Having a baby can be a wonderful experience, but life with a new baby is not always what you expect. "Postpartum" or Baby Blues are experienced by about 80 per cent of new mothers. You may feel sad, have crying spells, feel irritable, exhausted, overwhelmed, or have changes in your sleep/eating patterns.

 

With help from family and friends, a little self care, and support from your health care provider, most women will get through this challenging time of adjustment. 

 

Sometimes the blues do not go away. Postpartum Mood Disorder (PPMD) includes a variety of mental health difficulties that can affect women during pregnancy, after a miscarriage or stillbirth and, or in the first year of having a new baby.  It includes Postpartum Depression (PPD), Postpartum Anxiety Disorder, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

 

If you have a PPMD, you may experience the same feelings as those of the blues, as well as:
• feelings of hopelessness and frustration
• anxiety
• restlessness
• anger
• guilt or shame
• thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
• hear or see things that are not there
• you may think that you are not a 'good' mother

 

If you have had any of these symptoms for more than two weeks, don't wait, there is help for you and your family.

 

Call your health care provider or visit the Adjusting to Parenthood section of our Fact Sheets and Pamphlets page.

 

Very rarely a mother will experience the following symptoms of Postpartum Psychosis:
• thoughts of harming herself or the baby
• hear or see things that are not there
• believe that people or things are going to harm herself or the baby
• feel confused or out of touch with reality

 

If you have any of these thoughts or feelings, don't wait, get help right away.  Go to your local hospital emergency department or call 310-COPE.

 

You may be a friend or a family member of someone who is experiencing these symptoms. By listening to her and supporting her feelings, offering your help, and encouraging her to seek professional support, the mother will know that you care about her and her baby.  Remember, it is not your fault she is feeling this way.

 

For more information or to speak with a Public Health Nurse, please call York Region Health Connection at 1-800-361-5653.