\nmother<\/a> of a teenage daughter, Anitha Shivappa, those feelings did not arrive dramatically. They appeared quietly, in the silence between sleepless nights and endless feeding sessions.<\/p>\n
As we celebrate STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD<\/p>\n Motherhood<\/a> can be deeply rewarding. But what it takes to become and remain a mother is often ignored.<\/p>\n In a candid conversation with Firstpost, Anitha Shivappa, a Bengaluru-based sales director at a leading software company, recalled her experience with postpartum depression.<\/p>\n At first, she believed she simply needed to cope better. After all, exhaustion was supposed to be part of motherhood. Women around her had gone through it too. But what she was experiencing went far beyond tiredness.<\/p>\n Beyond the \u201cBaby blues\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Childbirth is not only a life-changing event but also a major neuroendocrine event for \u201cHormonal fluctuations, sleep deprivation, physical recovery and the emotional adjustment to caring for a newborn can all affect mental health during the According to Dr Sidhana, nearly 70 to 80 percent of women experience the \u201cbaby blues\u201d after childbirth. These are temporary emotional symptoms that usually appear within the first few days after delivery and gradually settle within two weeks as hormone levels stabilise.<\/p>\n But postpartum depression is different.<\/p>\n Unlike temporary mood changes, postpartum depression can persist for months and severely affect a woman\u2019s daily functioning, emotional stability and ability to bond with her child. It may involve persistent sadness, hopelessness, emotional numbness and anhedonia or the inability to feel pleasure.<\/p>\n For Anitha, the signs began nearly two months after her daughter was born.<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t sleeping, feeding had become a battle, and my body was covered in painful blisters from trying to nurse her,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n Her daughter struggled to feed properly, and every feeding session became a source of fear and anxiety. Exhausted and emotionally drained, Anitha repeatedly visited the paediatrician, hoping things would somehow improve.<\/p>\n STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD<\/p>\n One consultation changed everything.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Until then, she had convinced herself that she simply needed to try harder. During the consultation, the doctor explained that severe sleep deprivation and emotional exhaustion were affecting both mother and baby. She was prescribed antidepressants.<\/p>\n \u201cIf left untreated, the condition can worsen into postpartum psychosis, a severe psychiatric emergency where there may be risk of harm to both mother and child,\u201d warns Dr Sidhana.<\/p>\n STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADThe silence around maternal mental health<\/strong><\/p>\n In India, postpartum depression affects an estimated 22 to 23.5 percent of women, according to Dr Sidhana. Yet many cases continue to remain undiagnosed.<\/p>\n One major reason, she says, is the \u201csilence culture\u201d surrounding maternal mental health.<\/p>\n Women are often raised to believe that marriage, childbirth and caregiving are responsibilities they should naturally know how to handle. Emotional suffering is normalised. Struggles are dismissed. Mothers are expected to endure quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cAdmitting to negative feelings about motherhood is heavily stigmatized,\u201d Dr Sidhana says.<\/p>\n Mental health conversations<\/a> also remain heavily stigmatised within families and communities. According to Dr. Sidhana, women\u2019s emotional symptoms are frequently dismissed as \u201cdrama\u201d, mood swings or weakness.<\/p>\n Vinita Sivaramakrishnan,<\/strong> says this silence became visible through the many stories she encountered while building Project Born in India, a platform focused on birth experiences and maternal narratives.<\/p>\n \u201cA recurring theme I\u2019ve noticed is that many women feel relatively more prepared for birth itself than for what comes after,\u201d she says. \u201cThere\u2019s often such a strong focus on the baby that the mother\u2019s emotional recovery quietly takes a backseat.\u201d<\/p>\n STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD<\/p>\n Vinita, who is also a mother of two and recently paused her career to spend more time with her children, says women frequently describe feeling overwhelmed, isolated and emotionally stretched after childbirth, but often without the language or space to express it openly.<\/p>\n For Anitha, the emotional fog was so intense that she barely remembers large parts of that period clearly.<\/p>\n \u201cThe sleep deprivation was so intense that I genuinely couldn\u2019t tell day from night anymore,\u201d she says. \u201cEverything from that phase feels like one big blur now.\u201d<\/p>\n Isolation, guilt and the pressure to \u201cHandle it all\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n After childbirth, Anitha found herself isolated not only emotionally but physically as well.<\/p>\n She spent most of her days confined to a single room because of strict postpartum practices being followed around her. She was discouraged from stepping out into sunlight, using a fan, or eating anything outside a highly restricted diet.<\/p>\n \u201cI was told not to step into broad daylight, not to use a fan because the baby might catch a cold, and to eat only restricted food,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD<\/p>\n The emotional isolation slowly deepened. Her daughter cried constantly and barely slept. Each day felt heavier than the previous one.