What are the baby blues and how to be prepared for them?
The baby blues correspond to an episode of intense depression that affects around 60% of women who gave birth. Why do they happen? What are their differences with the postpartum depression?
What are the baby blues?
The baby blues generally occur on the third day of diapers, i.e 3 days after delivery, but if you experienced a tough delivery, you may notice them even sooner. They consist in a hormonal, emotional and existential “storm” and are linked to the accumulation of several phenomena: physical tiredness, hormonal fluctuations, psychological upheaval…
How long do they last?
The baby blues only last a few days, disappear without any intervention and do not require any treatment. A quick and favorable evolution is favoured by the attitude of the mother’s relatives and that of the caregivers who reassure and support the new mom.
Beyond 10 days of baby blues, it is rather an early postpartum depression.
What are the differences with the postpartum depression?
The baby blues generally consist in short and minor psychological troubles while the postpartum depression is longer and more serious.
The latter can occur anytime during the first year of the baby’s life but happens very often between the sixth and the ninth week after childbirth.
The postpartum depression affects 10 to 15% of mothers.
This significant depressive episode demands multidisciplinary treatments for both mother and child. Indeed, the mother sometimes needs medical care that combine psychological counselling and an antidepressant and anxiolytic treatment.
The baby blues are a normal phenomenon that can disappear under 10 days with the relatives’ support. However, if the depression remains beyond 10 days, don’t hesitate to mention it to the nursing staff.