rich and enlightened soul. Naturally, after she has gone through the rigors of labor and has successfully given birth to a child, a woman feels that she has done something marvelous. She has achieved something great, and that is the reason why she cannot stop smiling. Holding her child for the first time in her arms means that now she is ready to take on the responsibility of a brand-new soul who has entered her life and who belongs to her completely. Later on, the world is going to intrude in her magic world of mother and child and brings with it worry as well as the responsibilities which have now fallen on her shoulders. However, when she knows that she has her family, her partner or her husband who is there to welcome the newborn gift to the world, she is going to feel relieved and less tense and stressed. However, a number of women suffer from an ailment known as acute postpartum depression. [PPD.] because of the worry of the responsibility of a newborn child. This makes 90% of the mothers depressed and fearful. But as they begin to cope with baby care, this depression is going to disappear. Yet for about a quarter of the new mothers, the depression is going to persist for some weeks. They need help in both caring for their babies and in coming to terms with their feelings. It is only with the help and support of their families, that they can manage to come out of this depression. Acute postpartum depression in a mother is going to result in the baby being badly neglected or even ill treated. So what is this condition that makes women feel emotionally untouched by their own babies as they drown in a sea of black depression?