Understanding Postpartum Mood: Baby Blues Vs. PPD

In the early days of postpartum, your hormones will drop from the highest they’ve ever been to the lowest they’ve ever been - this intense shift can make birthing parents feel entirely unlike themselves and leave their coparent with questions about how to support them best.

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What is going on in your brain and body?

Immediately after birth, estrogen and progesterone levels drop dramatically which often presents emotionally as the “baby blues”. Estrogen plays a significant role in bone health, hydration of skin and is used in the production of regulating body temperature, mood regulation and inflammation. Birthing parents might experience fluctuations in temperature (hello, night sweats!) dry skin, vaginal dryness, joint pain, and low mood. Progesterone plays a significant role in memory, cell regeneration, anxiety management, and quality sleep. Birthing parents might experience brain fog, headaches, anxiety, and insomnia.

Signs of the Baby Blues

Most birthing parents will experience the baby blues in the first 3-5 days post-birth and symptoms will last for approximately 2 weeks. Symptoms may present as feeling teary, irritable, experiencing ups and downs of mood, and experiencing an uptick in anxiety. Throughout these shifts in mood, many parents still feel “like themselves” and generally stable.

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Signs of Postpartum Depression

PPD can present within four weeks to several months after childbirth and will last far longer than the baby blues, sometimes up to a year. Symptoms of PPD include crying spells, feeling hopeless, anger, irritability, repetitive intrusive thoughts, insomnia, appetite changes, difficulty bonding with baby (feeling like you are simply going through the motions), a general sense of dread, racing thoughts that are difficult to turn off, etc.

How to Help Someone Struggling with Postpartum Mood

  • Be a present and active advocate for the struggling parent

  • Be protective about finding time for them to sleep and rest

  • Be a gatekeeper for visitors – communicate your boundaries for visiting times and set expectations ahead of their arrival

  • Help with household tasks

  • Encourage the birthing parent to take small breaks so that they’re not solely responsible for childcare

  • Educate yourself on the differences between the baby blues and PPD

  • If making decisions feels overwhelming to the struggling parent, help create pros/cons lists to make topics more approachable

  • Provide reassurance that this is not their fault; they have supportive people around them; and they will get better

  • Validate their abilities and capacity as a parent

  • Do your best to hold steady and contextualize any intrusive or anxious thoughts they might share with you. Individuals struggling with postpartum depression or anxiety might experience intrusive thoughts related to concerns of hurting their baby. These types of intrusive thoughts can be extremely distressing for individuals, and they often worry that these thoughts are a reflection of their capacity to be a loving parent. It is best to be a consistent and supportive listener in these circumstances and encourage the struggling parent to connect with a behavioral health professional that can support them best.

  • Prompt them to speak with their medical doctor and/or therapist about their symptoms. PPD is a serious medical condition that requires intervention and care.

It’s normal, expected, and understandable to feel overwhelmed and “all over the place” during this season of parenting. If you or someone you love are struggling in the postpartum period, there are people and resources available to provide you with the support you deserve.

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Say “yes” to those that offer to help. Individuals experiencing Baby Blues or PPD often feel chronically overwhelmed and it can be difficult to communicate specific tasks that would be helpful for someone else to take over. Some tasks that you might want to delegate are washing dishes, bringing over a hot meal, making coffee, putting a load of laundry in, holding the baby while you take a shower or going for a short walk, tending to your pets, etc.

Talk to other families that have been through this. It is estimated that up to 80% of birthing parents experience the baby blues and 20% of birthing parents experience PPD. Sharing your experience and speaking with others who have gone through this themselves can help you feel less isolated and give insight into what actionable steps might be helpful.

Postpartum Support International 1-800-944-4773

You can leave a confidential voice message at any time and a trained volunteer will return your message via phone call or text. These volunteers can provide helpful information and connect you with local resources.

Postpartum Depression Alliance of Illinois 1-866-364-6667

This is a hotline that is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Most referral information is for Illinois residents.

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