Do I Have the Baby Blues?
Author: Dr. Anna Kaplan
Pregnancy, labor, and delivery put an amazing amount of stress on your body. During pregnancy, you have time to get used to your increasingly large size, and at least some of the physiologic changes come on slowly. Labor and delivery is a stress of a completely different kind, and it is exhausting, both physically and emotionally. Your body suddenly drops 10 to 15 pounds of weight. Your hormone levels will be changing and fluctuating. You also now have to take care of your totally helpless infant, which is both wonderful and also a bit frightening, especially if this is your first baby.
Many women notice extreme emotional shifts right after their babies are born. You may be very happy one minute, and then find yourself crying. You may not have a good appetite. You may have trouble sleeping during the little time you have to sleep. You may be cranky and irritable. You may feel impatient and restless. If you feel these symptoms, you are certainly not alone. As many as 80% of women have the baby blues. The symptoms come on after the baby is born and usually last only a couple of weeks.
Some of the symptoms are from the large hormonal changes you experience after delivery. If you ever had premenstrual syndrome, or if you had emotional changes with your pregnancy, you will know that hormones affect your feelings. The huge drop in your hormone levels may act on your body and show up as mood changes. It doesn't take long for your system to stabilize, and when that happens, you will start to feel more like yourself.
Sometimes, you may feel let down by the delivery and the baby. Your baby may not look perfect. His or her head shape may have been changed by delivery. He or she may have baby acne or something else that makes him or her look less than ideal. A lot of those things will disappear over time. You will also get used to how he or she looks.
There is also the stress of caring for a newborn. That can make you nervous. It can also be very difficult to learn to sleep when your baby is sleeping and be awake to feed him or her. Newborns need to be fed approximately every two to three hours. If you are breast feeding, you are awake every time. Breast feeding takes a long time. You may have very little time in between feedings to sleep. It is normal to feel tired and cranky when you don't get enough sleep. It is normal to even feel a bit angry. As the weeks go by, your baby will go longer in between feedings. You will also learn to nap. Once your milk comes in and is established, you can use a breast pump so that someone else - probably Dad - can take one of the middle-of-the-night feedings.
You need to know that what you are feeling is normal. It helps to talk to other mothers. Your own mother or sister may be helpful. Or you can talk to friends. You should not be embarrassed to ask for help. Just knowing there are people around you who can take care of the baby if you need them to can make you feel better.
The most important thing to remember is that the baby blues are normal. Ask for the help you need. Try and take care of yourself. Talk about your feelings. You will regain your equilibrium within a week or two.
