Understanding Postpartum Depression vs. Baby Blues


In my last blog, I shared a preview of my experience with postpartum depression. While I plan on sharing more about my journey soon, I wanted first to tackle this topic of knowing the difference between postpartum depression and the baby blues. 

When I came home from the hospital after delivering Callie, I didn’t have the resources I needed to know what I was about to be going through emotionally and mentally — and I truly want better for you. 💙 As new mothers, it’s important to be educated about the mental and emotional impacts of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood.

First, let’s get on the same page about the definitions of baby blues and postpartum depression from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Baby Blues: About 2–3 days after childbirth, some women begin to feel depressed, anxious, and upset. They may feel angry with the new baby, their partners, or their other children. They also may cry for no clear reason, have trouble sleeping, eating, making choices, or question whether they can handle caring for a baby. These feelings, called the baby blues, may come and go in the first few days after childbirth.

Symptoms include: 

  • Weepiness or crying for no apparent reason
  • Impatience
  • Irritability
  • Restlessness
  • Anxiety
  • Fatigue
  • Insomnia (even when the baby is sleeping)
  • Sadness
  • Mood changes
  • Poor concentration

Postpartum depression: Intense feelings of sadness, anxiety, or despair that prevent women from doing their daily tasks. 

Symptoms include: 

  • Feeling restless or moody
  • Feeling sad, hopeless, or overwhelmed
  • Crying a lot
  • Having thoughts of hurting the baby
  • Having thoughts of hurting yourself
  • Having no energy or motivation
  • Eating too little or too much
  • Sleeping too little or too much
  • Having trouble focusing or making decisions
  • Having memory problems
  • Feeling worthless, guilty, or like a bad mother
  • Losing interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy
  • Withdrawing from friends and family
  • Having headaches, aches, and pains, or stomach problems that don’t go away
  • Not having any interest in the baby, not feeling connected to the baby, or feeling as if your baby is someone else’s baby

The key differences are not only the timeframes but also the severity of symptoms. Baby blues will likely go away within the first two weeks after birth, while postpartum depression has severe symptoms that continue far after the first few weeks past birth. 

Why it’s important to know the difference: 

Baby blues often go away on their own, but postpartum depression usually requires professional support to overcome. Therapy or therapy paired with antidepressant medications are the most common ways PPD is treated. 

It’s important to know the signs and symptoms of both baby blues and PPD, so you know what to look for. Knowledge is power, and I promise after bringing your baby home from the hospital, you’ll want to be educated about your mental health just as much as your physical health. If you know what symptoms are related to PPD, then you’ll know when it’s time to seek professional support. 

It’s common for new mothers to experience the baby blues due to hormone fluctuations, exhaustion, and worry. In fact, according to the American Pregnancy Association, up to 80% of new mothers experience the baby blues. If the feelings of anxiety and unhappiness are severe and last longer than 14 days after childbirth, you should consider seeking medical support for postpartum depression. Up to 15% of new mothers experience postpartum depression — so please hear me when I say you are not alone. 

You got this, Mama ✨

In case you are struggling with, or have struggled with, PPD … I need you to know that you didn’t do anything wrong. Postpartum depression is linked to chemical, social, and psychological changes that happen when having a baby. It is a serious mental illness that involves the brain and affects your behavior and physical health. 

Feeling hopeless or empty after childbirth is not an expected part of being a mother. Many women don’t tell anyone about their symptoms because of embarrassment, shame, guilt, or simply lack of education on what they are feeling.  

I didn’t share my struggles with my doctors or family, mostly because I didn’t have the resources to know what I was going through. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel guilty too about how I was feeling. It’s hard as a new mom to try to figure out how to take care of a new baby, heal from birth, and take care of ourselves… it’s not easy. 

But it doesn’t mean you are a bad mom. You and your baby don’t have to suffer. There is help, and I hope if you’re struggling, you feel empowered now to reach out to your doctor and get the help you need. 

If you want to learn more, I found some of the resources below helpful and leaned on them while writing this post. Feel free to reach out to me personally if you have any questions or need support. 💙 I hope this post was beneficial to you! Take a moment to subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss out on future blog posts. 

RESOURCES: 

https://www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/mental-health-conditions/postpartum-depression

 https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/perinatal-depression

https://americanpregnancy.org/healthy-pregnancy/first-year-of-life/baby-blues/

 https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/postpartum-depression

https://americanpregnancy.org/healthy-pregnancy/first-year-of-life/baby-blues/




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