2024-03-16 19:00:00
Maternal hypervigilance results in constant worry following the birth of a baby. It can also result in the inability to sleep despite fatigue, a need to be in movement and irritability. If it persists, it can become a symptom of postpartum depression.
Popularized on social networks, the term maternal hypervigilance describes a state of permanent stress with regard to the health of one’s baby. When you learn to be a mother, when you still ask yourself questions regarding parenthood and when you want the best for your child, it is normal to be on the lookout for the slightest movement of your new one. born following his birth. Maternal hypervigilance must not last, however, at the risk of endangering the mother’s psychological state.
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Hypervigilance becomes worrying if it persists
Paying special attention to your baby, for whom everything is new like a mother’s life, is a normal attitude in the first days. According to Anna Roy, a midwife interviewed by The Kindergarten Houseit should not, however, drag on forever: “We must stop this vicious circle: the less you sleep, the more anxiety you have, so the less you are able to get to sleep… it becomes hell!” If this state persists, it is possible to suffer from physical deficiencies, but also from depression, or even severe anxiety disorders. This state of hypervigilance is one of the symptoms of postpartum depression, which is why you should be concerned at the first signs.
What to do if this state persists?
If you are unable to release the pressure due to the fear that something will happen to your child following seven to ten days, you should go to see a doctor. Beforehand, it is possible to do the EPDS (Edinburgh Postnatal Scale) online, a test allowing you to assess the risk of postpartum depression in ten questions. To return “to normal” following starting your follow-up, Anna Roy also advises her patients to allow themselves several moments per week, for two to three hours, without baby: “Go watch a movie, go take a walk outside… do something for yourself.” An effective way to get out of this state of non-stop monitoring of your baby. And that doesn’t stop you from breastfeeding. As a bonus, the first benefits will be visible quickly, reassures the midwife: “And already, in three days, we notice that sleep is returning, and this problem, which was a huge one, stops, and that prevents us from falling into depression.”
Marjorie RAYNAUD pour TF1 INFO
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