No matter how excited you are during your pregnancy, the first few weeks and months after childbirth will likely be emotionally exhausting. You'll be getting little sleep, and you'll have to learn to juggle new responsibilities with your current ones. With hormonal and emotional changes, an estimated 9–16% of women experience postpartum depression (PPD). How can you tell the difference between exhaustion and depression? Consider the following range of emotions to determine if your feelings are within the normal range of recovery or have increased to the point of depression.
- If you have a close friend or family member who is struggling to take care of him or herself on a daily basis, it may be time to start discussing care options. It can be stressful and upsetting having to talk about care facilities with a loved one. The good news is that home health care is a great option that offers many benefits for all involved. Take a look at the following information to better understand the many benefits to investing in home health care.
- Caregivers, especially family members, face intense guilt, stress and frustration. Here are 6 tips that may help you to maintain your emotional balance in what seems like a world that's turned upside-down. A recent study found one in three caregivers feel they are living in a high stress environment. At least half of them have less time to spend, with other family and friends. When you are caring for a loved one that is sick (especially adult children caring for a parent) you may be facing a unique set of emotional obstacles.
- Back and neck pain can be triggered by anything from heavy lifting to gardening or even sleeping in an awkward position. It can hinder your movement, cause muscle spasms and expose you to the risk of chronic back or neck pain in future. While such pain may be acute enough to warrant medical attention, you can sometimes apply certain therapies to manage and eventually treat the aches and swelling. Here is a look at several simple at-home therapies you can use to cure moderate back and neck aches.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome can be caused by numerous factors, but is often triggered by behaviors that cause increased pressure on the median nerve and the carpal tendons. The syndrome is more common in women, and symptoms are often first noticed in the dominant hand. Individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome may experience numbness, tingling, or shooting pain. Eventually, the condition can become disabling, so take the symptoms seriously. If you frequently use a computer during the day and want to avoid the possibility of developing carpal tunnel syndrome, consider modifying your behavior in the following ways: