We need more conversations about women and postpartum depression

After giving birth to a daughter for the third time, a woman jumped off the second floor of the hospital in Lahore, sustaining severe injuries.

22-year-old Sidra Afzal was suffering from postpartum depression after giving birth to a baby girl for the third time in a row. She jumped from the second floor of the Lahore General Hospital.

Postpartum depression is the name given to the wave or phase of sadness and anxiety some women experience after giving birth.

Resultantly, oftimes, women do not feel like looking out or caring for the baby or themselves. They have trouble sleeping and eating and might constantly worry about the baby’s well-being. This condition can also make it difficult for mothers to bond with their baby or enjoy motherhood.

As in Sidra’s case, according to Dawn newspaper, the initial investigation revealed that she wanted to avoid the “comments or taunts” passed by her relatives for not giving birth to a boy.

As per hospital management officials, the incident took place when Sidra was undergoing treatment in the hospital’s labour room where she jumped from the window and sustained severe injuries and was admitted to the Punjab Institute of Neurosciences (PIN) in a critical condition.

Sidra gave birth on September 18 at a private hospital in Kasur and was then brought to General Hospital Lahore.

According to sources, Sidra had gone to use the washroom from where she jumped from the window and sustained several serious injuries.

The Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Professor Nudrat Sohail, said that Sidra reached the facility from Kasur, the doctors conducted tests and decided to again operate on Sidra. Considering her medical condition and complications, she was shifted to the intensive care unit where two female attendants looked after her.

Postgraduate Medical Institute (PGMI) Principal Prof Al-Fareed Zafar formed a five-member committee headed by Professor of Urology Dr. Dr Khizar Hayyat Gondal to investigate the matter and bring the facts before the public. The police are currently investigating the matter further.