Simple guide on How to avoid post-partum depression

Pangkor Island, Aaron-5 month old

Salam,

Actually I was planning to post this entry but it came out like a longgggg essei about my confinement experience (my previous entry) so I decided to make it a separate entry...

Tapi these 2 entries are connected... So I post je kedua2nya sekali... Tunggu2 kang semua idea lari pulak. Hehe...

Post-partum depression or orang2 call it as gila meroyan is a famous term for post-delivery moms.

Sebab utama gila meroyan ni ada banyak, dan tak specific, tapi bila disimpulkan, ianya datang dari perasaan stress. Yes, depression.... And depression ni datang dari pelbagai latar belakang lah... Ada yang becoz kematian baby, some because she has nobody, and feel lonely, some because she couldn't take the burden and pain, etc...

Honestly, I was once consider myself as having a major depression, especially during my 1st weeks of confinement... And it happened during night time....Ada banyak sebab la...tapi memang depress sangat time tu... Sakit, susah, tak reti, tak faham, penat.... Banyak la fakor.

But Alhamdulillah, I sihat sampai la sekarang. stress tu perkara biasakan... tapi kalau tak tangani akan jadi penyakit... So, how to avoid it?

1. Remember Allah, always! this is very important and crucial... When you are in a tough situation, talk to Him... mengadu dekat Dia...

2. Recite Quran or anything that can make you feel closer to Allah... Biasa orang cakap time nifas takleh baca Quran kan? But ada perbezaan pendapat kat sini. But I don't wanna talk about that here, so the easiest way is just read the translation.

What I did was I read the translation and if I was in a very bad mood, I chose some ayat which talk about Seeking forgiveness, about asking for strength, etc... And during maghrib and before sleep, I'll recite a few short surahs to my baby so that he could hear it. The compulsary surah that I chose was Surah Al-Ikhlas, simply because I want Aaron to first, knows and loves his creator before anything/anyone else.

3. TALK! SHARE! It's totally normal to feel sad, mad and lost. Biaslah first time kan... So share what you feel to someone, anyone you could trust. Most importantly, talk to your spouse so that he knows what you feel and your condition... This is also important... pendam2 karang takut jadi bertambah teruk, kand meroyan pulak.... Just talk about anything that bother you; penat, sakit, tak larat, tak kuat... Anything...

4. Get yourself in society.... Have some activity with your friends, relatives, etc, even just a simple conversation... Why is this? Because it's not really healthy to keep youself alone in your shelter when you are depressed.

Ini mak orang ke apa ni? Ya rabbi! :)

5. Have a fresh air! Go and have a walk, a breath-taking scenery, or a short holiday...

6. Indulge yourself... subjective right? Just do whatever that would make you feel happier... As long as it is legal OK :0

7. Take it easy! It's OK if you couldn't do something perfectly, or you don't know about something. Remember, we are in a learning process. Nobody can scold you or criticise whatever you do that seems imperfect... Come on, you are still in a recovery mood right! - Don't force yourself too much

8. Seek help from other people... it's cool to ask someone else to take care of your baby for a while, or to do you a favor.... Just don't forget to thank them

9. Please take care of yourself.... The healthier you are, the better feeling you would have... Yela, tak sakit badan, kurang la sakit hati kan...

10. PLAN carefully so you can have an easier life!

- Prepare everything important before delivery : Baju, lampin ke apa, nursing pad, maternity pad, comfortable cloth, etc....

- When you are close to your due, you can prepare your food stock. Cook in a bigger portion, then store them in a container, and put them in your freezer... Make a few kind of dishes, and store them at a portion just enough for one meal... You can make a week or 2 stock and top it up later on.... Easy right! So you don't have to cook everyday. And don't worry about the nutrient. As long as you take care of the hygiene during the preparation, insyaAllah it should be fine... Bila nak guna, defroze je guna microwave or panaskan ats api...

What else?

Siapa2 yg ada pengalaman and tips to share?

IT'S EASIER SAID THAN DONE, I know. But as muslims, we must have faith in Allah. Every dark cloud has a silver lining....  

Daddy Aaron punya keje! Ish ish ih