The baby is here. The baby is perfect: rosy cheeks, huge eyes, sweet smelling hair… so why the mommy is ready to cry any second?

As if having a new baby in the house is not enough cause of anxiety, as if the lack of sleep and hectic day schedule doesn’t just compound things, the hormonal changes taking place in mother’s body after the delivery bring in another common problem: baby blues or full blown postpartum depression.

It’s very common for women to have the baby blues in the first days after giving birth, says Diane Wulfsohn, PhD, a clinical psychologist at Atlanta’s Northside Hospital. But those with significant depressive symptoms two weeks after delivery are at risk of postpartum depression…

• What is it – Baby Blues, Postpartum Depression?
• What are the symptoms?
• What can I do about it?

What is postpartum depression?

“And postpartum depression is an umbrella term. It describes several mood reactions women can experience at this critical time of huge hormonal shifts,” Wulfsohn says. “A lot of times a woman experiencing postpartum depression doesn’t know what is going on…”

What are the symptoms?

You can experience all of just a few… in a mild form or much stronger, but it’s important to keep an eye on it:

After having a baby, many women have mood swings. One minute they feel happy, the next minute they start to cry. They may feel a little depressed, have a hard time concentrating, lose their appetite or find that they can’t sleep well even when the baby is asleep. These symptoms usually start about 3 to 4 days after delivery and may last several days.

If you’re a new mother and have any of these symptoms, you have what are called the baby blues. The baby blues are considered a normal part of early motherhood and usually go away within 10 days after delivery. However, some women have more severe symptoms or symptoms that last longer than a few days. This is called postpartum depression.

See more at Postpartum Depression and the Baby Blues.

This is the list of symptoms specific to postpartum depression (according to FamilyDoctor.org):

* Feeling sad or down often
* Frequent crying or tearfulness
* Feeling restless, irritable or anxious
* Loss of interest or pleasure in life
* Loss of appetite
* Less energy and motivation to do things
* Difficulty sleeping, including trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep or sleeping more than usual
* Feeling worthless, hopeless or guilty
* Unexplained weight loss or gain
* Feeling like life isn’t worth living
* Showing little interest in your baby

The list below is common for any depression.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, symptoms of depression may include the following:
* difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
* fatigue and decreased energy
* feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness
* feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
* insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
* irritability, restlessness
* loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
* overeating or appetite loss
* persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment
* persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” feelings
* thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts

See more at WebMD: Detecting Depression and The Common Depression Symptoms

So… what can I do about it?

It appears that women suffering from baby blues are not only unaware that the reasons for their bad feelings are hormonal, but also are quite secretive about it:

Dennis notes that many mothers are afraid to talk about their depression. They fear their children will be taken way and that they will be stigmatized as mentally ill. And even if they do want help, they may not have the time or resources to seek out professional care on their own.

It’s very important to understand that experiencing those feelings is completely normal, and no such harsh measures should be necessary. Instead, a good support and prompt attention should do wonders.

“One of the key things is awareness and education, and helping people feel postpartum depression is not a sign of weakness, and they are not the only ones who suffer it,” says Dennis.

A Canadian study showed that phone calls from volunteer mothers who overcame postpartum depression in the past, can prevent depressive symptoms in at-risk mothers. I guess this “bean there, done that” actually helps the mothers experiencing the baby blues to open up and improve how they feel.

The study included 701 women at risk of postpartum depression. Half got standard postnatal care and half got peer support. With standard care, 25% of the mothers had significant depressive symptoms 12 weeks after delivery. About half as many women who got peer support — 14% — had such symptoms.

After an extensive review of existing research, Dennis saw that efforts to prevent postpartum depression were most effective if begun soon after a woman gives birth — and if they were home based…

“So we recruited mothers from the community who felt they had themselves experienced postpartum depression, so they know what it is like,” Dennis tells WebMD. “Mothers are more willing to disclose their feelings to another mother who knows what it is like than to a doctor or nurse.”

Training of the peers was intentionally brief.

“You don’t want to overtrain them and make them paraprofessionals — that would change the dynamics of the relationship,” Dennis says. “We mostly talked with them about how to establish a relationship over the telephone and how to provide support. And we taught them how to identify depression so they could refer depressed women to professional care.”

The peer support was intended not to replace professional help, but to serve as a link between communities and the health system.

See more at WebMD: Moms Help Moms Duck Postpartum Depression

While this sounds exciting, weather such service is available in your area – yet for you to find out. Nevertheless these are the things that you can do to get yourself back into the happy land (more at Postpartum Depression and the Baby Blues):

If you have given birth recently and are feeling sad, blue, anxious, irritable, tired or have any of the other symptoms of postpartum depression, remember that many other women have had the same experience. You’re not “losing your mind” or “going crazy” and you shouldn’t feel that you just have to suffer through. Here are some things you can do that other mothers with postpartum depression have found helpful:

* Find someone to talk to and tell that person about your feelings.
* Get in touch with people who can help you with child care, household chores and errands. This social support network will help you find time for yourself so you can rest.
* Find time to do something for yourself, even if it’s only 15 minutes a day. Try reading, exercising (walking is great for your health and is easy to do), taking a bath or meditating.
* Keep a diary. Every day, write down your emotions and feelings. This is a way to let out your thoughts and frustrations. Once you begin to feel better, you can go back and reread your diary. This will help you see how much better you are.
* Even if you can only get one thing done on any given day, remember that this is a step in the right direction. There may be days when you can’t get anything done, but try not to get angry with yourself when this happens.
* It’s okay to feel overwhelmed. Childbirth brings many changes and parenting is challenging. When you’re not feeling like yourself, these changes can seem like too much to cope with.
* You’re not expected to be a “supermom.” Be honest about how much you can do, and ask other people to help you when you need it.
* Find a support group in your area or contact one of the organizations listed below. They can put you in touch with people near you who have experience with postpartum depression.
* Talk with your doctor about how you feel. He or she may offer counseling and/or medicines that can help.

If you have some tips or personal story to share, please don’t hesitate to add a comment below!