By Brittany Sewall
Having a baby is an exciting moment! There are a lot of changes you go through as a woman; physically, mentally, and emotionally. It is a rollercoaster ride of emotions those first few days after welcoming your little one into this world. You experience highs and lows, and you may be flooded with joy, love, fear, and anxiety. This is all very common for most women to experience in those first few days after birth, lasting up to the first two weeks. This is referred to as the baby blues, which you might have heard of before. The baby blues affect 50-75% of women, and typically start within a couple of days after giving birth and can last up to two weeks. Baby blues symptoms can include:
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- Anxiety
- Sadness
- Mood swings
- Feeling irritable or overwhelmed
- Crying for no reason
- Irregular appetite
- Difficulty sleeping
If these symptoms do not resolve after two weeks, seem to be worsening or feel more intense, it could be postpartum depression (PPD).
PPD is a serious mental condition that affects your physical health and behavior. The symptoms of PPD usually develop within the first few weeks after childbirth but can happen up to one year after your baby is born. It is easy to mistake PPD for the baby blues at first because the symptoms are very similar. However, with PPD, the symptoms may start to affect your ability to care for your baby or interfere with tasks of daily living. Symptoms of PPD can include:
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- Feeling shameful
- Feeling guilty or worthless
- Persistent sadness, hopelessness, or crying
- Anger or mood swings
- Sleeping more or less than normal
- Inability to care for yourself or your baby
- Loss of appetite
- Feeling hostile towards your baby
- Difficulty bonding with your baby
- Intense anxiety
- Withdrawing from family and friends
- Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
Postpartum depression affects 1 in 7 women. If a woman has a history of PPD with previous pregnancies, she has a 30% higher chance of having it again. You also might be at a higher risk if you have bipolar disorder, your baby has health issues, you have twins or triplets, if the pregnancy was unwanted, if you’re having relationship problems, have a weak support system, or financial problems.
If you, or someone you know, might be experiencing PPD, please reach out. Talk to your partner, talk to your nurse, talk to your doctor or midwife. Please do not suffer in silence. Some women try to hide these feelings. They might feel like they are a bad mother, feel ashamed or guilty. Some women feel like they are the only ones feeling this way or that it’s not normal, which then can make them feel embarrassed. There are multiple options for mothers suffering with PPD that can help.
Therapy is a very common treatment option for PPD. Counseling can help you dive into your emotions, try to understand, and work through them. Support groups can also be a helpful avenue as it allows you the opportunity to talk with other women who are experiencing the same thing and can help you feel less alone. Dealing with PPD can make people feel very secluded, so knowing other people that are going through similar struggles can be very comforting. Another treatment some women explore is medications. Most commonly doctors will prescribe an antidepressant which can help manage your symptoms. There are also antidepressants that are safe to take while breastfeeding, so if you’re nursing you don’t have to stop in order to take these. You and your doctor can work together to find the right medication and right dosage. It does typically take several weeks for these medications to start working, so try not to stress if you don’t feel any different immediately after starting one.
Postpartum depression is no joke. It is a serious condition that can often be overlooked as “normal” for mothers to experience. Please speak up if you are experiencing any of these symptoms that describe PPD. Work with your health care team to find the right treatment plan for you so you can start healing mentally. Ignoring these symptoms can eventually affect your baby. To give the best care to your baby, you must take care of yourself too.
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2022, November 24). Postpartum depression. Mayo Clinic.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/postpartum-depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20376617
Postpartum depression: Causes, symptoms & treatment. Cleveland Clinic. (2024, July 17).
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9312-postpartum-depression#management-and-treatment
Postpartum depression: Office on Women’s Health. OASH | Office on Women’s Health. (2023, October 17).
https://womenshealth.gov/mental-health/mental-health-conditions/postpartum-depression
Photo by Tiago Bandeira on Unsplash