Postpartum Mood Swings (Baby Blues): What To Do About It

Add as a preferred source on Google

The birth of a child is an exciting and life-changing event in your life. You probably expect to feel happy and proud about the new addition to your family, but many mothers feel moody and overwhelmed.

Postpartum mood swings or the "baby blues" do not last long for many women. In addition to feeling happy or sad, they may also cause a woman to cry without reason, be impatient, irritable, restless, anxious or lonely after giving birth. These feelings may only last for a short period of time after delivery or may last for several weeks [1].

What Are Baby Blues?

Approximately 80 percent of postpartum mothers experience the baby blues, a period of sadness, anxiety, stress, and mood swings following delivery [2].

When Does Baby Blues Start?

It is not uncommon for the baby blues to appear within a few days of giving birth, but if the delivery was particularly difficult, you may experience them even sooner [3].

What Causes Baby Blues Or Postpartum Mood Swings?

Despite being unable to pinpoint exactly the cause, their timing offers valuable information. Your body undergoes extreme hormonal fluctuations after birth to help you recover and take care of your baby, shrinking your uterus and promoting lactation, among other things.

As a result of those hormonal changes, postpartum mothers may also experience psychological changes.

A postpartum mood swing is also likely to be caused by the fact that parents are not sleeping regularly and have to cope with all the major lifestyle changes and changes that accompany a new baby during the postpartum period. In combination, all of these factors contribute to the occurrence of baby blues [4].

What Are The Symptoms Of The Baby Blues?

It is normal for baby blue symptoms to appear two to three days after birth. Usually, the symptoms disappear on their own within ten days, but occasionally it can take up to fourteen days to disappear.

Baby blues symptoms vary from person to person, but generally, they include weeping or crying inexplicably over minor triggers, having mood swings or being especially irritable, feeling unattached or unbonded to your baby, feeling restless or experiencing insomnia, even though you're exhausted and unable to make clear decisions [5].

Postpartum Depression Vs. Baby Blues

A timeline and severity of your symptoms are two indicators that your sadness is more than the baby blues and might warrant talking to your doctor about postpartum depression [6].

Reason 1: Timing

You may have postpartum depression if you're still sad, anxious, or overwhelmed after two weeks postpartum. It usually doesn't last more than two weeks, and it usually sets in pretty quickly after birth, so if you suddenly start feeling depressed several weeks after birth, it's probably not the baby blues.

The first year after a baby can be characterised by postpartum depression.

Reason 2: Severity of symptoms

A person's idea of severity may differ from another person's opinion, so the baby blues are subjective. Typically, you will feel down and out of sorts, but they shouldn't affect your quality of life too much. As a result, postpartum depression is more persistent and will not go away on its own; the symptoms are more persistent.

How to Treat the Baby Blues?

Here are some tips on how you can manage baby blues or postpartum mood swings [7]:

• When your baby is napping, sleep as much as you can.
• Fuel your body with healthy foods.
• Walking, fresh air, and sunshine can do wonders.
• Don't be afraid to accept help.
• Take care of yourself and your baby.

On A Final Note...

As new parents adjust to life with baby, they often suffer from the baby blues.

Fortunately, baby blues usually go away on their own soon after birth. If your symptoms persist for more than 2 weeks, or if they become severe, seek professional help.