Postpartum Depression vs. Baby Blues

Pregnancy is a beautiful experience for many women. However, after birth, a lot of these women go through some mental health challenges. We always hear about postpartum depression and baby blues, but most do not know the major differences between the two. So, let’s get started. We know that majority, if not all new moms experience a few days to two weeks of mild ups and downs, crying, and stress related to child birth. This is totally normal and referred to as BABY BLUES.

On the other hand, if the symptoms mentioned above do not go away or disappear or they worsen after two weeks following child birth, there should be a cause for concern because the woman may be experiencing POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION (PPD). Research has it that PPD affects approximately 1 in 7 new mothers. We blame this on hormonal changes after delivery as well as other factors such as lack of sleep, lack of family support, and increased level of stress.

Now that we have discussed the differences between the two, let’s talk about PPD symptoms briefly. The common symptoms of PPD are appetite changes, insomnia, hopelessness, loss of interest or pleasure in activities, mood swings, anger, anxiety, guilt, crying, and many more. If your spouse or loved one is experiencing the symptoms noted above, please seek professional help as soon as possible. The good thing about PPD is that it is treatable, so the earlier help is sought, the better. It is very important to let your healthcare provider know that you are experiencing these symptoms at any point when you go for your postpartum appointments. Treatment is usually dependent on the severity of the symptoms and may include psychotherapy and the use of antidepressants. For baby blues, it is a temporary and acute phase as stated above. You can benefit from getting a lot of rest, allowing family or friends to assist you when necessary, taking care of yourself, connecting with other new moms, even if it is online, and generally, avoiding things that can trigger or worsen your symptoms.

Hope this helps. Catch you in the next blog post.

Shalom

DrNikki