Baby Blues and Postpartum Depression

Giving birth is one of the most significant changes that can come in a woman’s life. A new family member sparks great joy. But the mother’s body goes through various external and internal changes that induce feelings of irritability, sadness, overwhelm, and fatigue during the first few days of childbirth.

These mood changes are very common and are called ‘baby blues.’ However, if these feelings continue for longer, they might lead to Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder or Postpartum Depression.

Baby Blues

Baby blues are very common in women, and 80% of women experience it after giving birth. They come in bouts of emotional mood swings and last from 1 to 3 hours. These feelings start 2 to 3 days after delivering the baby and can last for around 2 weeks. Some common symptoms of baby blues are:

• Impatience
• Restlessness
• Crying for no reason
• Irritability
• Fatigue
• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Mood changes
• Sadness
• Poor concentration

These feelings occur because of the drastic hormonal changes that women go through. When women are pregnant, their hormone levels rise and drop to extremely low levels after childbirth brings baby blues.

Postpartum Depression

If baby blues last longer than 2 weeks, a person may be going through severe ‘postpartum depression.’ 1 in every 7 women is diagnosed with this. A woman is more likely to get diagnosed with it if it runs in their family.

Women suffering from postpartum depression must seek a mental health professional’s help and might need to take medications to balance the chemicals in their brain. Some of the common postpartum depression symptoms are:

• Severe sleeping issues — sleeping too much or too less
• Prolonged sadness — uncontrollable crying
• Changed appetite — eating too much or too little
• Drained energy and no motivation
• Feeling uninterested in things which brought pleasure before
• Feelings of worthlessness and guilt
• No interest in the baby
• Anger and irritability
• Lack of focus

While these symptoms may sound severe, you must know that they can be fixed. Postpartum depression impacts 1 in 7 women, and you can treat it with diet, lifestyle changes, and counseling.

Silicon Valley Marriage Counseling is a professional counseling institute in Palo Alto, CA. People seeking anxiety counseling, marriage and couple’s counseling,  and infidelity and sex therapy meet with Azizeh E. Rezaiyan, a Farsi-speaking psychologist with 20 years of experience, and work things out.

You can call (650) 206-9973 for a free 20-minute phone consultation or schedule an appointment online for a session.