The birth of your new
baby can trigger some powerful emotions – from
excitement and joy to fear and anxiety – but it
can also result in something you might not have foreseen
namely depression.
The signs and symptoms of the baby
blues syndrome after having a baby can vary depending
on the form of depression. In most cases these last
just a few days or a matter of weeks at the most,
and they can include:
• Feeling anxious
• Feeling sad
• Feeling tearful
• Having difficulty sleeping
• Feeling exhausted
The more serious postpartum depression may manifest
itself in more intense and longer lasting signs and
symptoms so that you feel you cannot function properly.
These could be:
• Constant fatigue
• Little or no enjoyment of life
• Feeling emotionally numb
• A feeling of failure
• Withdrawal from family and friends
• Either a lack of concern for yourself or your
baby, or excessive concern for your baby
• Less or no interest in sex
• Severe mood swings
• Lack of concentration or impaired thinking
• Insomnia
• Change in appetite – either eating too
little or too much
Then there is the rare form of postpartum depression
which is called postpartum psychosis that develops
within 6 weeks of having your baby.
These signs and symptoms can be very severe and include:
• Fear of harming yourself or your baby
• Confusion and disorientation
• Hallucinations and delusions
• Paranoia
You might be surprised to read that postpartum depression
can develop after the birth of any child and not just
the first and it is more common in mothers after giving
birth to their second baby.
There are certain contributing risks of postpartum
depression if one or more of the following facts apply
to you:
• You have a history of depression
• You have a history of substance abuse
• You have had postpartum depression after an
earlier pregnancy
• You have a history of severe premenstrual
syndrome
• You have experienced one or more stressful
events during pregnancy or you are experiencing other
difficult events in your life
• You have a poor marital relationship
• You have few family members or friends close
by, or you are socially isolated or your own mother
is not there for support
• The pregnancy
is either unplanned or unwanted
Although there are steps that you can take to help
yourself, many mothers
who have recently given birth do not have the energy
to take those steps and it is then very important
to seek outside help.
