Postpartum depression vs. Baby Blues: When should you seek help?

During pregnancy our bodies go through a tremendous amount of change to be able to care for the baby for the 9 month duration. After we give birth our bodies try to adjust to a new normal as fast as possible; a normal that includes lack of sleep, extreme fatigue, hormonal changes, body changes and all of this is exacerbated by little to no self care. It is normal to experience mood changes and anxiety, irritation and sadness in new moms but it should go away after a few weeks of giving birth. However, if the mood changes, anxiety and depression does not diminish as a function of time it might be a sign that you have postpartum depression and it is very crucial to receive professional help. I know first hand how difficult it can be to ask for help, especially when I felt so vulnerable. I felt that there was something wrong with me and that I would be judged, but I know this is not the case. Asking for help from your family, friends, doctor and counsellor is the best thing you can do for yourself and your baby. 

It is very important to understand the warning signs, such as feeling your anxiety is taking over yourself and causing you not to properly take care of yourself and your baby, not eating or sleeping. Feeling like you’re not good enough and having major feelings of guilt. Thinking you’re not good enough to live or you’re not good enough to be a Mom. Due to these feelings you may start to disengage with your baby and your partner and have a difficult time bonding with your baby. These are all very difficult feelings to be experiencing and are very valid. What is the most important thing to do is Ask for Help, Seek for help. 

There isn’t an unequivocal reason or set predispositions as to why some women experience this and some don’t, but some factors are common amongst people who do experience postpartum depression. Extreme stress (I mean when is stress not involved right?!), physical and hormonal changes after giving birth, and trauma during birth are some of these factors. Hormones are in particular well-studied in this regard. There is a drop in estrogen and progesterone levels, along with changes in the thyroid gland that could lead to hypo or hyper thyroidism causing a huge impact on the body. 

Regardless of the factors contributing to postpartum depression, asking for support as mentioned before is so very important! Your Counsellor, GP, Midwife, maternity nurses in your community are all part of your support group. There is so much more to understanding the difference between postpartum depression and baby blues than can be examined in a single blog post. With my clients, we go through this in more depth and see what are the best techniques to help cope with the individualized circumstances that exist. I have been there both as a counsellor as well as a client and know the feelings and how crucial it is to be able to share those feelings and get actionable feedback.