About 10 to 20 percent of new mothers experience some form of postpartum depression following childbirth. When anxiety, low mood and difficulty sleeping interfere with your normal functioning, you may be experiencing one of several emotional responses to childbirth including:

THE BABY BLUES
A common emotional response to giving birth that occurs a few days after delivery. Symptoms may include, tearfulness, sleeplessness, irritability, anxiety and a sense of being overwhelmed. The “Baby Blues” are the most common and least severe of the postpartum reactions and typically go away without medical intervention.

POSTPARTUM MOOD DISORDERS
Mood disorders can occur during pregnancy, as well as any time during the first year after birth. Symptoms may include, sadness and tearfulness, anxiety and agitation, sleep/eating disturbances, obsessive thoughts, loss of interest in activities, lack of feeling for your baby, irritability, isolation, guilt, shame or suicidal thoughts.

POSTPARTUM ANXIETY DISORDERS
Anxiety disorders may exist during pregnancy or can occur after childbirth. These disorders are characterized by extreme anxiety without depression; however, depression may develop later. Panic attacks and intrusive–repetitive thoughts (obsessive/compulsive disorder) may occur. Counseling and/or medication are effective in treating anxiety disorders.

POSTPARTUM PSYCHOSIS
While psychosis is the most severe of the postpartum reactions, it is also the most rare. Symptoms are exaggerated and include a break with reality. Symptoms of postpartum psychosis may include major confusion, severe agitation, extreme inability to sleep, nonstop flow of thoughts and ideas, suicidal thoughts, thoughts of harming your baby, hallucinations and delusions. Postpartum psychosis is a serious condition and requires immediate medical help. Be assured—help is available.

If you are experiencing one or more postpartum reactions, The Family Place can help. Getting help because you’re not feeling like yourself is not a sign of weakness, rather a sign that you’re a good mother who is willing to take the steps necessary to keep herself and her baby safe and healthy. The first step to getting help is to call Mary-Sue Tuuri, our postpartum depression representative at (603) 224-1381, or speak with your provider.