For centuries people consider pregnancy and childbirth as the miracle of life. This life-changing event brings happiness and joy to women; however, it may also bring physical and mental trouble with it. A majority of women undergo severe physical and mental changes, finding it hard to grasp the new reality of life. As per a survey of Health and Human Services, over 15% of new mothers suffer postpartum depression. With the recent changes in laws around cannabis, women are resorting to it to treat postpartum depression. Before we begin with how it can treat you, let’s understand what postpartum depression exactly is.
What is Postpartum Depression?
Postpartum Depression or PPD is a major psychological depressive disorder, which can affect women up to 6 months from the time of giving birth. It is a very common problem coming up in expecting women as well as new mothers. Although the reason behind this disorder is not determined, a series of physical and psychological changes during or after pregnancy can trigger it.
#Cannabis can help with postpartum #depression. #parenting #fibroparenting Share on XThe causes can be
- Financial troubles
- Marital conflict
- Anxiety
- Stressful incidents during pregnancy
- Medical complications
- Young maternal age
- Past alcohol or drug abuse
How do you know it is Postpartum depression?
The nine months of pregnancy can be an exhilarating experience for most women. Moreover, nearly 80% of women go through hormonal imbalance, mood changes, insomnia and nausea during the first few weeks after delivery. A report by The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University that these symptoms are at a peak during the 5th day after delivery. The hormonal changes that occur during the pregnancy induce erratic behavior and mood swings. The new mothers go through a significant fall in their levels of estrogen and progesterone, which is entirely responsible for causing anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, and mood changes.
But, when do we know that it is not just baby blues, rather it is a case of postpartum depression? Well, if the symptoms persist for more than a month, after giving birth, there are higher chances of having postpartum depression. Here are a few common symptoms that can help you identify it easily:
- Numbness
- Suicidal thoughts
- Unable to sleep
- Lack of appetite
- Not being able to bond with the baby
- Feeling overwhelmed all the time
What are the treatments available?
When it comes to treating postpartum depression, a majority of doctors rely on antidepressants. Doctors often believe that there is little to no risk of taking medicines like Xanax, Ambien, or even Valium. While many doctors do know of the risk or side effects involved, they still prescribe it to new mothers. It is so because they consider the risk of antidepressants on a child’s development is much less than the effects of a depressed mother on the child.
These drugs tend to help the mothers by calming their nerves and bring relief from anxiety and depression. Besides that, they induce sleep and keep postpartum depression away. But it wouldn’t be wise to look away from the side-effects just because the doctors prescribe it. Regular intake of antidepressants can lead to irritability, blurred vision, and even cognitive impairment. The threat of addiction also looms over when we talk about antidepressants.
While the medicine work just fine in the initial phase, a majority of people become habituated to it. Over time, the body becomes accustomed to it, and the tolerance levels sure go up. This means the effectiveness of antidepressants goes down, in such a scenario there are hardly any other options left for women suffering from PPD. Owing to this, cannabis strains like violator kush are emerging as an organic way to treat the symptoms of depression.
Can cannabis treat Postpartum Depression?
Cannabis is becoming a popular treatment of baby blues among new mothers, but is it safe? Let’s find out.
Cannabis is proven to be an antidepressant as per research by the University of Mississippi. The therapeutic effects of cannabis extend to treating postpartum depression as well. Right after delivery, a woman goes through low levels of estrogen and progesterone. It is the lack of these hormones that leads to depressive thoughts and irritability right after giving birth. A similar process takes place when a woman is on her period.
The low levels of estrogen and erratic mood swings stem from low levels of anandamide in the body. Anandamide is a ‘bliss molecule’ responsible for keeping you in a good mood and boosting your appetite. It works in the same way an athlete feels a high after a good workout or the instant rush of happiness after eating chocolate. People use cannabis or CBD oil to enhance anandamide and get control over the mood swings, and you can choose one for yourself from the best CBD oil on the market. Still wondering how cannabis can do this magic? Read on to find out.
Restores hormonal balance:
All the new mothers go through this phase of upheaval, with hormonal imbalance and low levels of anandamide. A study shows that cannabis can help restore both. THC or tetrahydrocannabinol is quite similar to anandamide, and it can interact with the receptors that affect your mood. CBD, on the other hand, helps in breaking down the natural anandamide present inside our body. In simpler words, THC replaces anandamide in our body and CBD simultaneously preserves the one present in the human body. With the regular and regulated intake of cannabis, you can bring the hormonal imbalances and mood swings under control.
Calms the anxious nerves:
Moreover, cannabis is known to have calming properties that come from the cannabinoids present in it. Both THC and CBD interact with the receptors present in the brain and the body and bring down the symptoms of anxiety and depression.
There are various reasons to use #cannabis to help with postpartum depression. Here are four reasons. #parenting #fibroparenting Share on XHelp get better sleep:
Cannabis users also report having better sleep during the night, for it impacts the stages of the sleep cycle. If you are suffering from insomnia after childbirth, by taking cannabis, you can reduce the time you spend during the early stages of sleep and prolong the time in deep sleep stage, where you can get rest and rejuvenation that you need. Growing your own stash is a great way to have access to desired strains. Autoflowering seeds are the best option to go for.
Increases your appetite:
Besides that, ingesting marijuana induces hunger and gives a boost to your lacking appetite which is proven by research conducted at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Postpartum depression can turn the best period of a woman’s life into the worst. It can easily take away the happiness of becoming a mother and enjoying the moments with your child. Here cannabis can come to your aid, not to cure it but reduce the symptoms. So, stop thinking and buy weeds online Quebec today to get some relief.
About the Author
Jessica is a cannabis and health industry consultant who frequently writes about the latest trends in the industry. She has been writing for a long time now. Through her writing, she hopes to influence as many people as possible to help maintain better health and lifestyle.
