This week, the silent killer – Postpartum Depression – took another life and pushed the mother into darkness.
This incident from Nashik will break your heart and make you wonder when will our society understand mothers’ challenges and help new moms overcome one of the biggest ailments.
On Tuesday afternoon, Yogita Pawar, a 27-year-old mother, ran to her neighbors fearful and scared. She said that a thief had entered her house and killed her 14-month-old daughter Swara.
As per her statement, the thief had made her unconscious by hitting her and when she woke up she saw her daughter lying in a pool of blood.
While the mother and daughter were rushed to the hospital, the child succumbed to injuries during treatment.
But as police investigated the case, they found no evidence to corroborate Yogita’s story rather what they found was heartbreaking.
During the investigation, what police discovered were the indicators of the mother being “frustrated” with the child and probably suffering from Postpartum Depression.
As per the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Laxmikant Patil:
“This is the very primary outcome of our interrogation of the accused and the family members. We believe the woman felt harassed by the child’s irritable behaviour.”
Police also got opinions from doctors treating Yogita to deduce that she was not telling the truth.
Based on the circumstantial evidence and feedback from the medical fraternity, the police arrested Yogita and she has been remanded to police custody for further investigation.
While police further investigate the case, the incident poses some serious questions about our society’s understanding of the challenges new moms face.
Unfortunately, Postpartum Depression (PPD) is a serious condition which is unknown to many of us.
Earlier this year, a similar incident had come to light where the mother undergoing severe postpartum depression ended up throwing her 1.5 months old son into the lake.
There is very little awareness about what PPD could do to a new mother.
It causes new mothers to feel anger, frustration and great sadness, which they express either through an inability to care for the child or even sometimes, violence towards the child.
While PPD is mainly triggered by a hormonal imbalance in the body after childbirth, but it can also be triggered by painful or complicated pregnancies, stress, tension with the husband or in-laws, financial difficulties and other health issues.
Lack of awareness makes it difficult for women and their families to notice it.
At I For Her, we have been continuously capturing stories about moms who have found ways to positively overcome postpartum depression.
Suffering for 5 years with PPD, Anupriya from Mumbai overcame it through finding her love for running. Similarly, Chhavi Mittal raised awareness on social media about the challenges new moms face and how family support is of utmost importance at this juncture for the mom.
It is heartbreaking to see how our society fails to support its mothers during their postpartum recovery. The only ray of hope for new moms is the support that they receive from family, especially from their life partners.
Like any other ailment, post-partum depression could be cured with medication, therapy or interventions. But, the first step of healing starts with realization – the acceptance that your loved one needs help and support.
So in case, you’ve just become a father or you’ve got a new mom in your family, please extend all possible support to the mother and make sure she never feels lonely in this battle.
