Delivering a baby is stressful, no matter how much you’ve looked forward to it. Understandably, many new mothers have emotional ups and downs, given their lack of sleep, interruption to their regular routines, and soreness recovering from labor and delivery.
Contrary to popular belief, it’s very common to experience temporarily overwhelming bouts of sadness after giving birth. Despite the happy occasion, your life and hormones are altered, which affects your mood. However, some parents feel persistent depression or hopelessness, possibly indicating postpartum depression (PPD).
The Blues
The condition known as baby blues refers to mild, temporary sadness and anxiety prevalent among new moms. Unlike PPD, anxious depression doesn’t interfere with your ability to function during the day, and you won’t require treatment. Baby blues begin a few days after delivery, peak at around a week postpartum, and then fade by the end of the second week. Symptoms include unsettling fears that the infant is in danger, being fidgety, and feeling guilty. Postpartum anxiety makes a woman excessively worried about her baby, which results in hyper-vigilance.
A strong support network, psychotherapy, and medicine make up the typical treatment regimen. However, identifying the patient’s condition is difficult. It is challenging to talk about postpartum depression because of its stigma. Despite the fact that one in five women experience postpartum depression and anxiety, many patients decide to conceal their symptoms and forgo treatment.
PPD
Conversely, PPD is a medical condition similar to diabetes or heart disease. Unlike baby blues, intense feelings of despair or hopelessness manifest and remain. PPD symptoms overlap with baby blues but are more intense. Examples include sobbing uncontrollably, declining interest in all activities, refusing to bond with the baby, feeling shame or worthlessness, and exhibiting changes in sleeping and eating patterns. These are strong indicators of a serious problem.
In order to prepare yourself for unpleasant thoughts or feelings, it helps to have a plan in mind prior to delivery. Establish reasonable goals for the postpartum time. Stay in touch with other women in your childbirth education class or other regular community gatherings. Ask questions about their anticipation before having a baby compared with reality. You can also talk to your spouse about tackling this as a team. Make a list of resources. Consider who you’ll contact if you are in a difficult postpartum circumstance. Make a list of the best sources for professionals, then locate them. Being aware beforehand gives you another resource in your corner.