Cooking meals, running errands, changing diapers - don’t try to do it all yourself. There are usually people looking for ways to help out new mothers, so when Grandma comes over and asks what she can do, give her a task. That laundry we told you to forget about? Your other option is to let someone else do it for you. Everything seems worse when you’re exhausted. We know, sleep is a priceless commodity in your house right now, but listen to your mother: Sleep when the baby sleeps, and let the laundry pile up. Finding things that make you feel better during this time of transition might help you get back to “normal” (or, at least, find your new normal) a little faster. That said, the postpartum phase is tough, and it’s important to take care of yourself as best you can. You don’t have to do anything, per se, to treat the baby blues - most people find that as they adjust to their new role and settle into a routine with their baby, they begin to feel more like themselves. On the other hand, postpartum depression isn’t something that comes and goes easily throughout the day the symptoms are more persistent and won’t go away on their own. Typically, the baby blues will leave you feeling down and out of sorts, but they shouldn’t affect your quality of life very much. What one person considers severe might be more or less so for another person, so this is a little subjective. Postpartum depression can occur anytime during the first year after having a baby. The baby blues also set in pretty quickly after birth, so if you suddenly begin experiencing symptoms of depression several weeks or months after birth, they’re not the baby blues. (The baby blues typically don’t last longer than 2 weeks.) If you’re still feeling sad, anxious, or overwhelmed after 2 weeks postpartum, you may have postpartum depression. There are two major indicators that the sadness you’re feeling postpartum is more than the baby blues and might warrant a call to your medical provider to discuss postpartum depression: the timeline and severity of your symptoms. How do the baby blues differ from postpartum depression? All of these factors combine to pave the way for the baby blues. The other probable cause? The postpartum period is one during which parents are not sleeping regularly (or much at all, honestly) and coping with all the major changes in routine and lifestyle that come with a new baby. Those hormonal changes can also affect a postpartum mom’s state of mind. After birth, your body goes through extreme hormonal fluctuations to help you recover and care for your baby, shrinking your uterus back to its normal size and promoting lactation, among other things. Though doctors can’t pinpoint exactly what causes them, their timing tells us a lot. The baby blues typically strike within a few days of giving birth, but if you had an especially tough delivery, you may notice them even sooner. That means 4 out of 5 new moms report experiencing them - so chances are you will, too (and if you don’t, you can call yourself lucky!). About 80 percent of postpartum mothers have the baby blues, which refer to a short period after giving birth that’s filled with bouts of sadness, anxiety, stress, and mood swings.
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