Feeling the Blues

The Baby Blues The birth of a new baby is an emotional roller-coaster. The days and weeks immediately following the labour can be so overwhelming that you may find it difficult to deal with the extremes of feelings. Many new mums feel a combination of euphoria, wonder and awe, but equally anxiety, hopelessness and panic are usual.
 
Experts estimate that between fifty and ninety percent of all new mothers experience some form of mild depression right after the birth of their babies. There is no scientific evidence that can tell us exactly why many women suffer baby blues however it is thought to be a combination of psychological anguish, hormones, physical discomfort and exhaustion.

Living with your new baby can be an extremely daunting experience. The day-to-day realities of caring for your infant may feel anticlimactic or overwhelming. You may also feel lonely and trapped by being in the house constantly. Your routine and social situation will most certainly have changed, making everything seem very unfamiliar.

After your baby is born, the levels of oestrogen and progesterone in your body drop dramatically causing a deficit, which can then lead to the blues. As your hormone levels return to their normal, pre-pregnancy levels, you may find that you will begin to feel more yourself again.

Recovering physically from childbirth can take quite a while. After you have overcome the initial exhaustion of labour you may still have to heal from an episiotomy or haemorrhoids and adjust to breast-feeding, which can also add to the emotional dismay.

As a new mum you may have had countless sleepless nights. Staying up late at night to care for your newborn can often lead to sleep deprivation and increase any negative feelings.

Beating the blues

Try to give yourself as much time off as possible from housework and usual chores such as food shopping. Those things can wait or be done by friends and family. Dont be ashamed to ask for help.

Make your own needs a priority as much as possible. Eat well, rest as much as you can, and gradually resume your usual activities, even if it's just a walk or a long hot bath.

Sleep is crucial to your emotional and physical health, so try to get as much as you can. Don't worry about sleeping at the usual time; just try to nap whenever your baby naps.

Postnatal depression

Postnatal depression usually occurs two to eight weeks after child birth. In some cases the baby blues simply do not go away or the depression can appear up to six months or even a year after the birth of the baby. If you are suffering from postnatal depression you may feel increasingly depressed and despondent and you may find that looking after yourself or the baby becomes too much. Some other signs of postnatal depression are anxiety, panic attacks, aches and pains, memory loss or inability to concentrate, prolonged crying, feelings of hopelessness, loss of interest in the baby.

If you think that you are suffering from postnatal depression dont struggle on alone. It is not a sign that you are a bad mother or are unable to cope. Postnatal depression is an illness just as any other illness. Talk to someone you can trust such as your partner or a friend or ask your health visitor to call. It is also important to see your GP, if you dont feel up to making an appointment, ask someone to do this for you, or arrange for the GP to call. You may also find it helpful to contact the Association for Postnatal Illness, Meet-a-Mum Association (MAMA) or the National Childbirth Trust.

Puerperal Psychosis

Only one or two mothers in 1000 will also develop Puerperal Psychosis after the birth of their baby, which requires hospital treatment. Usually a complete recovery is made, although this may take anything from a few weeks to a few months.