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Postpartum Depression Or The Baby Blues: How Do You Tell The Difference?

While it might seem like a problem that only happens to a select few new parents, experts estimate that postpartum depression is an underreported issue. Roughly 10% of women experience postpartum depression after delivering a newborn. Some studies even suggest that these numbers could be as high as one in every seven new mothers.

Although postpartum depression tends to resolve itself within 3 to 6 months, different factors can influence the duration of a postpartum depressive episode.

By some estimates, almost half of all people with postpartum depression are not properly diagnosed by a healthcare provider. While a reported 80% of mothers with postpartum depression experience a full recovery, swift diagnosis and treatment tend to improve the likelihood of this outcome.

We know that for parents especially, maintaining good mental health is an important part of preventing a variety of problems including substance use.

Here are the differences between postpartum depression and baby blues for new parents and their loved ones.

Postpartum Depression or The Baby Blues — *This is a guest post and all opinions are those of the author. This post may also contain affiliate and/or paid links. Rest assured that we only work with companies and individuals that we trust. While some of those companies and individuals may work in the medical field, this post is not intended to be a substitution for medical advice. Always speak to your doctor if you have concerns about your mental or physical health.

What is postpartum depression?

Postpartum depression is a diagnosable mental health condition characterized by depressed mood, difficulty bonding, and social isolation. Postpartum depression can also manifest as feelings of emptiness or intense sadness that last longer than two weeks after birth. It primarily affects new mothers, although new fathers can also experience postpartum depressive episodes.

People from different cultural backgrounds and with different personality types may feel as though postpartum depression symptoms are laziness or poor parenting. But, this isn’t true. Postpartum depression is considered a complication of giving birth in the same way that perineal tearing can be. It shouldn’t be seen as a source of shame or a sign of failure.

Usually, postpartum depression symptoms start within the first few weeks following birth. But sometimes these symptoms can surface earlier. They can also come on later – up to a year after the baby is born.

Although postpartum depression can happen to any parent, certain risk factors put some new moms at greater risk. When a new mom or dad has a personal or family history of a mood disorder, lack of support from loved ones, depression during pregnancy, or pregnancy, they may be at higher risk of developing postpartum depression. But regardless of whether someone seems at high risk for postpartum depression, it’s important to keep an eye out for symptoms in the weeks following birth.

What are the symptoms of postpartum depression?

Although postpartum depression usually comes with a pervasive feeling of emptiness and sadness, there are other key symptoms for providers and parents to keep on their radar.

Symptoms of postpartum depression include depressed mood, extreme mood swings, challenges with bonding with the new baby, withdrawal from loved ones, changes in appetite, excessive crying, changes in sleep patterns, extreme fatigue or energy depletion, irritability, and hopelessness. Sometimes, postpartum depression can also look like fears of not being a good mother or struggling to care for the new baby or oneself.

Especially concerning symptoms of postpartum depression include thoughts of harming yourself or your baby and thoughts of death or suicide. While these thoughts do not make you a bad mother or a bad person, they warrant immediate medical attention.

How is postpartum depression treated?

Postpartum depression can be treated with a combination of therapy and medication. In severe cases that resist medication or therapy, ultra-brief electroconvulsive shock treatments may be a viable treatment option.

Reaching out for help from family and friends, trying to get regular sleep, eating a healthy diet, and taking time for self-care are also important parts of recovering from postpartum depression.

What is the Baby Blues?

The “baby blues” refers to a period right after giving birth where a lower than normal mood is common. Typically, after four or five days of postpartum, the baby blues kick in. Those dealing with the baby blues postpartum are far from alone – research suggests that up to 80% of new moms experience some level of “baby blues.”

What are the symptoms of baby blues?

While this period of sadness and anxiety is different for everyone, there are some common symptoms of the baby blues. Most parents experiencing the baby blues report symptoms such as sadness, anxiety, crying spells, changes in appetite, sleep difficulties, irritability, mood swings, trouble concentrating, and feeling overwhelmed by parenting tasks.

While bringing home a bundle of joy seems like it should be a happy time, there are several reasons why the baby blues hit most new moms. Although we can’t say for sure why they strike some parents, research suggests that hormonal imbalances, hefty adjustments to lifestyle, daily routine disruptions, and leftover emotions from childbirth might be to blame.

How can you tell the difference?

