Maternity Blues

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(With inputs from Neena John, Clinical Psychologist)

Have the blues hit you despite your joy at becoming a mother? Postpartum depression is a common phenomenon that begins a few days or a week after delivery and lasts no longer than two weeks. You may be weepy, moody, irritable and unable to sleep. It can even get severe and lead to psychotic depression. Some studies show that women who experience postpartum depression have had prior depressive episodes. But for most women, postpartum depression is a temporary phenomenon with no adverse consequences.

Postpartum 'blues' or transitory minor affective disorders are certainly distinct from postpartum depression or postpartum psychosis.

The physical symptoms of a bout of 'baby blues' are:
Sleeplessness.
Lack of energy.
Loss of appetite or a craving for food.
Fatigue and tiredness, despite sleeping.
The new mother is most likely to go through the following mental and emotional upheavals:
Sadness, anxiety, excessive worry.
Confusion and nervousness.
Concern over physical changes.
An inability to identify with the self.
Lack of confidence.
Feeling overwhelmed.
Her mental condition may manifest itself in the following ways:
Hypersensitivity and excessive crying.
Hyperactivity or excitability.

Irritability.

Lack of feeling for the baby.
Treatment for postpartum depression

Treatment includes an antidepressant medication that is often combined with psychology. It is subject to the nature of the depression in different individuals and also on their preferences. In mild or moderate depression, one or both of these methods may be used. But when it comes to severe cases, medication is often recommended as the first treatment.