Motherhood is a wonderful experience.

Motherhood is so wonderful that it is only a mother that can adequately attempt to explain the joy and inner beauty associated with motherhood. But it often comes at a price that is too much for the mother to bear and may result in possibilities of danger to yourself or your baby.

Postpartum blues also called Maternity blues or Baby blues is the mood swings, irritability and tearfulness that takes hold of you as soon as you have delivered your baby. This is a very common ailment after delivery but is mostly ignored as being normal and considered as nothing more than a little sadness as a result of the impact of the pains and fears related to labor.

But is it really just a little sadness?

Maternity blues is actually a distinct illness that occurs following delivery and should be carefully looked out for in a new mother soon after delivery as they develop these symptoms,

If you can address this problem as early as possible, it is self limiting and resolves completely if it is not ignored therefore it is important you talk to someone about how you feel exactly postpartum and express your inner thoughts so baby blues does not prolong and lead to postpartum anxiety and depression.

Postpartum blues is so common in our society that studies have noted that 4 out of 5 (80%) of newly delivered moms have it in one form or another.

Symptoms

On the 3rd or 4th day following delivery, the symptoms start to gradually manifest and mostly will last for about 2 weeks and then you will notice spontaneous resolution of the symptoms.

The common symptoms you will usually start noticing that you have are:

• Excessive crying and tearing for no particular reason
  
• Overly anxious about normal daily events
  
• Sleeplessness and inability to concentrate
  

• Feeling overwhelmed and doubtful about your abilities especially as regards baby care
• Mood swings from negative to positive and vice versa
  
• Loss of appetite
  
• Fatigue
  
• Inability to make clear choices
  

Causes

The cause of postpartum blues is not clearly defined but resides in the space between biological and psychosocial factors as even moms who adopted a new born baby sometimes also develop maternity blues.

Biological factors

While pregnant your body produces enormous amounts of the gonadal hormones estrogen and progesterone and the endorphins. As the placenta is removed these hormones drop drastically in levels in the blood and you then experience withdrawal symptoms. Mind you at this time your ovaries are still in quiescence and not yet active. These two events can contribute to your mood swings in the postpartum akin to the mood swings you experience around menses but in a larger scale now. Since it takes weeks for ovarian function to return it is expected that the symptoms start returning to normal as the hormone levels return to normal levels

Psychosocial factors

Your pregnancy and childbirth experiences are a major toll on your life and these somewhat traumatic life events increases your vulnerability to increased risk of maternity blues.

The common events that can increase your chances of developing postpartum blues are:

• Trauma surrounding the labor and delivery process
  

• Lack of spousal support or from friends and family
  
• Sleep deprivation
  

• The sudden unanticipated demands of taking care of a new born
• Financial strain
  
• Changing home and work environment
  
• Societal pressures to conform to a particular norm
  

Treatment Options

Maternity blues is a self limiting mental disorder but it is a worrying one that hinders the happiness and freedom of your postpartum life therefore it needs to be handled appropriately. The management of this condition will start from utilizing preventive measures down to the use of support mechanisms and in a few cases may require medication to enhance quick resolution.

Prevention

Prevention of this condition will require that we screen for it in the antenatal and postnatal clinic. At present there are no standardized screening protocols but organizations like the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) recommend standardized screening for depression and anxiety at least once during pregnancy or postpartum and then a full assessment of mood in the postnatal visit. This will help to identify if you are at risk and then you can be followed up so that with adequate care, symptoms resolution will be fast to return you to a healthy postpartum life for you and your baby

Another helpful preventive strategy is educating women during the antenatal visit about maternity blues and how it presents and how you can seek out medical attention and the organizations that can assist when situations like that presents. All these informations will be made readily available to you during the antenatal visits. This is the time also to involve your family in preparation for delivery to offer support so you have a seamless postnatal life.

If you have a history of depressive illness you should inform your doctor about it once you are pregnant so you can enlist in support groups and counseling classes as these have been proven to be effective in these illnesses

Support

One of the most important means to address the problem of baby blues is a very strong support structure. Most moms suffering from this condition do not even realize they have a problem and it is in most cases up to your loved ones to notice a change in your personality and habits. One of the most important attributes of support is not to be judgmental and critical of your loved one suffering from maternity blues. In the most cases being around and offering support and celebrating small triumphs is all that is needed to make this go away.

Natural Remedies

Postpartum blues resolves spontaneously within two weeks of onset without any treatment but there are natural recommendations that will help to relieve the symptoms:

• Ensure you have a healthy eating habit and that you eat a balanced diet
  
• Avoid alcohol and other drugs that will worsen your mood like street drugs or abuse of prescription drugs
  

• Avoid cigarette smoking
• Moderate exercise helps
  
• Get enough sleep and make out time to relax away from baby duties
  

• Always ask and seek for help from friends and family when you need it

• Reach out to other new parents and inquire about their coping mechanisms as it will help you to situate yourself and your care of your postpartum life

Medical Remedies

If your symptoms do not resolve within two weeks or your symptoms are interfering with your normal daily functioning, then you should seek medical attention. You may occasionally need a prescription medication within this two week period to deal with some interfering symptoms like sleep deprivation and this will be determined by your doctor.

The dividing lines between maternity blues, anxiety and depression are really quite thin and you need a doctor to evaluate you to determine that the symptoms are still within the blues range as early diagnosis and treatment of more severe postpartum psychiatric conditions improves outcomes for both the mother and the baby.

Other conditions to consider

Baby Pinks

When a postpartum woman develops extreme elation and hyperactivity instead of the usually common condition of sadness and tearfulness, it is known as baby pinks. It could be a sign of impending depressive illness and could also be part of the manifestation of baby blues and should be handled accordingly like other postpartum psychiatric conditions.

Postpartum anxiety and depression

In postpartum anxiety and postpartum depression, the symptoms are more severe, last longer than two weeks and naturally do not resolve on their own but rather will require medical attention and targeted treatment before it can resolve.

Postpartum blues in men

Studies have pointed to the fact that men also suffer from postnatal blues and depression with some studies suggesting that up to 8% of men are susceptible to maternity blues and even postnatal depression with the majority presenting with poor eating habits, sadness, being fatigued with lack of sleep and overwhelmed by the whole postnatal events. This condition is more common in younger men especially younger men with depressive conditions and is also found more common in men in financial distress.

Conclusion

Maternity blues is a common feature of postnatal life that in some communities it is so unattended to that it affects the quality of life of the mother. With the stigma attached to it, it makes women not to seek available help on account of this stigma and embarrassment resulting in late presentation being the norm in most cases.

As most women shy away from discussing this, it is imperative that we as healthcare providers makes it a point of duty to raise the issue of mental health at each visit to the postnatal clinic or infant and child welfare clinic as this will help our women to open up and talk about their worries and emotional issues in a nonjudgmental environment

Because it resolves spontaneously we may never really know the percentage of our new moms who suffer from this self limiting illness detracting from their postnatal health and freedom.

Dr Mawa

To your postnatal health and freedom

mypostnatalmanagement.com

Please if you have any comments, suggestions, ideas or experience you want to share with us about postpartum blues, kindly use the comment box below.