Although it might be challenging to tell the difference between baby blues and postpartum depression, certain clues might help differentiate the two conditions.

The biggest difference is that postpartum depression tends to be more severe, persistent, and disruptive to daily life than regular baby blues. The intensity and duration of symptoms of postpartum depression make it more of a health concern than baby blues.

If a new mom finds herself experiencing the symptoms listed above for more than a couple of weeks or they feel unmanageable in intensity, it’s important to seek help from a trusted provider. Suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming the baby are both indicators that a new mom is likely suffering from postpartum depression. In these cases, urgent medical care is important for the health and safety of mom and baby.

The good news is that with treatment, support, and regular communication with healthcare providers, most parents dealing with postpartum depression recover. If you find that a case of the baby blues is lasting more than a couple of weeks or taking a turn for the worse, don’t be afraid to reach out to your doctor and see how they can help.

Author Bio

Patrick Bailey is a professional writer, mainly in the fields of mental health, and wellness. He attempts to stay on top of the latest news in the mental health world and enjoys writing about these topics to break the stigma associated with them.

Breastfeeding and Baby Care Tips for New Moms

Breastfeeding Tips

One of the most important baby care tips is about feeding baby. Babies eat a lot of food. While nature has done a decent job of equipping you and your baby with the necessary tools, it will almost certainly be more difficult than you expected at first. Nursing can be challenging, from tender nipples to difficult latching.

Women who seek assistance have a better chance of succeeding.

Consult with friends who have had positive breastfeeding experiences, obtain a lactation consultant’s contact information from baby’s pediatrician, or attend a nursing support group meeting.

Make use of the hospital’s services.

Most women hear everything they can about breastfeeding at the hospital. Inquire about the availability of a breastfeeding class or a lactation nurse on board. When you’re about to feed the baby, press the nurse-call button and ask a nurse to come over and assist you.

Breastfeeding with Postpartum Depression — .

Get yourself ready before you sit down to feed baby.

When the baby screams for you at home, you’ll want to abandon everything and feed them right away. However, doctors and nurses advise that you take care of yourself first. Go get yourself a glass of water or use the restroom before you start breastfeeding since breastfeeding will take a long time.

Dealing with Engorgement

If your breasts are engorged or your ducts are plugged, use a warm compress and breast compression. A heating pad or a soft, wet washcloth will help, but a flax pillow which you will find at beauty and health stores, will be much more effective. Use them as a compress by heating them in the microwave. However if your breasts are swollen after breastfeeding, use a bag of frozen peas or an ice pack to soothe your breasts and reduce swelling.

Additional Baby Care Tips

Keep Your Cool

No matter how ecstatic you are to become a parent, the daily treatment that a child requires can be exhausting. Reduce your stress levels to cope and take short breaks as opportunities to take care of yourself. If you are not doing well, it is going to be extremely difficult to deal with. So remember to prioritize yourself as well.

Make your own rules

First and foremost, disregard any unwelcome or perplexing suggestions. Don’t feel forced to do anything that you don’t want to, It’s your child, so follow your gut instincts to make the decisions. Make sure you know which advice to take and which to disregard.

How to Make a Postpartum Plan for a Smooth Recovery — .

Shop in advance

Make sure you do your shopping for the baby well in advance. Babies tend to soil clothes a lot and require changing at least five times a day. Buy organic baby clothes for your baby, preferably in cotton as it is soft on your baby’s skin and extremely durable. It is also a safe bet to prevent your baby from allergies and rashes. You can also invest in grow suits and baby muslin wraps for your baby.

On the fence about whether to use cloth or disposables? Consider using eco-friendly bamboo diapers and wipes from EcoPea for your little one. Not only are they hypo-allergenic and better for baby’s skin, but they’re biodegradable and better for the planet.

EcoPeaCo eco-friendly disposable diapers — EcoPeaCo

It’s okay to be a little lost, do your research and ask for help if required and connect with your pediatrician whenever necessary. Happy parenting!

Author Bio

I am Lana Murpy, a post-graduate in humanities and communications, and an inquisitive person who loves writing. My forte is digital marketing and everything that has to do with phones and screens. I’m working for Tiny Twig. I am someone who believes that one person can make a change and that’s precisely why I took up writing which is the best tool to communicate these days. I have a decade of experience in writing and marketing.

How to Make a Postpartum Plan for a Smooth Recovery

You’ve heard of birth plans, but making a postpartum plan can be equally if not more important.

