Hormones & Brain
One reason you might not feel like yourself is likely due to hormones. Your life drastically changed once you gave birth. A Dallas psychologist, Ann Dunnewold, says that a woman’s progesterone and estrogen levels dramatically drop, contributing to what some call the “baby blues.” Issues with irritability, sadness, anxiety and mood swings typically resolve themselves a week after your child is born. Postpartum depression and similar, more intense symptoms tend to last longer and can interfere with your daily activities.
In the meantime, oxytocin, the bonding hormone, floods your entire body after childbirth. This turns on your mothering behavior. One such aspect of that behavior is the ability to see any impending danger that might come your child’s way. Anxiety can also go up as a result of increased oxytocin rates. The hormones tend to influence each other and can often affect your mood and your energy. Your body’s progesterone levels, which help you deal with anxiety, are low right after giving birth, which can lead to postpartum anxiety. It can be helpful for milder mood issues to accept and realize that your hormones are going to give you a problem for a while, but it won’t be forever. Your mood is going to be all over the place for a few months which is totally normal as your hormones begin to level out. If you’re still struggling, make an appointment with your doctor, midwife, or counselor to discuss other strategies that may help.
Hormones in your thyroid regulate your body’s organ function, metabolism, and body temperature, all of which can be affected by having a child. Findings from the American Thyroid Association have shown that between 5-10% of all women have what’s called postpartum thyroiditis, which is an inflamed thyroid gland. The exact cause of this remains unknown. A variety of symptoms can occur including depression 4-8 months after your child is born, dry skin, constipation, weight gain, and fatigue. If necessary, you should have your physician run tests and prescribe medication should you experience this condition.
Hormones can also affect the structure of your brain in an unexpected way. One small study conducted in New Haven, CT, revealed increases in gray matter including extra nerves and brain cells in a woman’s MRI scan. The areas of your brain that are affected are responsible for activating your maternal instincts of protection, love, and worry and also improve your response to your baby’s expressions and cries. This research is still relatively new, so it is unknown whether these changes are long or short term.
Your mental state isn’t the only thing being altered. Did you know that hormonal changes can also affect your joints and knees? Your joints could take up to 5 months to return to normal so if your joints are sore, try doing some lower impact exercises. Your shoes may not fit right either due to weight gain and relaxing during your pregnancy because your arches can become slightly flatter and your feet a little bigger. Your hips may remain permanently wider as well.
