"As a health writer, I had often heard and written about postpartum depression, but it wasn’t until I experienced it myself after delivery that I truly understood its intensity. I had never felt so low and hopeless before. I found myself crying at the smallest things, and no amount of support from family and friends could lift my spirits. I spent my days in a deep, unshakable sadness, unable to feel the 'motherly' emotions I had expected towards my baby," shares journalist Kalpana Sharma.

A woman’s body changes every week. With the four phases of the menstrual cycle, a woman’s feelings, her body and her emotions are always changing. However, when a woman becomes a mother, her body experiences tremendous changes. Furthermore, the responsibility of being a new mom too could be overwhelming, leading to postpartum depression.

"You are three different persons when you are a mother"

“I am a very positive person. I know I can handle anything. So, when my friends would tell me their stories of postpartum, I would tell myself that I could handle it. I could talk myself out of it. But to my surprise, it was very difficult. My body and my mind went through so much,” says Akanksha Thapliyal, 34 from Siliguri, a creative consultant, who became a mother at 33.

Thapliyal shares that there were days when she would just cry, without even knowing the reason. At times, everyone felt like her enemy, including her husband.

A mother from East Tennessee, Tiffany Toombs Clevinger, now 39, shares she was 37 when she had her baby and her first feeling was, “Oh no, what did we just do?” She was in disbelief and did not know what to do to take care of her child.

Why were these mothers confronted by such feelings? The answer is postpartum depression. Postpartum is a phase after childbirth, where mothers go through physical changes. These physical changes in their bodies affect them mentally, the added responsibility of being a mother further makes this phase stressful and anxiety-stricken.

Dr Sushma Pampanavar, gyneacologist and obstetrician at the Iswarya Fertility and ICF Centre and a member of DocTube says that there are many physical effects of postpartum on a woman’s body. “There are uterine changes, which means the uterus expands during the pregnancy and begins to shrink back to its pre-pregnancy size after childbirth. This may cause cramping.” Other effects include postpartum bleeding and discharge, also known as lochia, which goes on for a few weeks.

“Hormonal shifts, especially estrogen and progesterone drop rapidly after delivery, this can affect the mood,” she points out.

The body too begins to change its shape, breasts get engorged, nipples get sensitive, changes in pelvic floor also occur which may lead to urinary incontinence and discomfort.

All of these, combined with the added responsibility of being a mother is what causes postpartum depression or what is commonly known as ‘baby blues.’

“Your body goes through so many changes all at once. You are a different person when you are pregnant, a different person when you deliver and a different person a year later. You are three different persons when you are a mother,” says Thapliyal.

Impact Of Postpartum Depression

Sarah Fletcher, 49 from Blackpool UK, a hypnobirthing practitioner had her child when she was 25. She had severe anxiety and struggled to enjoy being a new mom. It affected her relationship with her partner and her child's behaviour.

“One day I had tormented him [partner] so badly that he was crying in a corner, begging me to stop. I was fearful, depressed, lonely and felt useless. This is reflected in my baby’s behaviour through him being unsettled, agitated and not sleeping,” she shares.

Dr Himanshu Nirvan, a psychiatrist at the Noida International Institute of Medical Sciences and (NIIMS) Hospital says that persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness and irritability in mothers can lead to difficult bonding with the baby and “thoughts of harming oneself or the baby.”

If unaddressed, suggests Dr Nirvan, postpartum can potentially strain the mother-child relationship, leading to feelings of detachment, neglect or irritability.

Mother’s Guilt

The added responsibility of being a mother, and not being able to perform well as a mother too causes stress. Both Thapliyal and Clevinger share that they were not able to breastfeed their child. This made them feel useless and caused them to feel the mother’s guilt. This term refers to the feeling of shame and guilt that a mother feels when she thinks she is unable to live up to the standards of being a ‘good mother.’

“I struggled with breastfeeding, my body wasn’t doing what I wanted it to do. I was frustrated and I felt like a failure. I felt like I was not good enough,” shares Clevinger. She spiralled into anxiety and depression and lost the motivation to drive to work. This lasted for 20 months.

For Thapliyal, the feeling was the same. She went to her mother to seek her advice; however, she did not get any help. “My breasts would hurt, and my nipples were sore from breastfeeding. When I asked my mother, she told me that it was normal. But it is not. It was so painful that I could not breastfeed my child for two days,” she says.

This is when she finally reached out to a lactation expert and a counsellor. “Her name is Divya Kapoor. She helped me a lot through this phase. A lot of lactation experts or birth counsellors come from an empathetic background. Mostly because they did not have a great birthing or post-birthing experience. Divya struggled so she wanted it to be better for other mothers. She is now a doula,” shares Thapliyal.

Thapliyal has also shared her journey of motherhood in an attempt to help other new mothers in her podcast 'Manomanjan.'

