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One minute there was just the two of you. You had time to yourself, probably slept soundly eight hours each night. Slept in on weekends, had plenty of time outdoors and indulged in a glass of wine or a movie when you needed a pick me up. Then all of sudden your life is turned up side down……
Instead of long walks in the park you now have a tiny bundle that cries a lot, never seems to sleep, you don’t get to shower anymore, and you can’t remember the last time you had 5 seconds to yourself. ……
Instead of long walks in the park you now have a tiny bundle that cries a lot, never seems to sleep, you don’t get to shower anymore, and you can’t remember the last time you had 5 seconds to yourself. ……
On top of this life-changing experience, your body is trying to recover from a near year long pregnancy and you are probably coping on around 3 or 4 hours sleep a day. Like most new mother’s you probably feel completely overwhelmed and exhausted. Any wonder you don’t feel your perky old self…
Once upon a time you may have been Superwoman and been able to handle anything that the world threw at you with a smile on your face, but as you pace the hallways, in your pyjamas crying along with your new little bundle of joy at 3.00am, wishing you could flee the country, you might just wonder if you are able to cope with anything at all anymore.
Crying as much as your baby is completely normal for a new Mum! The hormones, the sleep depravation and the feelings of hopelessness all compound during the first few months to leave even the most light hearted of women feeling down and out. Actually I would be surprised if I found a new mother that didn’t spend at least an hour a day having a well deserved cry whilst wondering if having a baby was a very big and very bad mistake.
Mother or not, we have all heard of the Baby Blues. Like them or not, they are a simple fact of life. In fact around 80% of women will have “blue” days during their babies first year of life. However, what women need to watch out for is the change from the baby blues to post natal depression.
It is important for new mother’s to monitor their feelings, as prolonged “blue” days or a sudden lack of interest in their baby, or life in general could mean their “baby blues” have developed into Postnatal Depression. (PND)
If you do feel like you are feeling down more than up these days, then seek help. Around one in six women suffer from PND so there is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. And there is definitely a lot of help out there so don’t suffer in silence.
So where does it all start?
Well remember all those hormones swirling around your body, making you sick, giving you pigmentation and causing you to cry over spilt milk. Well around three days after your baby is born, your body will rapidly try to expel these hormones resulting in the well documented “Three Day Tears”.
Most women will suffer from the “Three Day Tears” anywhere from 3 – 10 days after their baby is born, and if they aren’t aware of their existence, may wonder what on earth is wrong with them. Shouldn’t they be happy to meet their baby? Well, of course they are happy, it is just mother nature’s way of purging the old, and getting ready for the new. And in this case it happens in a day of unexplained tears and mood swings.
Not all women will notice this change in mood, and some will even feel a sense of euphoria following the birth of their child, but for many it is just one of those things. So my advice here is not to organise for all your visitors to arrive on Day 3, as you may not be up to it.
So will the Baby Blues only last a day or two? Well, yes, for some, but for other’s it may reoccur on and off during the first year or two of becoming a Mother. Realistically sleep deprivation and a complete change of lifestyle is going to get down even the most cheerful of souls. So know that you will have days when you will feel down in the dumps, but know that tomorrow will usually see a new and brighter day.
On your blue days just have a good cry in the shower, log into a parenting forum for a whinge and indulge in second helpings of that block of chocolate in the fridge. I can promise you that just knowing that you are not alone in this does help.
Once upon a time you may have been Superwoman and been able to handle anything that the world threw at you with a smile on your face, but as you pace the hallways, in your pyjamas crying along with your new little bundle of joy at 3.00am, wishing you could flee the country, you might just wonder if you are able to cope with anything at all anymore.
Crying as much as your baby is completely normal for a new Mum! The hormones, the sleep depravation and the feelings of hopelessness all compound during the first few months to leave even the most light hearted of women feeling down and out. Actually I would be surprised if I found a new mother that didn’t spend at least an hour a day having a well deserved cry whilst wondering if having a baby was a very big and very bad mistake.
Mother or not, we have all heard of the Baby Blues. Like them or not, they are a simple fact of life. In fact around 80% of women will have “blue” days during their babies first year of life. However, what women need to watch out for is the change from the baby blues to post natal depression.
It is important for new mother’s to monitor their feelings, as prolonged “blue” days or a sudden lack of interest in their baby, or life in general could mean their “baby blues” have developed into Postnatal Depression. (PND)
If you do feel like you are feeling down more than up these days, then seek help. Around one in six women suffer from PND so there is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. And there is definitely a lot of help out there so don’t suffer in silence.
So where does it all start?
Well remember all those hormones swirling around your body, making you sick, giving you pigmentation and causing you to cry over spilt milk. Well around three days after your baby is born, your body will rapidly try to expel these hormones resulting in the well documented “Three Day Tears”.
Most women will suffer from the “Three Day Tears” anywhere from 3 – 10 days after their baby is born, and if they aren’t aware of their existence, may wonder what on earth is wrong with them. Shouldn’t they be happy to meet their baby? Well, of course they are happy, it is just mother nature’s way of purging the old, and getting ready for the new. And in this case it happens in a day of unexplained tears and mood swings.
Not all women will notice this change in mood, and some will even feel a sense of euphoria following the birth of their child, but for many it is just one of those things. So my advice here is not to organise for all your visitors to arrive on Day 3, as you may not be up to it.
So will the Baby Blues only last a day or two? Well, yes, for some, but for other’s it may reoccur on and off during the first year or two of becoming a Mother. Realistically sleep deprivation and a complete change of lifestyle is going to get down even the most cheerful of souls. So know that you will have days when you will feel down in the dumps, but know that tomorrow will usually see a new and brighter day.
On your blue days just have a good cry in the shower, log into a parenting forum for a whinge and indulge in second helpings of that block of chocolate in the fridge. I can promise you that just knowing that you are not alone in this does help.
If you want to read a bit more or find some help, have a look around the below websites.
Beyond Blue
http://www.beyondblue.org.au/index.aspx?link_id=94
Better Health Channel
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Post_natal_depression?open
Beyond Blue
http://www.beyondblue.org.au/index.aspx?link_id=94
Better Health Channel
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Post_natal_depression?open
Baby Blues and Post Natal Depression