Postpartum Depression Essay

I no longer enjoys watching her baby and am tired and her crying has become a nuisance me, I no longer enjoys my daily walk and have been feeling detached from my husband”. History of presenting illness She has been well until 3 weeks postpartum when she presented with above symptoms. Her pregnancy progressed well aside from hyperemesis that she experienced in her first trimester. She attended all scheduled clinic appointments and immunizations. Labor and delivery was normal, delivery was via spontaneous vaginal delivery and was lucky to give birth to a live male infant weighing 3. Both are doing well and have no history of any illness. Her parents divorced when she was a teenager. Father retired recently from formal employment and lives alone.

He is a heavy smoker and consumes alcohol daily. Her father has been diagnosed with chronic bronchitis but it has been well managed. He is a social drinker but does not smoke or use recreational drugs. She does not use a safety belt when driving and reports that she at times likes "living on the edge". She has no drug or any food allergies that are known. Past medical/ social History Her past medical history is insignificant since she has no history of hospital admission apart from the hospitalization for the birth, no chronic illness or any surgeries. She has never suffered any psychiatric illness and has no known food and drug allergies. PAP smear and BSE done 1 year ago screened negative.

She has no history of dyspareunia, no obstetric or gynecological concerns, her pelvis is adequate. Constitutional She appears tired at entry into the clinic. Her walking style is slow but denies the presence of pain. She appears untidy and her hair is unkempt, the dressing is okay although the skin appears dry. The ear is located at the same height with the eyes, no tenderness of the pinna on palpation, no discharges from the ear. O otoscope inspection, the ear is clean with little cerumen noted with no impaction and the tympanic membrane is visible and is whitish in color, no inflammation in the inner ear. The nose; both nares are patent with no nasal discharge, nasal mucosa pink. Nasal septum located on the midline, no swellings or lesions in the nose, no tenderness noted.

No swellings of the turbinates. Respiratory Breathing is normal 22 breaths per minute, bilateral air entry is good and chest expansion is symmetrical, no obstructions noted. She reports episodes of shortness of breath, breathlessness, and tachypnea that occur during episodes of anxiety. Chest expansion is normal and she does not exhibit signs of distress. Skin The skin looks dry and cracks appear on the extensor surfaces. She says she has not been taking care of herself a lot because she sees it as too much work considering she has a baby in mind. Vaginal discharge is present, whitish (lochia alba) and has no foul smell. The vulva has no signs of scars or lacerations sustained during childbirth. No edema noted on external genitalia, pubic hair shows minimal growth.

Musculoskeletal system; there is no notable indications for arthritis, no joint stiffness, pain, swelling, deformity, noise in joints or limitation of motion. No problem in gait, coordination of activities, or pain radiating to the back. Psychiatric assessment She is restless, reports episodes of anxiety and insomnia. In addition, she has been experiencing mood swings for the last one week and states that she misses hanging out with her friends at the salon. Furthermore, she states that she feels her spouse is always missing in the support since her delivery and is already willing to go back to work and feels that he spends a lot of time away from the family. Her psychiatric evaluation reveals that she is oriented to time, place and person, she has low mood and a flat affect and pressured speech, she has no hallucinations or delusions.