The Parenting Chronicles: Struggling with the Baby Blues

Bringing a baby into this world should be one of the most exciting, beautiful moments of your life. You should be bathing of the afterglow of childbirth and all of your baby’s firsts that are beginning to happen. Right?

Wrong. The reality is that, while childbirth can certainly be beautiful and wonderful, it may not necessarily be the most exciting, joyous time of a mother or father’s life. Unfortunately, many parents believe it should be, and they are often left with embarrassment and shame when it is not the case, only deepening their despair further.

The statistics are staggering. They show us that it is actually more common to be emotionally struggling after childbirth than not to be, especially for women. Mayo Clinic reports more than 80% of mothers will experience the baby blues immediately after childbirth, and about 15% of mothers will develop postpartum depression (also called perinatal or postnatal depression). The Illinois Department of Public Health indicates that up to 1 in 500 new mothers suffer from postpartum psychosis.

How do you know the difference between the baby blues and when it turns into something more severe? The baby blues typically only lasts for a couple days to a couple weeks after childbirth, characterized primarily by intense mood swings, irritability, restlessness/anxiety, and prolonged periods of sadness. When the baby blues lingers for longer than a couple weeks and/or the symptoms worsen or start to interfere with daily life, then it may have turned into postpartum depression. Postpartum depression may not develop immediately after childbirth, either. It can appear anytime during the first year (Illinois Department of Public Health).

Women are not the only ones suffering, either. Men are affected by postpartum depression, too. Recent research in the US has indicated, on average, about 10% of men suffer from postpartum depression with the highest risk period around 3 to 6 months after childbirth.

The truth is that bringing a baby into this world is no easy task, and it can carry with it feelings we may not have ever expected. Despite what messages our culture tries to tell us about how we should feel after childbirth, it is actually highly common to feel irritable, sad, and “not yourself.”

Those suffering from the baby blues, postpartum depression, and postpartum psychosis should not be shrouded in shame and judgment, but rather wrapped up in love, tenderness, and understanding.

If you are suffering from postpartum depression:

• Seek support from your friends, family, and other healthy relationships in your life.
• Find a counselor or mental health clinic in your area.
• Search for a postpartum support group in your area. These are sometimes offered through mental health clinics, hospitals, churches, and private practices.
• Talk to your doctor. Medication may be an option.
• If you are having thoughts of suicide and would like to speak with someone, the Suicide Prevention Hotline phone number is 1-800-273-8255. Call 911 if you are feeling suicidal, homicidal, or are in immediate danger.

Sources:

Illinois Department of Public Health: Women’s Health. Facts about postpartum depression. Retrieved from http://www.idph.state.il.us/about/womenshealth/factsheets/pdpress.htm

JAMA and Archives Journals. (2010, May 19). Significant number of fathers experience prenatal, postpartum depression, study finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 15, 2019 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100518101618.htm