A postpartum plan is a way to help you prepare for those first few months after giving birth. Many women create birth plans in anticipation of their labor and delivery, but often neglect the postpartum period. This can result in sleep deprivation, breastfeeding problems, added stress and may even contribute to symptoms of postpartum depression or anxiety.

Here’s how and why you should create a postpartum plan for the months following your baby’s birth.

The postpartum period is often called the fourth trimester and usually considered the first three months after giving birth. However, women require different amounts of time to recover after childbirth. The physical and hormonal changes usually regulate within six weeks, but mental health can sometimes take longer. Whether it’s your first or your fourth child, it can be hard to predict how long you will need postpartum care until the time actually comes.

Download our 13 page printable Postpartum Plan in the Postpartum Depression Free Resource Library!

Limit Visitors

The birth of a baby is like a mass signal to all our family and friends that it’s time to come and meet them. But too many visitors at once can interrupt the postpartum healing process. You may either feel excited to show off your new baby, or anxious about too many people crowding them (and you).

If you’ve given birth in a hospital, then there are usually specific rules that visitors must follow and this should also be the case when you are home. Try to schedule specific times for visitors, and don’t have everyone come all at once. Make sure visitors are washing their hands before holding or touching baby and don’t let anyone to kiss your newborn baby. Don’t allow visitors to simply “drop by” because that could interrupt your sleep or breastfeeding routine. And if at any time you feel anxious or overwhelmed by your visitors, feel free to ask them to leave or excuse yourself to your your bedroom. You’re not a party hostess.

Communicate these rules to your family and friends, even if it feels awkward. Adding this into your postpartum plan and letting them all know your wishes ahead of time can make it easier. Once baby arrives, the excitement can often distract everyone from the plan, so make sure to remind them in a text, e-mail or a printed note on the front door. No one should feel offended by your decision to focus on your postpartum health.

printable newborn car seat signs — Click here to download The Postpartum Plan Workbook.

Keep Track of Your Appointments

Just like during pregnancy, both you and baby will require regular check ups during the postpartum period. It’s important not to skip any of these appointments, and making a schedule of them can help.

Take a look at a calendar and figure out your postpartum timeline. When will you be 2 weeks postpartum? Baby will need a check up with their pediatrician. What date will you be 6 weeks postpartum? That’s when you will need your checkup. The postpartum period can often go by quickly, so knowing the dates that you hit these milestones ahead of time can help you stay focused on your recovery.

If you can, try to book all of your appointments in advance. Doctor’s offices can sometimes be difficult to get into, and a lot can change in just a few days during the postpartum period. If you know that you have an appointment coming up, you can prepare any questions that you have ahead of time. Making notes of things that you want to discuss can help to reduce stress and anxiety.

And don’t forget to include any appointments with lactation consultants, the public health nurse, newborn photographers, for religious ceremonies, to get government paperwork or passports done, etc. When you think about it, there’s a lot that needs to be done to welcome a new person into the world.

Postpartum Appointment Tracker — Click here to download The Postpartum Plan Workbook.

Enlist Help

It really does take a village to raise a child. Many moms these days tend to go it alone thanks to our ever busy lives. But historically and in many cultures today, it’s unheard of for a new mother to tackle the postpartum period on her own. Asking for help during the postpartum period does not make you any less capable of a mother. If anything, it’s one of the smartest things you can do.

Make a list or schedule for those who are available and willing to help you out. Your spouse or partner is going to be helper number one but it’s understandable that they won’t be available 24/7 as most workplaces only offer minimal amounts of parental leave. Try to schedule additional help during the times they are not around. Parents, siblings, friends, neighbors are often more than happy to help you out – all you have to do is ask.

If you really can’t find anyone to help, and your budget can afford it, considering hiring help. A postpartum doula is specifically trained to help you with everything you need in the postpartum period. You can also consider hiring a housekeeper or cleaning service, a food delivery service or night nurse. If there isn’t room in your budget for these kinds of things, add them to your baby registry.

Postpartum Helper Schedule — Click here to download The Postpartum Plan Workbook.

Make Time to Rest

Your postpartum plan should be centered around getting rest. Rest is so incredibly important in those first few months postpartum. Regardless of how your labor and delivery went, all moms need to allow their bodies time to heal. A lot is happening inside of us that we don’t always see from the outside. So while making your postpartum plan, make sure to schedule in lots of time for sleep, naps and lying down with your feet up.