The same is the story of Fletcher, who discovered neurolinguistic programming that helped her in her healing journey. She now teaches this to others and helps them with their mental well-being. As a hypnobirthing practitioner, she also supports women during the birthing process and helps them to keep a positive outlook.

Is Postpartum Just Limited To Mothers?

Sejal Malhotra (name changed), 24, an advocate from Delhi shares that she underwent the postpartum phase when she experienced a surgical abortion, last year September. “I went through an unplanned pregnancy and for the first 10 weeks, I did not realise I was pregnant. Complications arose and it was determined that the pregnancy needed to be terminated,” she shares.

The surgical abortion caused her body to react in ways akin to labour. “I endured pain, particularly in my vaginal area. Even doing simple activities like stretching, and sitting down, became a task, causing excruciating pain. The physical discomfort lingered for months. There was a complete loss of sexual desire, and this deeply affected my relationship with my husband,” she shares.

“Postpartum recovery can significantly impact a woman’s relationship with her partner, as both partners adjust to new roles and responsibilities. The physical, emotional, and psychological changes that occur during this period can strain intimacy and communication, but with understanding and effort, couples can navigate these changes effectively,” points out Dr Pampanavar

Malhotra also underwent hormonal shifts and experienced postpartum depression, leaving her feeling emotionally numb, feeling isolated and guilty for not being enough as a partner and a woman. There were days when she could not get out of her bed.

Gynaecologist and obstetrician Dr Avir Sarkar, Assistant Professor at NIIMS says, “Experiencing a pregnancy loss, whether through surgical abortion or delivering a stillborn baby due to miscarriage, can indeed lead to a complex and emotional postpartum experience for women.”

Dr Sarkar says that women still experience bleeding, hormonal shifts and other postpartum symptoms, along with the profound emotional impact of pregnancy loss.

“Allow yourself to grieve, express your emotions and seek support from loved ones and healthcare providers,” suggests Dr Sarkar.

For Malhotra, her partner gave her the support she needed. At times, she noticed her partner mirroring the same emotional signs as hers. She is now in therapy and is doing much better.

“Physical intimacy may change during postpartum,” suggests Dr Sarkar. Partners too show the same emotional signs as they also experience the secondhand pain of their partners.

Ways To Deal With Postpartum

“Joining new parent groups, seeking online forums, attending support groups, and connecting with other mothers can combat feelings of isolation,” says Dr Nirvan. Partners too can assist with childcare and share household tasks.

Dr Pampanavar says that self-care, rest, counselling and therapy are some of the ways one can heal through postpartum. Experts also suggest that allowing mothers the time to bond with their child also helps reduce the feeling of sadness.

Healthcare has increasing become more unaffordable for people in America. The rising costs of medicines and even life-saving treatments have been putting people in debt.

The U.S. experienced a sharper decline and a slower rebound in life expectancy than peer countries, on average between 2019 and 2022, due to increased mortality and premature death rates in the U.S. from the COVID-19 pandemic.

A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows a surprising difference between the US and Europe. Even the richest people in America don't live as long as their equally rich counterparts in Europe. Think of it like this- if you compared the wealthiest people in the US to the wealthiest people in Germany or France, the Americans, on average, would die sooner!

In fact, sometimes the richest Americans have the same lifespan as Europeans who are ‘relatively poor’. This shows that there are bigger healthcare problems in the US that affect everyone's health, no matter how much money they have.

Are Lifestyle Differences To Be Blamed?

The food habits of Europeans are generally said to be healthier than most countries, including America. Europe's emphasis on local, small-scale farming and fresh, high-quality produce. which is also reflected in EU policies. The 2002 "General Food Law" set an integrated approach to food safety and creating the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). EFSA works towards food safety and sustainability, and these efforts are based on research and scientific efforts.

While Americans also follow strict diets to make sure they are healthier, but there is a difference between use of additives, preservatives, and pesticides with the constant food recalls and food contaminations. On the other hand, EU’s "precautionary principle" makes sure any additives go through extensive reviews before being considered safe. US regulations are less stringent compared to their European counterparts. According to BMC’s 2019 Enviromental health report, there were 72, 17, and 11 pesticides still in use, which were banned by EU, Brazil and China respectively, in the US.

Researchers think it has to do with some key differences in how the US and European countries are set up. In many European countries, there's a stronger "safety net" – things like better access to healthcare for everyone, more support for people who are struggling, and maybe even less stress in daily life. The healthcare system in the US can also be very complicated and hard for people to navigate. On top of that, lifestyle factors might play a major role as well.

According to the International Monetary Fund, the per capita income of America is 89.68 thousand dollars, while the per capita spending on health according to the American Medical Association was 13,493 dollars in 2022.

The association points out the enormous and growing cost of healthcare in the U.S., the affordability crisis for many Americans stems from a combination of these high prices, the way healthcare is financed, and the fact that these costs often outpace income growth. The specific drivers of these high costs, such as drug prices and administrative complexity, are key factors in why many Americans struggle to afford necessary healthcare.

