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It's a common complaint. She has a healthy baby, a loving husband, comfort, security and everything she ever wanted, yet the new mother can't seem to control her weeping. Some days she can't even face getting out of bed. Feeling guilty, she wonders how she can be so blue when everything is finally going so well. She should be feeling happier than ever, but she's tired, listless and emotionally fragile. She may be anxious, or unable to sleep normally, or even plagued by panic attacks. Secretly ashamed, she begins to question her fitness for motherhood.
She's not alone. And her condition, though alarming, is nothing new. She is suffering from a distressing but common and generally transient condition known as postpartum depression. It's been estimated that as many as 50 to 90 percent of all first time mothers will succumb to this form of depression to some degree. For most, these "baby blues" mean little more than crying jags, mood swings, or mild lethargy. Symptoms usually appear during the first week or so after delivery and improve within a few days, although they may recur for up to six weeks.
In a smaller percentage of cases major depression, possibly requiring intervention by a physician, may occur. According to the American Psychiatric Association, major depression with postpartum onset occurs in eight to 12 percent of women within the first nine weeks postpartum. Symptoms ranging from insomnia and abnormal eating patterns to suicidal thoughts characterize this less common, more severe form of postpartum depression. If your spouse experiences this illness, it's nothing to be ashamed of, but it is vital that you consult with her physician. Drug therapy and/or psychotherapy may be required to return her to health.
Many explanations for the baby blues and true major depression with postpartum onset have been offered. One theory holds that the wild hormone fluctuations precipitated by pregnancy and delivery play havoc with a woman's psychological health. And weaning, which also alters hormone levels, is known to trigger the blues.
As a brand new father, you may also experience similar symptoms of anxiety or the blues. And adoptive fathers and mothers have also reported experiencing depression on occasion, so it's likely that there is more to the phenomenon than can be fully explained by hormonal changes in the mother.
Many other possible causes of these blues have been proposed. Here are just a few:
A feeling of anticlimax.
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