How Postpartum Depression Impacts Your Marriage
Being in a relationship when you feel like your partner is distant, withdrawing from you, or acting like they aren’t themselves is incredibly difficult. Now, add in the stress of being a new parent and this is likely too much to handle. Life with a partner struggling with postpartum depression can leave you feeling helpless, lonely, and confused. You aren’t alone! Many partners often feel that way, and don’t know how to help their significant other cope with the complex and difficult feelings they are experiencing. You may want to focus all your energy on getting your partner to feel better, and that’s a great place to start! However, it’s important not to lose yourself in the process, too! Recognizing how postpartum depression impacts your marriage and how to work through this with your partner is essential to getting to the other side of this. Here are a few ways postpartum depression can impact your marriage, and some tips for working through it!
You May Feel Disconnected…
Your partner is experiencing a lot of big emotions, and those emotions are likely incredibly confusing to both you and your partner. This may lead to your partner isolating, withdrawing, crying, expressing extreme worries, expressing thoughts/feelings of hopelessness or overwhelm. These are not uncommon, and can leave you feeling alone, and unsure of how to help. When you feel like your partner is going through a lot, and you are going through a lot – but you two aren’t talking about it, this leads to disconnect in the relationship and this can begin to cause marital issues – such as, arguing, feelings of resentment, etc. You are your partner need to rekindle the connection in a way that makes sense to both of you. This is where couples counseling/marriage counseling comes in! There are professionals that specialize in not only postpartum depression, but also working with couples to overcome the “hump” of postpartum struggles together! If your partner is experiencing postpartum depression, it would be a good idea to seek out the help and guidance of a qualified couples counselor!
You May Have A Really Hard Time Understanding…
You and your partner just experienced a wonderful change in life! You two just had a baby, and life couldn’t get better – sure, you’re a little stressed, but that’s small in comparison to the excitement you are feeling! Well, the reality is, that your partner may not be feeling that same level of excitement. They may want to feel that excitement to make you happy – but they may be struggling with a lot of conflicting emotions that they don’t understand, and this can lead to a lot of symptoms of behaviors that you don’t understand. You likely won’t understand why your partner isn’t feeling as happy and excited as you are. That’s okay! Postpartum depression is something that is really hard to understand for both you (as the partner) and the individual experiencing it! It will be important to not judge, keep an open mind, and sit down and talk to your partner about these things that you are noticing. Simply just checking in with them and trying to understand can mean a lot to them and can give you a lot of insight.
Know When To Help And When To Give Space…
Your partner is working through a lot internally when it comes to postpartum depression, and they will likely need your help processing some of these emotions and getting through some days. But there will also be days that your partner wants some space and may have a difficult time communicating exactly why. Postpartum depression is not “rational” and doesn’t make sense, at all. Yet it still exists and holds people hostage. Recognize that there will be days when your partner needs you, and desperately wants you around – and there will be some days when your partner wants some space to try and sort out some feelings on their own. This is all normal! Be patient with your partner. Let them know that you are there if/when they need you. That can be more comforting that you even know!
How We Can Help…
Being in a relationship with someone struggling with postpartum depression can impact one’s marriage, because postpartum depression is troubling, and confusing to both you and your partner! The truth is, it can be difficult to date, or be married to, someone struggling with this – and that’s okay to admit! We are a team of professionals offering postpartum depression treatment in Florida and offering treatment for postpartum depression in Miami, FL for those that are looking for in person counseling! We take pride in our strong dedication to helping people – which is why we not only offer couples therapy in Miami, but we also offer online couples therapy in Miami, FL and the entire state of Florida! We care about you and your partners needs and recognize that you are going through an incredibly difficult time. If you and your partner are looking for online postpartum support in Florida, or just online therapy in Florida in general – give us a call! We’d love to chat with you!
