Many women experience postpartum depression and baby blues, yet not everyone understands the differences. This article on the two common types of depression will help you know when to seek help from a professional and what each term means.
Symptoms of PPD
PPD is a serious mental disorder that affects new mothers after giving birth. It can cause intense sadness, anxiety, and fatigue. PPD can last for weeks, months, or even years.
Symptoms of PPD may include:
Sudden mood changes: A woman with PPD may feel very sad one moment and happy the next.
A woman with PPD may feel very sad one moment and happy the next. Loss of interest in activities: Women with PPD may have trouble concentrating and enjoying activities they used to enjoy before pregnancy or childbirth.
Women with PPD may have trouble concentrating and enjoying activities they used to enjoy before pregnancy or childbirth. Insomnia: Women with PPD may experience difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. This can lead to daytime fatigue.
Women with PPD may experience difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. This can lead to daytime fatigue. Anxiety: Women with PPD often have increased levels of anxiety. They may worry about everything, from how their baby is doing to whether they will be able to care for them properly once they are discharged from the hospital.
Women with PPD often have increased levels of anxiety. They may worry about everything, from how their baby is doing to whether they will be able to care for them properly once they are discharged from the hospital. Depression: Women with PPD usually experience major depressive episodes (MDAs).
When is Baby Blues Usually a Sign of Postpartum Depression?
Baby blues are typical signs of postpartum depression, but some exceptions exist. If you have never been depressed, your baby blues might not signify postpartum depression. It's possible that you just feel really tired and emotional after giving birth.
If you have had depression in the past or experience feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or anger more often than not after childbirth, you might have postpartum depression. Here are some other signs that suggest you may have postpartum depression:
-You feel irritable and frustrated a lot
-You find it hard to focus on anything else other than your baby
-You feel like crying all the time
-Your mood changes rapidly from happy to very sad
-You feel like your life is not worth living
Signs of Baby Blues
If you're feeling down and out after giving birth, you might be experiencing baby blues. Baby blues is a temporary feeling of sadness and loneliness that most often occurs in the first few weeks postpartum. While postpartum depression is a more serious condition that can last for months or even years, there are some key differences between the two that you should know about.
Most importantly, baby blues only involves mood swings and feelings of sadness. With postpartum depression, however, you may experience anxiety, insomnia, guilt, and an extreme lack of self-worth. Additionally, postpartum depression can impact your physical health in ways that baby blues rarely does. If you think you may be experiencing postpartum depression, please visit the women's health clinic Westmead.
How to Cope with Baby Blues?
When you're expecting a baby, everything seems so wonderful and exciting. But after the baby is born, your mood can quickly change. You may feel overwhelmed by all the new responsibilities and struggle with postpartum blues.
Postpartum blues are a common sadness and anxiety that can last up to six weeks after giving birth. They're often confused with Baby Blues, a shorter-term feeling of sadness that typically lasts for two to four weeks postpartum.
Here are some tips on how to cope with baby blues:
1) Stay positive. Acknowledge that you may feel down now, but remind yourself that this will pass. Remind yourself that you are doing an amazing job as a new parent and that your child is adorable!
2) Get plenty of rest. Take time for yourself to relax to recharge your batteries. If possible, schedule some sleep deprivation days so you can hit the reset button on your emotional state.
3) Connect with other parents. Joining a breastfeeding support group or attending parenting classes can help make you feel supported by others going through similar challenges.
4) Talk about your feelings with someone you trust. Talking openly about how you're feeling can help relieve some of the pressure and allow you to process your emotions more effectively.
Conclusion
If you're a new parent, one of the first things that can happen is postpartum depression (PPD). Although baby blues and PPD are considered forms of depression, there are some key differences between the two.