Moms tend to feel guilty when it comes to rest. The urge to cook and clean and take care of everyone else is a strong force within us. But rest is an important part of the healing process, both physically and mentally. Thankfully, newborns are pretty cooperative when it comes to this. Even if you’re not “sleeping when baby sleeps” make sure that both you and baby are getting enough sleep.

Once you’ve enlisted help to take care of all your other responsibilities, spend as much time as you can in bed with your baby. Focus on breastfeeding, have lots of skin to skin contact and sleep whenever baby does. This will also help with the bonding process, which can help with symptoms of the baby blues or postpartum depression.

Postpartum Sleep Tracker — Click here to download The Postpartum Plan Workbook.

Plan Out Your Meals

A healthy diet is essential to healing in the postpartum period. What type of food you eat can affect breastfeeding, your postpartum body and your mental health. You shouldn’t have to worry about cooking during the first few weeks, so having prepared food ready should be an essential part of your postpartum plan.

Stocking the freezer with healthy meals is a common practice for many moms during the “nesting phase” of their pregnancy. This will ensure that you always have something hearty that can be ready with very little effort. Stock your pantry with healthy non-perishables that are easy to whip up, like canned meats or beans, soups, pasta, or instant oatmeal (great for boosting your milk supply.) Buy them little by little throughout your pregnancy so that you have a fully stocked pantry by the time baby arrives.

Create a list of some of your favorite healthy dishes that family and friends can cook and bring for you when they come to visit. The majority of people (especially veteran moms) love feeling helpful by bringing food, but you don’t want to end up with a bunch of casseroles that you’ll never touch. They don’t have to be full meals either, you can request some simple things like fresh fruit or vegetables, smoothies or sandwiches.

Or try a food delivery service. There are so many different ones available now. Many of them offer free dishes and trial periods which can hold you over during the postpartum period. Don’t forget to add gift cards to these services on your baby registry, they make great last minute or long-distance gift ideas.

Postpartum Meal Plan — Click here to download The Postpartum Plan Workbook.

Add in Light Exercise

Your postpartum body is very different than your pre-pregnancy one. Many moms are anxious to start dropping the baby weight and get back into shape, but postpartum fitness should be more about strength and wellness than weight loss. Once you’ve gotten the green light from your doctor or midwife, you can begin to add in light exercise to help your body recover from pregnancy and childbirth.

Focus on your pelvic floor muscles. The pelvic floor muscles do the majority of the work when it comes to pregnancy, labor and delivery. During the postpartum period, they will need some work to get them back into shape and reduce the risk of pelvic pain, urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. There are several light exercises you can do to strengthen them, including Kegels and pelvic lifts. Or you can invest in a pelvic floor training device to do them with ease.

Try low-impact workouts, like yoga. Postpartum yoga is a popular option and some places even offer mom and baby classes. Walking or jogging is another great option for moms, with local stroller walking groups popping up all over the place. Any kind of light exercise will help get you feeling like yourself again. But until your body is fully healed, it’s a good idea to hold off on weight lifting or high-intensity workouts.

Postpartum Exercise Tracker — Click here to download The Postpartum Plan Workbook.

Monitor Your Mental Health

Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders are one of most common complications of childbirth. Even if you are low risk, there are chances that you could get postpartum depression, anxiety or psychosis. This is something all mothers should be aware of and prepare for in their postpartum plan.

Keep track of changes in your moods and daily habits. If you feel less energy, are prone to rage and anger, become frustrated or cry easily and often, these could be warning signs that it’s more than just the baby blues. If you think that you are suffering from postpartum depression, perform a self assessment to help you see things more clearly.

Don’t stay silent about it. Speak up if you feel like something isn’t right. Tell your spouse, your mom or best friend. Talk to your doctor or midwife. Call a postpartum support helpline. There are several different options available and it’s better to get help sooner rather than later.

Postpartum Mood Tracker — Click here to download The Postpartum Plan Workbook.

A postpartum plan should be designed with you and baby in mind. Just like with a birth plan, make sure to communicate what you want with those who will be supporting you in the first few months. And, also like a birth plan, bear in mind that things may not always go according to plan. Your labor and delivery will have a lot to do with your recovery process. Make sure to leave room for adjustments as needed. Most importantly, rest, relax, and get to know your new baby!