<\/p>\n \u201cI started questioning whether I was even made for motherhood at all,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt helpless, isolated, and deeply lost.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr Sidhana says these feelings are more common than many families realise.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s this unspoken narrative of, \u2018Every woman goes through it, so how difficult can it really be?\u2019\u201d Anitha says.<\/p>\n That mindset, she believes, prevents many women from recognising that they need support.<\/p>\n Dr Sidhana says unrealistic ideas around motherhood further intensify this pressure.\u00a0 Social media, she adds, has only worsened these expectations. Carefully curated images of \u201c The result is often comparison, guilt and feelings of inadequacy.<\/p>\n What support really looks like<\/strong><\/p>\n For both experts and mothers, one message remains central: support systems can make a significant difference during the postpartum period.<\/p>\n \u201cHealing is not a solo act,\u201d says Dr Sidhana.<\/p>\n She believes support should move beyond giving advice and instead focus on actively sharing responsibilities and emotional care. Listening without judgement, helping mothers rest, offering reassurance and simply being emotionally present can all help.<\/p>\n STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD<\/p>\n Vinita notes that women who felt emotionally supported during postpartum often described the experience very differently from those who felt isolated or unheard.<\/p>\n For Anitha, recovery began gradually through the people around her.<\/p>\n Small moments slowly helped her reconnect with herself again. Short walks. Family drives. Time outside the house. Small reminders that life still existed beyond exhaustion.<\/p>\n \u201cI kept telling myself I had to find my way back,\u201d she says. Over time, she says the experience made her stronger and more self-aware.<\/p>\n Today, she speaks openly with her teenage daughter about struggle, vulnerability and mental health.<\/p>\n \u201cI want her to see me as human, not as someone who has all the answers,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n More importantly, she wants her daughter to grow up knowing there is no shame in asking for help.<\/p>\n Recognising the early signs<\/strong><\/p>\n Mental health experts say one of the biggest gaps in maternal healthcare remains awareness around postpartum depression.<\/p>\n Some early warning signs include persistent sadness, inability to sleep even when the baby is asleep, panic, emotional withdrawal, unexplained crying, overwhelming guilt, frightening intrusive thoughts and loss of interest in daily life.<\/p>\n STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD<\/p>\n She says mothers may also describe feeling emotionally disconnected, trapped in a \u201cfog\u201d, or unable to experience joy even while caring for their child.<\/p>\n According to experts, postpartum mental health support should include emotional validation, family involvement, professional counselling where needed, and creating safe spaces for women to speak honestly about their experiences.<\/p>\n \u201cWomen are often told, \u2018At least the baby is healthy\u2019 or \u2018Every mother goes through this\u2019,\u201d Dr Sidhana says.<\/p>\n Instead, she believes mothers need empathy, reassurance and practical support.<\/p>\n For Anitha, the most frightening part of postpartum depression was not understanding what was happening to her. Today, she believes conversations around maternal mental health need to become far more open and normalised.<\/p>\n \u201cWe attend classes about feeding schedules, breathing techniques and baby care, but how much do we actually talk about a mother\u2019s mental health?\u201d she asks.<\/p>\n Dr Sidhana agrees.<\/p>\n \u201cWe must normalize vulnerability,\u201d she says. \u201cThe opposite of depression is expression.\u201d<\/p>\n And perhaps the most important reminder this If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally after childbirth, seeking professional help can make a significant difference. Postpartum depression is treatable, and mothers do not have to go through it alone.<\/p>\n First Published:<\/strong>
\nMother\u2019s Day today<\/a>, conversations around motherhood are often centred on joy, sacrifice and unconditional love. But far less attention is given to the emotional and psychological toll motherhood can sometimes bring. Postpartum depression, or PPD, continues to remain under-discussed in India despite affecting thousands of women every year.<\/p>\n
\nwomen<\/a>, explains Dr Aninda Sidhana<\/strong>, Psychiatrist and Psychosexual Medicine Specialist and National President, WICCI National Women\u2019s Mental Health.<\/p>\n
\npostpartum<\/a> period.\u201d<\/p>\n
\ndoctor<\/a> turned and started speaking to my husband instead,\u201d she says. \u201cThat was the first time I saw my situation through someone else\u2019s eyes.\u201d<\/p>\nThe taboo around postpartum depression is deeply rooted in communities. Reuters<\/b><\/p>\n
\nperfect mothers<\/a>\u201d, celebrity pregnancies, rapid weight loss after childbirth and idealised parenting content create what she describes as a \u201cPinterest mom\u201d culture.<\/p>\nIt is essential to recognise the early warning signs. Source: Apollo Hospitals<\/b>Struggling does not make a mother weak<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nMother\u2019s Day<\/a> is not only to celebrate mothers, but to ask them how they are truly doing.<\/p>\n
\nMay 10, 2026, 10:46 IST<\/p>\n