Education and Support
The Baby Blues and Post Natal Depression
The week after your baby is born (usually on day three) you may feel a little down, upset and irritable – this is known as the baby blues. The baby blues are extremely common, with 8 out of 10 mums experiencing some change in their mood the week after giving birth. If you think about what your body has just been through in labour, not to mention the past 9 months, then you understand that your body now needs to get back to how it was pre-pregnancy, not just physically but mentally too. The pregnancy hormones begin leaving your body when your breastmilk starts to come through, which is when you may feel the changes in your mood. They shouldn’t affect you for very long and usually pass within a couple of days and sometimes in a matter of hours. Women who successfully breastfeed have a decreased risk of developing postnatal depression, this is because the happy hormone, oxytocin, is realised every time you feed your little one.
2 min read
Postnatal