Is The US Healthcare System Failing Its Citizens?

To really understand how long people live in different places, the researchers from this study looked at a lot of information about people's health and when they died. The focus was primarily on people between 50-85 years old in the US and different parts of Europe.

It was found that no matter even if people were rich, middle class, or poor, Americans were more likely to die at any given age compared to people in Europe.

With likes of billionaire Bryan Johnson, who is working on aging backwards with biohacking and promoting strict lifestyle techniques for longevity; this study showcases other neglected aspects of US healthcare, highlighting the fact that wealth may not be the answer to good health.

Rising screen time and the increasing health issue among teens are no coincidence. This has become a common trend among teens who cannot seem to tear away from their electronics for any reason. While some may argue they have their school assignments, study materials and other important documents on these devices, one must remember that these smart devices have now become their wallets, books, reminders etc.

While the sufficiency of these devices is responsible for the increased screen time, new study shows that it is also responsible for poor sleep as well as a rise in the numbers of depressed teens. Published in the PLOS Global Public Health journal, the study reveals the link between screen time, lack of sleep and depression among teen girls.

Researchers found that girls who used screens a lot slept worse overall. They didn't sleep as deeply, and they didn't sleep as long. Also, screens made them want to stay up later, throwing off their body's natural sleep clock. This means their bodies were not in sync with their sleep-wake cycle, making it harder to get the rest they needed. All these changes in sleep ended up causing problems for teenagers, especially when it comes to their mood.

Depression Risk in Girls

Girls are much more likely to feel sad or hopeless because of bad sleep caused by screen time. Boys also had sleep problems from using screens, but it didn’t seem to affect their mood as much. Scientists aren’t completely sure why girls are more affected, but they think it might have to do with how their bodies and brains react to changes in sleep.

The researchers looked at thousands of teens and found that girls had twice as many signs of depression as boys. They also discovered that a lot of those depression symptoms in girls, almost half, could be explained by changes in their sleep caused by screens. So, if girls are spending too much time on their phones and not sleeping well, they are at a much higher risk of feeling depressed. The researchers mentioned how this study supports the ‘screen-sleep-displacement-theory’ and the results show how it impacts several aspects of sleep simultaneously.

What Is Screen-Sleep-Displacement-Theory?

According to this theory screen time, especially before bed, displaces both bedtime and sleep, which then impacts the sleep duration and quality. It could potentially lead to negative mental health outcomes, particularly among adolescents. In Sweden, where the study took place, health officials suggest no more than two or three hours of screen time a day. This is mostly to help teenagers sleep better. The study backs up this advice, showing that less screen time could mean better sleep and fewer feelings of sadness.

If schools and parents helped teens cut back on screens, it might make a big difference in how they feel. The study also showed that most teens are using screens for about an hour more than the recommended amount. This is a problem that needs attention, as it may be having a large negative impact on the mental health of teens, especially girls.

India has reported its second human fatality due to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) or bird flu, marking the first such death in four years. While bird flu infections in humans are rare, they are highly lethal, with a fatality rate of one in two cases. The most recent victim was a two-year-old girl from Palnadu, Andhra Pradesh, who passed away in mid-March after being hospitalized for over 10 days at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Mangalgiri.

The pathogen responsible for the infection and subsequent deaths was confirmed only on 31 March, following a survey by the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV). According to details shared by the state government, the child, who had a habit of consuming raw chicken, was admitted to the hospital on 4 March with symptoms including fever, breathlessness, nasal discharge, seizures, diarrhea, and reduced feeding. Two days before falling ill, she had reportedly consumed raw chicken. She succumbed to the infection 12 days later.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the state government noted that no abnormal cases of respiratory infections had been identified in the ongoing survey. However, surveillance will continue for the next two weeks, with testing arranged for any suspected cases. Union health ministry officials stated that, based on data from the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), no unusual surge in influenza-like illness (ILI) or severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) cases has been observed in the district in recent weeks.

A national joint outbreak response (NJOR) team has been deployed to conduct an epidemiological investigation and provide assistance to the state.

3 States Impacted By Bird Flu

This year, outbreaks of HPAI—also known as Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 or bird flu—have been reported in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. The trend follows a similar pattern observed in 2024, when states such as Jharkhand and Kerala, along with the aforementioned three states, recorded widespread H5N1 infections in poultry, prompting authorities to cull thousands of birds.

The Union government emphasized that "human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 virus is uncommon, and the risk of any other epidemiologically linked case being reported is assessed to be low."

India's first recorded human infection of the H5N1 influenza virus occurred in 2021 when an 18-year-old boy in Haryana succumbed to the infection within days of contracting it.

In May last year, Australia reported its first human infection with H5N1, stating that the patient had acquired the virus in India. Towards the end of 2024, the deaths of four big cats—three tigers and a leopard—were attributed to H5N1 infection.