Postpartum depression or baby blues – the meaning is the same and the results are the same. Postpartum depression is a very real event and emotional condition that woman who have delivered a new child can experience throwing their entire lives into upheaval.
Depression is an emotional condition in which the sufferer may describe feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, irritable, headache, exhaustion, sense of inadequacy or just down in the dumps. But this isn’t a feeling that lasts for a couple of hours or a day but rather a true clinical depression that interferes with everyday life for an extended period of time.
Levels of Postpartum Depression:
Level 1: There are varying degrees of depression that can range from mild to moderate to very severe. The degree of the depression should only be determined by your physician or psychologist, which will influence what treatments, will be used to control the problem.
In many cases the term ‘baby blues’ refer to the several days after birth when mom can experience mood swings. They feel happy one minute and begin to cry in the very next. They may feel a bit depressed, have a hard time concentrating, lose their appetite or find they can’t sleep.
These symptoms usually last for no more than the first 3 – 4 days after the birth of their child. This is considered a normal part of the postpartum period and doesn’t resemble the more moderate or severe postpartum depression.
During this period it is beneficial for the mother and father if there is outside help at home to help them get past this initial bump in the road. Dads are not always comfortable dealing with the ups and downs of their wives feelings in this first couple of days. Another support person who can help prepare or bring meals, or just provide a shoulder for mom to cry on will give both parents needed respite.
Level 2: Postpartum depression may initially appear as the more mild form of baby blues or may make an appearance in the weeks that follow the delivery. This is considered a more moderate form of depression.
In addition to the symptoms listed above for baby blues women who experience postpartum depression will complain of symptoms that interfere with their daily living activities, including caring for their newborn. Women may also complain of a constant fatigue, lack of joy in their lives including with their new little baby, a sense of emotional numbness or failure, excessive concern for the baby, impaired thinking or concentration, insomnia, severe mood swings, less interest in sex, and withdrawal from family and friends.
Level 3: A more severe form of postpartum depression is postpartum psychosis. This condition is rarer and develops within the first six weeks after delivery. The signs and symptoms are even more severe. In addition to the conditions that women who have baby blues and postpartum depression experience women with postpartum psychosis may also experience a fear of harming themselves or their baby, confusion and disorientation, hallucinations and delusions and paranoia.
