Post Natal Depression, Stress and the Baby Blues

New Zealand Post Natal Depression and Stress

Your body has gone through many changes during your pregnancy and it will take a while for it to return to its pre-pregnancy state. Your pregnancy may also have been an emotional roller coaster and when you have a new baby to deal with, it will often keep rolling!

• Women's Health
• Child Health

The baby blues
It is quite usual for new mums to feel very tearful and depressed two or three days after the birth. This is commonly called the ‘baby blues' or ‘third day blues' and affects up to 80% of women in New Zealand. Typically the baby blues occur at the same time that your milk comes in.

Although this is an intense feeling, it usually passes within a day or two, although there'll still be times when you feel a bit low - extremely tired and overwhelmed by the baby's constant demands.

Coping with baby blues
The best way to cope with the baby blues is talk through how you feel with a partner or close friend. If you don't find yourself picking up after a couple of days, talk to your midwife or Plunket nurse. You are not unusual and neither are you alone.

Postnatal depression (PND)
It's estimated that 15% of women in New Zealand suffer from postnatal depression (PND). Postnatal depression is one of the most common illnesses following childbirth and it is likely to be related to the huge hormonal changes that take place at the time of birth. Trying to ‘pull yourself together' or ‘having time out' do not help as you are dealing with bio-chemical balances which requires expert medical and psychiatric treatment.

If untreated, postnatal depression can go on for several months (or even years), so don't feel ashamed about it or ignore it, ask for help.

Recognising the warning signs of post natal depression (PND)
Unlike the baby blues, postnatal depression doesn't just go away and can't be shaken off, and may even get worse if left untreated. It can also affect new fathers - so try to look out for each other. Some of the signs of PND may include:

• Feeling numb and empty or sad and tearful most of the time
• Losing interest in the things you used to enjoy
• Having difficulty bonding with your baby
• Feeling like killing yourself or your baby
• Hearing someone talking to you inside your head
• Feeling detached from reality
• Being utterly exhausted, yet unable to sleep (or sleeping too much)
• Having no appetite or interest in food (or excessively overeating)
• Feeling unable to cope and feeling inadequate
• Experiencing extreme mood swings, irritability and extreme anger
• Experiencing acute anxiety and a sense of feeling driven to keep busy (even when the baby is asleep)
• Having panic attacks (racing heart, feeling of terror, perspiring) in public places without warning
• Becoming forgetful and having problems concentrating
• Having a fear of being alone (or a fear of being with other)
• Losing interest in sex and a general loss of confidence and self-esteem
• Having obsessive, negative or morbid thoughts

Getting help and treatment for postnatal depression
If any of the above signs alert you to postnatal depression, seek help immediately from your midwife, your doctor or your Plunket nurse.

Seeking help is not ‘failing as a mother' - it is being a responsible one.

Postnatal depression has been recognised as an illness for some time, but only in more recent years has effective treatment been available. Anti-depressant drugs can be very effective incurring severe PND.

Postnatal distress
Most mums will not suffer from postnatal depression, but many mums may experience postnatal distress. Finding a new baby difficult to cope with (and care for) are signs of postnatal distress.

Working through postnatal distress
This generally does not need to be treated by anti-depressants, but support should be sought out in other forms such as:

• Partner support - Let your partner know when you need some alone time, and remind him that it's great paternal bonding for the father with the baby by himself as well. Take a short walk by yourself, e-mail some friends, water the garden. You'll be amazed how uplifting a quick break can be.
• Mothers' support groups - Join a mother support group and talk to other women who are going through the same experience.
• Local services - Talk to your Plunket nurse about local support services and groups.
• Friends and family - Visit friends, family and even neighbours who are also at home (even if you don't know them every well).

Find more information about postnatal depression, postnatal depression support groups and treatments in the NZS.com directory.

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Family images from Flickr: The next morning, Kids Classroom and Hands.