The arrival of a baby brings with it an ocean of emotions, from happiness and excitement to worry and anxiety. It brings sleepless nights, constant Googling, and countless visitors. But it can also bring something you may not expect – postnatal depression.
It is extremely common for new mums to experience what’s commonly referred to as ‘the baby blues’ after childbirth. The baby blues can last for up to two weeks and include crying spells, anxiety, and struggling to sleep.
However, some mums (1 in 10) will experience a more intense and long-lasting form of depression called postnatal depression. It is not a sign of weakness or a bad mother. It is sadly, for some women, just a side effect of giving birth.
However, we believe that education and understanding is power. That’s why we’ve created this guide: a guide to supporting new mums with postnatal depression. We hope that it helps you.
What is Postnatal Depression?
Postnatal depression is a specific type of depression affecting parents after having a baby. A woman’s mind and body go through significant changes during pregnancy and after birth. It’s not uncommon to feel anxious, tearful, and overwhelmed – particularly in those early stages of postnatal.
Studies have also discovered that supporting parent can also experience postnatal depression. The other parent most likely to experience postnatal depression include those who are; young, have struggled with depression in the past, are struggling financially, or those with relationship problems.
Postnatal Depression and the Baby Blues
Postnatal depression is also commonly referred to as “the baby blues” and it is extremely common within a few days of the birth.
The baby blues can last for up to two weeks and include feelings such as overwhelm, exhaustion, sadness, hopelessness, and anxiety.
They are often the result of fluctuating hormones, exhaustion, and the sudden transition to motherhood and all that that entails. Symptoms typically include:
- Mood swings
- Crying spells
- Anxiety
- Feeling sad
- Irritability
- Appetite loss
- Trouble sleeping
- Lack of concentration
If the baby blues don’t go away after a couple of weeks, you could be struggling with postnatal depression. This is a serious condition that requires medical attention and support. It can affect both of your behaviour, physical health, relationship with your partner, family planning decisions, and your bond with your baby.
How to Spot Postnatal Depression
In the weeks following childbirth, it can be difficult for some women to spot whether they have postnatal depression or whether their symptoms are a result of over-tiredness and overwhelm.
Many women feel tearful, anxious, and overwhelmed when a new baby arrives. However, there is a marked difference between those feelings and the symptoms of postnatal depression.
Signs of Postnatal Depression
- Severe mood swings
- Difficulty bonding with your baby
- Withdrawal from family and friends
- Loss of appetite
- Overwhelming tiredness or lack of energy
- Intense irritability and bursts of anger
- Overwhelming fear that you’re not a good mother
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Insomnia or sleeping too much
- Crying almost constantly
- Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
- Repeating thoughts of death or suicide
- Severe anxiety and/or panic attacks
- Feeling worthless, ashamed, or guilty
How is Postnatal Depression Treated?
There are many different types of treatment for postnatal depression. The type of treatment you receive will depend on the severity of your symptoms, whether or not you’re breastfeeding, and your own personal preference. Here are some of the most common treatments for postnatal depression.
Self-help Treatments
We will start with the most basic treatment option available and that is self-help. Looking after a newborn baby is challenging for anyone. However, it is even more difficult for women who are struggling with postnatal depression because they can barely look after themselves let alone care for another person.
Self-help treatments can be a good place to start if your symptoms are manageable and you’re simply in need of a little extra support. Here are a few self-help suggestions that might help you recover from postnatal depression:
Communication
Talking openly with your partner or loved ones. This can be difficult but it’s important as it lets those you care about know how much you’re struggling. If they don’t know you’re struggling, they won’t know you need help.
Practical Help
Accept help from others. t’s okay to let a few things drop and hand tasks off to other people. If you have family or friends who can help with the cooking and cleaning, for example, take them up on it.
Rest
Rest as much as you can. We know this is a bit of a touchy subject for new mums because life with a newborn can feel anything but restful. However, it’s important to try and sleep when you can and get more sleep whenever possible. We recommend you seek help from your partner with nappy changes and feeds, particularly during the night, to help with this.
Time
Make time for yourself. When you become a mum for the first time, it can flip your identity upside down. And there’s not a whole lot of time to yourself when you’re a new mum. So, it can be easy to lose who you are for a little while.
If you have the support from those around you, try to claw back some time for yourself. It’s one of the most important things new mums need for themselves after birth. Whether it’s watching an episode of your favourite show every evening, taking a bath, or getting a massage, it’s important to take care of yourself too.
Talking Therapy
Talking therapies are extremely beneficial for new mums suffering from depression and are often a recommended treatment option. There are a couple different types of talking therapy. These include:
Guided Self-help
This type of therapy involves working through an online course or book, on your own or with support from your therapist. The course will provide you with valuable information into postnatal depression as well as practical advice on how you can deal with it.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
This type of therapy involves breaking unhelpful thinking patterns. If you always think about the worst case scenario, for example, cognitive behavioural therapy could be a good solution for you.
Interpersonal Therapy
This involves talking with a therapist about the problems you are going through. It aims to help you identify triggers in your own life and problems in your relationships with others that might be impacting your symptoms of depression.
Antidepressants
This is medication prescribed to those with moderate to severe depression and who do not want to try any of the treatments we’ve listed above. Antidepressants are mood-balancers and can help you cope better day-to-day with your new baby.
Please note: not all antidepressants can be taken safely while you are breastfeeding. Your doctor will explain the risks and offer medication that poses the least risk to you and your baby.
What You Should Do If You Spot Postnatal Depression
If you are struggling following the birth of your baby and you suspect it’s due to postnatal depression, you might feel scared or embarrassed about asking for help. However, healthcare providers see cases of postnatal depression regularly and they are here to provide the support you need, whenever you need it.
We recommend calling your General Practitioner (GP), midwife or health visitor as soon as you can if you have symptoms of depression that:
- Don’t disappear after two weeks
- Are worsening over time
- Make it difficult for you to care for your baby
- Are making it hard to complete normal, everyday tasks
- Include thoughts of harming yourself or your baby.
It’s important to seek help and there are professionals available who can support you on your journey to a full recovery so that you can embrace and enjoy motherhood to the fullest.
Final Words
As you can see, postnatal depression is very common. However, understanding the symptoms to look out for and the treatment options available will go a long way towards ensuring you ask for help when you need it and you receive the right support.
We hope this article has helped you to understand a little more about postnatal depression.
