Postpartum: how to deal with “baby blues” and postpartum depression?

Motherhood is generally romanticized, without people often realizing that this task demands a lot from women. The demands are often so great that most of them end up experiencing the baby blues and postpartum depression.

To understand this situation, psychologist Katherine Sorroche explains what these two phases are and what can be done to help mothers.

The beginning of the relationship

The baby blues is characterized by emotional instability that can occur between the second and fifth day after birth, and lasts up to 30 days.

“It’s a situation that involves this sudden sadness, irritability, tiredness, a desire to cry for no reason”, illustrates the specialist, adding that this situation can even be considered normal, as long as it doesn’t exceed 30 days. After this period, attention must be increased.

The reasons that lead to the baby blues have diverse and broad roots in the context of pregnancy, says the specialist. She even highlights that there are cases in which the woman arrives postpartum exhausted.

“She has already gone through the physiological stress of pregnancy, the birth journey, not to mention the phase before pregnancy. This period in itself is very exhausting physically and psychologically, so this woman already arrives postpartum exhausted”, says Katherine .

Is it postpartum depression?

So far, the effects of contemporary times and the natural challenge of becoming a mother – or becoming a mother again – point to a situation that can be seen as normal within the framework of baby blues. But, how to detect the borders of postpartum depression?

“Nowadays, we even talk about perinatal depression, because it can start during pregnancy. So, it’s a biochemical imbalance that starts very small and, if we don’t intervene, it continues and takes on proportion”, warns the psychologist .

The image we have of a woman in this situation is often of someone sad, in bed, unable to connect with her baby. And, yes, this actually happens, according to Katherine. But it’s not just about that.

“This started somewhere, so the sooner we intervene, the better”, she recommends, indicating the importance of evaluating vitamin levels, hormones and taking all necessary supplementation postpartum.

Observe to help

The fears experienced throughout the process also serve as a warning sign. Despite being inherent to such a profound process of feminine nature, excess fear must be observed.

The appropriate measure here is to ensure the possibility of talking about these fears. “The more we talk about them, the more it is possible to elaborate on them and understand what they mean”, advises Katherine.